Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-13
MINORITY RULE IN THE SOUTH.

and supported MIR. Cleveland in 1884,
writes to us from the far East: I" have
yet 10 meet d person among the rank and
file Of Independent Republicans who is
not heartily back and repentant of the
grave mistake made. A principal reason
is the recognition Of the overshadowing
question as to Congressional representation
in the South, and in general, the enormity,
after as before our great war, of a minority
ruling a majority. If any one will COM
pare the vote of 1886 cast by the minority
in Ohio and Illinois with the vote cast the
same year by the majority in Georgia he
will be astouudod by the comparison"
Our correspondent has struck keynote
In Ohio and Illinois and all other North
ern States all the people are invited to the
polls on equal terms and the ballots are all
counted. How is it in Georgia? The
greater portion Of the electoral vote is dis
tinctly repulsed. Even the commonwealth
itself not only connives at this, but it aids
and fosters the system Of repulsion by
denying adequate facilities for the casting
Of the ballots OF the people Thus, the
law gives affirmative permission to munich
pal corporations to establish polling places
for all local elections, and then washes its
hands of responsibility for their number.
But at State and national elections the
State emphatically asserts the exclusive
power TO name the number and location of
polling places in each district. 1t will be
seen in advance of any explanation that a
Legislature can, as easily as in the passing
of complimentary resolutions, order such
small number Of pells that whites
who choose to take their time, being in
charge, the colored voter will realize the
uselessness Of his coming to the polls,
knowing that not even all the white voters
could possibly deposit the ballots before
the booths closed. This fact the colored
voter rightly accepts, rs notice by the State
of Georgia to stand back" AS one writer
has expressed it, "it requires no bludgeon
nor rifle; it involves no risk of intervention
by civil process, and no responsibility to
the Courts for the result 1t is remedy
peaceful in form and more effective than
the vulgar methods once resorted to. It is
the refined weapon Of cultured unscrup-
ulousnees which smiles while it smites."
Under this law of the State which went
INTO effect ten years ago, or more, we find
that there were in Georgia in 1880. 321,-
AS electors, but that only $4,000 of them
voted at the Presidential election, about
one-half. In 1884, Of the 100000 electors,
only 1860, or 40 per cent, voted for
Presidential candidates In 1886 there
were $4,000 electors in that State, but
only ll5,60l, or about 80 per cent, voted
for Legislators, Governor and State officers.
and but q ,553, or only per cent, at the
election for Congressman There was one
district, the Seventh. in which there was a
strong contest, but even then the vote
amounted to but $3.50. Turn now to any
political almanac or other political stats
teal record, aud it will be found that in
Minnesota for instance. in the Fourth Dis
trict, 1888 votes were cast, while scores
of instances will be found of similar large
vote totals in other districts Of other States
Yet Georgia has population Of 100000,
while Minnesota has population of but
l,1l7,798
In the Eighth Georgia District there
we're there east but 2,377 votes for Con-
gresham in 1886, aud in the Ninth but
1858, and of these but ii were Republi-
can; so, too, in the First District Con-
gresham was elected on a total vote Of
2,07S, and II only were Republican votes
yet in 1884 the Republicans managed TO
cast 6,012 votes in that district out Of
total vote of 1852 In that self-same
contested Seventh, where the total vote in
1856 amounted to but $3.50, in 1894 it was
nearly 1900.
Minnesota with her population of
l,il7,79S lin 1885, cast total vote in
1884 at the Presidential election of
1907, while Georgia, with nearly $780,
600 more Of population, cast in the same
year at the same election nearly 1900
fewer votes. Under the remarkable power
exercised by the Legislature in Georgia in
fixing the number Of polling places, it gives
Atlanta, city Of over 10000 souls and
nearly Il, 500 voters, Just t,co polling places.
Suppose that in Sacramento, with but
$4,000 population and 5000 as the vote at
the Presidential election, some authority
could lirni; the polling places to just one,
and that it were possible to cast ballot
every ten seconds, without any cessation
from a. N. to s ?. NJ, or 800 an hour;
even in this glorious climate" it will
be sen that we could cast, with all our
California vigor, but about four-ffths of
o.: total vote. In fact with q registery
system, it is difficult to cast three votes
a minute. Yet in Atlanta, with 49,
500-more than twice as many votes as
Sacramento-they must all be cast at two
polling places in twelve hours, or at the
rate of more than one. vote every eight
seconds constantly. II, as is the method
in the South, the election of officials are
slow, the challenges frequent and the
interruptions moro so, it can be readily
understood why the South remains sol
idly Democratic. Savannah, with $1,000
population, has but one polling place, and
the condition of affairs is very little, if