River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-09-20
FRAUDS I'M ARKANSAS.
How the Will of the People Was Set
Aside by Law-Defying Democrats.

now the VIII OF the People was Set
Aside by Law-Defying Democrats.
Ed Sanders, candidate for the office
of sheriff on the Peoples ticket in
Crittenden County, has laid before
Governor Hughes, of Arkansas, a state
ment of the methods by which the
election was carried in that county.
The Governor has given him hear
ing, but does not say that he can give
him any relief. Mr.. Sanders says
there were in round numbers $500
votes polled in Crittenden County.
The Democratic ticket received 400
and the Peoples ticket 2,400, yet the
minority. controlling the election ma
chinery, has counted a majority Of
1850 for the Democratic ticket. At
Hopefeld the judges of election were
saloon-keepers from Memphis. That
they might have some means of know
ing how the votes were east the sup
porters of the Peoples ticket stationed
two clerks at every polling-place but
two in the entire county. These clerks
kept a record of every ballot cast for
the Peoples ticket, and the evidence
was obtained that the majority was
overwhelming for the Peoples ticket
Most of these nominees on the Peo-
pies ticket were Democrats, but they
believed in "a free ballot and a fair
count" and the Republicans gave them
their support.
Ia Crittenden an old colored man
named Register distributed the Peo-
pies ticket. For this he was COM
PEELED to leave the county.
The following are extracts from Mr..
Sanders appeal:
We had in the field two tickets. One (the al
legged Democratie) was nominated by a few
men at Marion. Ark. our county seat; the other
nominated by the dissatisfied members of
the Democratic party and the Republicans Of
the county. The candidates on the former
ticket were four OF them Republicans, and
only turned in order to get these nomna-
tions as they had lost all hope of a nominal on
on their own ticket. The majority of the lat
ter ticket is made up of stanch old Demo
Gratis who are to-day and always have been
such. The ticket is an entirely orderloving
one. Our present sheriff, w. +. Werner, was
the candidate on the hrst-named ticket for re-
election. The statutes of Arkansas command
judges for each election precinct; that in case
the court fails 10 make the appointments the
sheriff shall make them; he shall fix the place
of holding election, and shall issue his procla-
nation at least twenty days before the day OF
holding the election At noon, August 2, Sheriff
Werner issued his proclamation to the election
precincts The county officials appointed
judges from their own friends, wholly, and no
one knew who the judges were to be except
some few of the friends OF the former ticket
At the closing OF the polls election night the
PEOPLES boxes had certainly, as can be proven,
poled three-fourths OF the votes deposited in
the ballot boxes. In all but two precincts in
the county the tickets and returns wefe car
ried to the county clerks office in overcoat
pockets, saddle-bags, and ballot-boxes loose,
and not. provided by law, in sealed envel-
opes. In at least three precincts in the county
the votes we're not counted, as provided by
law, at the closing of the polls, but were taken
away from the polling-places at n ght, and one
of them kept over night in the house of ore Of
the judges and brought back the next morning
and counted in the poling-place The two eth
ers we're taken 20 the residence of two of The
candidates of the so-called Democratic te;tet
and counted there at the county seat-MarNn.
The friends OF the other ticket were driven
from the town with threats of lynching
In one precinct we have positive proof tat
the ballot-box was tempered with, and can
prove that the vote in all the other precincts
was changed. For weeks before the election
the candidates on the Democratic ticket
warned the colored people and threatened the
whites that they were going to have the Offices
whether they we're elected or not; that no man
from the other ticket should take his seat, Ho
matter what his majority might be. We g
not ask of your Excellency to get possession CT
the offices, but TO keep the peace OF the county
and ID protect its law-abiding citizens. II We
should let these people defraud us Of our rights
we know that the people OF our ticket,
friends. and the majority of the few who voted
the other ticket will take the outrage to them
selves and right their own wrongs. The white
population realize that they must do some
thing to obtain just government or leave the
country, as a continuance of the outrages Of
the last week will result in an open rebellion
against them by the working people, both white
and colored.
Word has been sent to all who are not the
adherents on the Democratic ticket that they
must under no circumstances come to the
county seat under pain OF lynch law, as, they
state, they will not be interfered with. Ia adj
dition to the outrages already mentioned comes
the information that the county officials are
destroying the ballots as fast as they are
brought in. They say that we shall do some
thing which shall make us law-breakers like
themselves, but we are determined TO exhaust
every means to have this great wrong and out
rage righted by law and justice instead OF using
the force which they are trying to drive US to.