The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-11-05
PROTECTION OF THE BALLOT.
Senator John Sherman Discusses the
Most Important Question Of
the Time.
A Democratic Revolution Accomplished
by Fraud in the South-The
Remedy.
[speech in Washington. Oct. al

BY far the most important question now
before the American people is how to pro-
tect the ballot box from fraud and corrup-
ton. II is transcending in importance, be-
cause if it is established as rule In our
country that anywhere the voice or the
people can be overthrown by scoundrels
and rascals of any degree. and the people
deprived of their choice, then our boosted
Repubiicanism ends. and the war of the
Guelphs and the Ghibelines, riot and ruin.
commences. do not intend to speak OF
partisanship. You oil know that l am a
republican, and / intend to dismiss the
subject of partisanship to give you my con-
ception of the nature and the character OF
the danger that now threatens the Ameri-
can people. The habit of fraud in cleo
tons has existed more or less from the
beginning of our government. and must to
some extent exist everywhere that crimi-
nails abound: but never before 1868 was
the crime of election frauds organized by
great bands of men, bound together by
ties and compacts, which. contributing to a
common purpose, overthew and thwarted
the will of the people. This was in 1868,
TO prevent General Grant from receiving
the electoral vote of New York. Fortu-
nately for the country. it did not affect the
result
Mr.. Sherman here reviewed the Tweed
frauds, and then recited the frauds in the
South in 1876.
"The day that Garfield vas elected Pres
ident of the United States the same fraud
existed in those Southern States. The
same combination existed, but fortunately,
impressed with the importance of affairs,
the people elected Garfield, and he became
President by sectional vote; but last year,
however, the same Democratic power in
the cotton States controlled the election,
and deprived enc million voters of the right
of suffrage. Whereas the vote, If counted.
would have changed the result, where six
million people have been deprived of all
representation, not only in Congress, but
in the Electoral College last year, by this
combination of fraud, Cleveland was elect
ed President. If there had been fair
vote and fair count in the South, James
g. Blaine would this day be President.
That is solemn fnct, and no man here de-
MES it, have been begging day after day.
asking Gov. Hoadly, and Judge Thurman,
and other distinguished men in Ohio to
deny this fact, and they dare not do it.
Since made that declaration in this can
vass, the Southern States, by their repre-
sentatives and leading newspapers, have
admitted that what said was true. The
Charleston NeWs and Courier, on the 18th
Oh OctODeI, III du dItlClo dDiy iuu lulIlt
written, said that what the white men of
South Carolina did was by revolution to
overthrow the order of things. They call
1t revolution. / would call it a rebellion.
''They accomplished what they called a
revolution, and they want it distinctly un-
derstood that the negroes of the South
were deprived of their rights: not willing
", but against their will; and then the
article SAYS this is white mans govern
ment, and we intend to maintain our pow
er, although the blacks of South Carolina
are nearly two to one. If this is lawful, if
this is right, to deprive majority, be-
cause of superior physical power, of their
rights, then all frauds are right, and the
thief, the scoundrel, the forger, and pick
pocket may lawfully go to work and rob
whom they please. There is no crime
greater than this, and it was by this crime
that a revolution was made last year In the
Government; and that crime / will de-
nounce as long as / live, and wherever L
speak.
snow, let us go little further. The
example set by successful manipulation at
the ballot-box, which was resorted to, and
every kind of interference, that successful
manipulation mt the ballot-box that over
throws the rights of the poor, and the pub
lie among them. is now practiced and will
be practiced in every State of the Union,
unless the people stamp upon 1t and put
it down, if necessary. by force. My coun-
trymen, we had it in Ohio; we were going
on in a peaceful and quiet canvass, and
making speeches to our fellow-citizens.
We were received with kindness every
where, and the people listened thought
fully to what we had to say. Where
ever Democrat appeared. he was treated
with equal kindness and courtesy and
feel bound to say that our Democratic fell
low citizens, especially in the rural dis
tricts, received the Republican orators will
kindness and listened to them attentively
Finally under circumstances of great diff
fculty and encouragement, with the
National Government and the State
government and nearly all the city govern.
ments against us. aud with whole army
of Prohibitionists against us, who Tough
us tooth and nail-with all this opposition
the people of Ohio. by majority of 20, 600
elected Legislature that was Republican
by thirty majority on joint BALLOT, anC
Governor Foraker by majority of 10000
Then the crime commenced at the ballot
boxes, The Legislature had majority o.
thirty on joint ballot.
In Cincinnati, where they were accus
toned to election crimes, especially yea
ago, when one lieutenant OF police, with.
out warrant, arrested more than one hun
dred lawful voters on the night before tn,
election and put them IN the Hammond
street station. and kept them 'unbeno.
ticed, as Lincoln used to say, kept then
In durance vile, and after election turne,
them out without accusation-that fellow
was tried. found guilty, was sentenced b,
the judge, after strong reproof. and sent L
Jail for one year. Then the Governor o
Ohio, the chief magistrate, the man VIII
was sworn to execute the laws of Ohio
came here and begged n pardon for Muller
from President Cleveland, and, i believe
upon erroneous information Presiden
Cleveland granted that pardon. That wa
o year ago, and Mullen was sent back an
appointed lieutenant of police. and he wa
set TO do the work over again, and to do j
ten times worse.
why. my countrymen, we dare not sa
anything about frauds in the South lest W
be charged with raising the bloody shirt
but the frauds in my State were good dea
worse this year than ever before. The
stopped the count in fifteen precincts i
Hamilton County, just where they eoul
manipulate them best, and held back tn
returns for no other purpose except fraud
They did not change these returns to a
extent more than sufficient to elect tn
whole Democratic ticket in Hamilto