National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-06-05
v1ne1N1A ELECTION CASES.


VIRGINIA ELECTION CASES.
Republicans want All the Facts nj
yulged at Once-A Fair Count VIII
Give Petersburg to Them by 1000
Majority.
PETERSBURG, va, June 81 find tina
the interest in the Petersburg election cases
has In nowise abated here, and that, on the
contrary, feeling on both sides seems to be
running higher aud higher. The Rcpubli-
cans have keen and indignant sense Of tho
outrages perpetrate1 and attempted against
them on election day, and they view with
natural impatlence and suspicion every de-
lay and caution which the law requires in
the proceedings now instituted. They want
all the facts divulged at once, and they can
see no justice in any plea or ruling under
which fraud can escape full and immediate
exposure.
One Of the badges Of fraud that has been
called to my attention is the Bourbon ticket
itself which was used on the day Of cleo
tlon. This is n narrow and long affair,
with perforated or sorrated edges, and
which, no matter how folded, Is distinguish
able from all other tickets, both by sight
and touch. To all practical intonts and
purposes this Is marked ticket, as much
so as If II were colored, or numbered, or OF
triangular shape; aud before any Impair
tlal judgment II is precisely the ballot for
hidden to be used by the laws OF Virginia.
The purposes for which these saw.edged
tickets were provided are plainly obvious.
They revealed for whom the voters using
them voted. 1t was not secret ballot--at
least to the Bourbon ringsters; and, In case
Of stuffed ballot-box, any blindfolded per.
son could easily tell which ballots he was
expected to leave in the box.
The Petersburg Indcr-Appedl OF to-day
attempts to criticise the editorial on "Fla.
grant traud' I'm the NATIONAL REPUBLICAN
OF yesterday, but IL slips up badly on the
two main points 1t attempts to make. The
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN charges no fraud
as TO the sixth ward (now in controversy
except the fraud by which IL Is sought tC
exclude the vote OF that ward entirely. In
fact, II is said in the NATIONAL REPUBLI
CAN that the fraud which prevailed in every
other ward of the city was prevented By
Republican diligence and vigilance in the
sixth ward, and that, therefore, the fraud
and outrage to exclude the ward from the
count is rCsorted to as last desperate re-
course. There was no attempt I'm the sec
ond, on part of the NATIONAL REPUBLI
CAN, to liken the petersburg incident oil
last week to the Granville AFFAIR." of 1888
except in its results. The NATIONAL RE
PUBLICAN merely said that while the "Dan
VILE AFFAIR." illustrated the operation oil
Bourbon force, the petersburg incident
as fully and efTectually illustrated how
Bourbon fraud could work TO the same ends
AS the Indcr-Appcdi Is "non-p partisan, ;
its criticisms of the NATIONAL REPUBLt
CAMS article can only be attributed to mis-
conception, arising from too hurried pc
rusal Of what the NATIONAL REPUDLICAe
really did say.
AS for ballot-box stufIlng and false counts
there is no doubt that they were practicet
without stint or scruple all over Peters
burg last Thursday IN every ward excep
the sixth, which the Republicans are nov
seeking to have counted. There will b.
ward contests over the seats Of some Of tn,
councilmen, and In the investigations so IA
made IL is developed that there were fraud
| of the most audacious character at nearl,
every voting place. The lists of voter
show In several instances that, though thu
official counts give Democratic maioritie
Of large proportions, the voters actual,
cast their ballots In large majority for h,
Republican candidates. The voters hav
been sought ont, and are ready to swea
| to how they voted, and, in the case of col
ored and other ignorant voters who coul,
not read their ballots, intelligent aud reli
able gentlemen arc prepared to swear tina
| they examined the ballots of these voters
and saw them deposited in the ballo
boxes.
There are seven polling places in tn
city, aud ut only two OF these was there
single Republican judge of election las
| Thursday at the other five all the officer
and clerks were Bourbon or Bourbon al
| lies, and in no case were any but Bourbon
| and Bourbon sympathezers admitted I,
witness n count. There is evidence tina
some Of the ballots were torn up In two o
thewards, the fourth and 9th; and high au
| responsible city officer assures me that h
himself saw the clerk Of the fifth war,
handling the ballots and tearing u
some Of them, when he had no right unde
the law TO touch the ballots at ali, at an
time, for any purpose.
| In the sixth ward the polling place wa
| in the front room of a series of tire
apartments. The preparations for fraud ha
to some extent been bstlled there; but tn
course and character of the judges, MS we
as the necessity Of theBourbon case, made
likely that fraud would be attempted 1
the count, and High Constable Minitre
was invited into q rear room OF tue buildin
where the polls were held by the owner G
the house, who had valuable propert
stored there, and which, in event of dis
turbance, might be endangered. lie di
not 90 into the polling-place; he broke n
door; and only drew his pistol when one {
the election judges, Scott, came out of til
polling-room and made a threatening rC
mark and motion.
The Republicans claim that fair coun
would give them about 1000 majority, an
they say that, II they be now allowed I
90 Into all the facts, they can establis
that they carried the city by majority {
not less than 500. L.