The Portland daily press., 1886-09-17
DEMOCRATIC ARKANSAS.
Bourbon Majorities Secured by ciar
Ing Frauds at the Polls
st Louis GIobe-Democrat.

St. Louis Globe-DemOerat.
Arkansas is one OF the Olo reIiiDio
Democratic States, which can always De con-
fidently counted on to elect every regular
candidate for State Office who bears the
Bourbon label. Questions Of character ana
fitness for the position for which the eandi-
date is nominated have no weight ana are
not considered in any canvass. IL is suffi-
cient to know that the Democratic chiefs
have put hIm upon the ticket, and that un-
less he is elected the Republican will be, and
the thing is done. 1t will be of interest to
readers of the Globe-Democrat to learn how
these big Bourbon majorities are manufac-
tured to order, and how they can be made at
the will of the Bourbon oligarchy. The facts
here given were furnished us by an old and
honored resident Of Arkansas, whose judg-
ment and Yeracity would be vouehed for by
the people of the county in which he resides,
Republicans and Democrats alike.
At the election held in Arkansas a week
ago, in which State and county officers and
members of the Legislature were chosen, the
election judges appointed in Pulaski county,
where our informant resides, were all taken
from the ranks Of the Democracy. Pulaski
is one of the most important counties of the
State, as it contains the city of Little Rock,
which IS the capital of the State, and also of
the county. The Republicans tried yainly to
have one Republican election judge appoint
ed i'm each precinct That party on a fair
vote, in any election in which county officers
are not chosen, is reasonably certain of car
rying the county by from 1000 to 1,5OO ma
jOrity. For this reason they naturally as
sumed that they were entitled to some rec
rbAp oil selected.
This, however, was the principal reason why
the Democrats did not want any Republicans
appointed to that position. ltYoQld be-
convenient to have them around when the
polls closed and the time for "doetoring" the
returns arrived The Republicans, how
ever would be disposed to overlook this in
justice if the Democrats who were deputed
to count the ballots were generally OF the
average grade of honesty and uprlghtneSS.
One of them is represented as being noto-
riOus gambler of Little Rock, and another
was released from the peniteutiary on writ
of habeas corpus obtained by his attorney,
the present Democratic judge of the county,
who appointed the election judges.
When the polls closed the three Democratic
election judges of each precinct and the two
Democratic clerks of election locked the
doors of the polling places, and, guarded by
armed Democratic deputy sheriffs, began
counting the ballots. And they did this,
presumably, to good purpose. George W.
Clark, the present county clerk, was chosen
by such big majority. at the previous cleo
tion that the Democratic judges did not dare
to count him out. AT last weeks election he
was a candidate for the same Office, his Dem
ocratic opponent being Ham Williams. Ham
is reported to have declared that II do not
propose to be made a cat's-paw OF. Ii the
pmocratic election judges count the rest OF
the ticket in they have got to count me In
too" Clark is understood to have been the
strongest man on the Democratic ticket; but
Hams wishes were respected. He, too, was
L. ff.r hatr Tot
As an illustration Of how this was done, 1t
may be mentioned that the ballots cast in
Campbell Township were all lost by the
democratic election judge who had charge
of the box in which they were supposed 70
be kept A Republican ascertained that the
vote on sheriff in that place was 273 for the
Republican candidate and % for the Demo-
cratic, but as the ballots were not to be mad
when the final counting was done, the Re-
publicans and Democrats alike in that town
were virtually disfranchised.
Two Republicans managed to gain entrance
into room adjoining the one in which the
Democratic election judges Of the township
of Argenta, also in Pulaski county, were ma
nipulating the ballots. They saw the judges
paste Democratic ''stickers" over some OF the
names on Republican ballots, and other
names would be simply scratched out When
the 'stickers" were exhausted-for the num-
ber of Republican votes was greatly in ex-
cess of what they had reason to rear would
be cast-the judges would take Republican
ballots out of the box, throw them on the
floor and substitute Democratic tickets Tor
them, placing on the back Of each Of the lat
ter the number contained on the ticket which
it replaced. One of the Republicans who
had been an unsuspected observer OF these
proceedings kept tally Of the number OF Re
publican votes thus tampered with, and DIS
covered that these, added to the number
which the Democratic judges deemed it safe
to count, would give the Republicans q large
majority in the town. If the watchers had
is that they would have been murdered by
the armed Democratic deputy sheriffs who
were patrOlling in front of the building. 1t
would not be a task of much difficulty to
convince a Democratic jury, if it had become
necessary to kill these Republicans, that the
act was committed in order to prevent the
murdered men from making away with the
Democratic votes in the ballot-bOxes, and
thus reversing the will of the people Of tha
township. And dead men tell no tales.
In another township, which would be Re-
publican by large majority on free bal-
lot and fair count" prominent Democrat,
who is represented as being. defaulter to
the state to the amount Of 100000, rode
around among the negroes, cursing and abus-
ing them, in the hope of creating riot,
which would give the Democratic officials an
excuse to close the polls and take full pos
session of the ballot boxes at once. The ne
groes, however, saw through the trick and
created no disturbance.
These were some of the methods resorted
to to carry Arkansas for the Democratic tick
ct. The official figures, when they are pub
lished, will show probably that the Demo-
| cratic State ticket had majority of about
| 10000. This bogus majority could just as
readily have been made 10000 or $4,000, and
| doubtless would have been had it been nee
| essary. As similar means are probably em-
| plOyed in most of the ex-slave States, 1t Will
be seen that the task of keeping the South
solid is exceedingly simple. When Republi-
can newspapers or statesmen, however, adopt
GlpyalnUnfS n
tain occasion in the past, and ''tell the truth"
in these matters the Bourbon politicians and
press Fowl that they are waving the bloody
Shirt