The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-25
PULLING VIRGINIA THROUGH.
How the Returns Were Doctored to Produce
a Majority for Cleveland.


Majority for Cleveland.
National Republican
A stalwart Virginia Republican writes from
his home near Richmond, as follows:
sit is now well known that Virginia gave de
cided majority for the Republican electoral
ticket a fact which was conceded / Y all parties
lust before Mr.. Shotgun Barbour received that
suppo sedly momentous Pull Virginia through
telegram On its receipt the returns in certain
counties were promptly subjected to a wholesale
Adoctoring, and then sent III, and thus was ' II
ginia pulled through However, as Nirginlas
electoral vote would not affect the result of the
late presidential election, this States vote will
lot be contested.
sfWhatever may be thought of this high hard
ed outrage against American citizenship, which
pulled Virginia through, let it be remembered
that more disgraceful and barbarous means
than these have been and are still being prac-
ticed by the Bourbons of this State. In one
precinct in Henrico county the names of fifty
two qualified colored voters were stricken from
the registration books, and by the ruling of the
county Judge all were deprived of their ballots.
"A scheme of wholesale 'blacklisting,' in
volving social and business prescription, has
been quite successfully practiced in many
other parts of this State against white Repub-
licans. When the white voter came forward
with what the Democratic official at the ballot
box Judged to be Republican or 'Readjustah'
ballot. he would take the ballot between his
thumb and forefnger and then straighten out
his second and third fingers. The language Of
this signal was He is Readiuster Tor Repub-
licanl; spot him. and his name was thereupon
entered upon blacklist The voter was hence
forth prosecuted and generally crippled orruined
in business, if, indeed he escaped other evils.
''Shoud the Mccormick bill become law of
this State the INSCRIPTIONS Bourbon tyrants
will be reinvested with such absolute control OF
the elective machinery of the whole State that
no adverse judgment of the voters OF this Com
monwealth, by whatever overwhelming majority
- 70 ha
bic. 1t would render the ballot such farce
that no Republican who was not fool or luna
tic would even go to the polls.
'sSince the announcement was first made that
Cleveland was elected, the discharging mobbing
and persecution of white Republican mechanics
and laboring men has been so great as to cause
considerable CONSERVATION. Some of them left
the day after the result was definitely known,
and many more are following. In addition 10
other evils, that of a probable virtual disfran-
ehisement of white Republicans for two or three
years, through the Mccormick bill, stares us In
the face.
Gas an evidence Of the need Of an educational
programme in future political campaigns in this
State. a prominent federal official in this city,
who has excellent facilities for knowing whereof
he speaks, informed me yesterday that he could
travel twenty FIVE miles in certain directions
from this city. starting from points four or five
miles out from Richmond, and scarcely find a
white family who regularly read a newspaper
OF course such communities cannot be expected
to be other than ignorant, bgoted Bourbons
Yet here is a good field for condensed political
documents. 1t is this gentleman's opinion that,
but for their color-line prejudice, two-thirds of
these votes could be brought into the Republican
party within two years. Owing to their race
prejudces however, they vote with and for
their tyrants, who raise the cry nggern mig
gerl' to keep the poorwhite Virginian in slavery.
The world moves, however, and let us hope these
benighted people will, ere many years, move
with the rest of the world"