New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-10
4 QUESTION FOR LABOR Voters.

4 QUESTION FOR LABOR VOTERS
That was an admirable speech of General
Harrison, published on Saturday morning,
regarding election frauds. After showing that
Congress, though chosen in separate districts.
legslates for all our people" so that each state
has a direct interest that the ballot shall be
fair and pure in every other State, he de
clared that the question of free ballot at the
South would be settled this year, " if the men
Of the South who believe with us on the grea
question of the protection Of American indus
tries would throw off all prejudices and vote
their convictions on that question" lie said
further, that the intelligent and progressive
citizens of the South who are seeking to build
I'D within their own States diversified indus
trieso need to support " the only party which
advocates that policy" and then " the question
of free ballot, so far as it is Southern ques
ton. will be settled forever, for they will have
the power to insist that those who believe with
them shall vote, and that their votes shall be
cOuntedo
The entire speech was not only kindly and
manly. but it's admirable temper was all the
more praiseworthy because it was peculiarly
timely The same day there was published
letter to 1.-The Newly ork Press" from K. ID.
Carl Lee. business agent of The Arkansas
State Wheel" in which he submitted body
of evidence regarding the methods by which
the Labor party was defeated in the recent
election in Arkansas. In previous letter he
had recited instances of fraudulent counting
and of murders aud outrages by which that
marty had been wronged and Governor Hughes
of Arkansas had replied without distinctly
DENYING single statement made, but calling
Mr.. Lee a defamer Of the State. Mr.. Lee
answers:
When have become so? have lived in Arkansas
thirty years excepl during the war, when was
soldier Of the lost cause, and during that time he tire
Governor nor any one else has ever heard me uttcI
an apology for wrong To-day he poses before the
people Of the United States, virtually admitting the
frauds charged in many counties.
He proceeds to give great mass of evil
dence, showing for example that in Folk Coun-
ty the vote originally returned to the Stat
Labor Committee showed majority for the
Labor party of l6S, but the Democratic count
change it TO Il Democratic majority OF 33l.
In Woodruff County the vote returned TO the
Labor Committee was 1852 Labor and l,23l
Democratic, but the Democratic count changed
it to .375 Labor and ,5IS Democratic. In
Lee County the returns to the State Labor
Committee showed ? ,9O3 Labor votes and $40
Democratic; the Democratic count made ii
692 Labor and 3,O51 Democratic. In Cnt-
tenden County the returns to the Labor Com
mttee showed 2,I67 Labor votes, against
74O Democratic, and the Democratic count
changed 5S6 Labor votes 10 5So Democratic
a steal Of / ,l76 votes, of which MIR. Lee says
The Governor acknowledges that two men from that
county did call him and presented written
statement OF the frauds, and he told them he could
do nothing for them. just as he did with the men
from that county who driven from their homes by
a mob he could do nothing for them, either. They
were accused Of no crime. We charged at the time
that they did this to steal the county The result has
shown II true
lie recites also the extensive use Of armed
Democl ATTIC clubs as State militia, the firing of
cannon and the murders and whippings to
oyerawe ignorant voters, the threats Of asSas-
sination if individuals persisted in resisting
or exposing fraud, and the striking fact thai
though proofs of these wrongs were laid before
the Governor, that officer and his political
friends want to tide over these outrages until
after the Presidential contest, fearing the, may
have an unfavonblc effect" OF himself, Mr.
Lee says: Il have always been a Democrat
until Two years ago. ! am now a Labor party
man. and have no interest in any other" and he
declares that his party has insisted upon laws
to prevent election frauds, but that Governor
Hughes and the Democratic party have pre-
vented their enactment
Ii would be we'll for men Of the Labor party
III other States to inquire into this thing, and
to ascertain how their party was counted out
in Arkansas. II they then conclude, never
theless, to countenance and directly or indi-
recty aid the very party by which they have
been thus defrauded it will be apparent that
their regard for the principles they profess is
not very deep. For no reform which the PEG.