Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-08-01

every effort Is petty ana irlllllg. l. liHl oil
the supremacy of the Constitution ITSELF
know not what other. may think. hut
cannot stand here in honor. when know
that in great States the right of suffrage !,
practically denied to my CuuntlNmrn.
do not think my own right to vote tul
President is of much value il the man Ul
my choice is to Ice defeated 10y such pro
ces-cs as prevail at the South There are
three States. mississippi, louisiana and
South Carolina. to say nothing of others
in which. beyond all question, the clccto
raj vote recorded at the coming election
will have no relation whatever To the will
of their people Unless the brave and gal
liant white men who are acting with Ma
hone can win justice from the fears of the
democrats, we must add To these states
Virginia. These three States cast % clcc-
tural votes with Virginia they cast 10.
Now. giving to Governor Cleveland all the
States that his most enthusiastic support
crS can hope for, he will fall far short of an
election. unless the votes of these States.
wrcStcd from their Republican maiOritcs
10y crime and fraud. he counted in his ia
NOr. The young rctOrmCr who votes for
Governor Cleveland cannot help to elect
him. He can only help to make possible
the successful CCOmpi~hmrnt OF the
crime 10y which minority shall uSurp the
government of the country. The process
i very ~llllDit anu idtlllilI. 1t - kll'lN ~
~ the Mississippi plan. Violence and mlU-
der a'e mad use of until the minority
get the election offices into their hands.
and thcucciurth the a-ccndHnCN Is main
tanned by the easier way of tissue ballots
and fraudulent counting. These things
will scarcely he denied hya Southern Dem
UCrat in private The leading democratic
papers in each of these states | have
named. the Charleston News i'm South
Carolina. the New Orleans picnNunc in
Louisiana the Richmond STATEN Virginia.
the Niclshurg Post in Mississippi, have in
substance admitted these facts. and all but
the last have VindiCatcd them rs II ncccssi-
tY. You tell me Governor Cleveland is
not responsible for these things You
know very well that he is seeking to OBJ
tain the presidency at the price of these
things. II lie were to declare in manner
that showed he was in earnest that he
would. If President, use the power invest
ed in him for their suppression, or if he
should declare. Us an honest man should
do. that he would not take an office gained
by such means. he could not get Il Demo
cratic vote south of Mason and Dixon ;
line.
My friends | know whereof speak. |
was charged a few months ago with the
duty of investigating the election meth
DDS in the state of Mississippi. It was
not Il question OF negro supremacy. som"
six or seven hundred whit" mcn had cot
republicans To form an independent party
in Cupah County. Mississippi. \ band of
liJ men, all Democrats. composed, rs was
admitted. of the best citizens, armed with
rifles and shot guns. mounted. rode about
that county for IA fortnight before election.
They visited the dwellings of large mum
hers of Republicans in the night time
Some They murdered in their beds Others
were logged and otherwise abused. From
many they cNtortcd pledges that they
would vote the Democratic ticket They
broke M Republican meetings. They
made night hideouS with cannon This
went ON I'M the republican voter, i'm large
number, fled to the woods. and the Demo
cratic minority had an easy victory in the
election. The commander of this band
wa. one Wheeler. ana In. lieutenant. one
RniIry The day Lrfrrr the election the
armed company waited upon Print Mat
tLrw, tho lrndiuu Rroublicnuoflhr conn
~ Nallhr,y. ,y1. The urircin,I citilrn of
t&r cnI,rtv - wealth lurrrbuuf Win Two
s'ns i'm rGIirln and two .,r,V.u duuuItrr..
I'm his house lie WA. ,rcn,ruil+. brave n
~ ~ 4> .l &C.