Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-02-09

The pOnCE tndt ! ann 10 uchtlop Il one
that VIII make lis practically independent
of all The nations Of the WoTlG, that we
may make III this country not only all
that We need 70 eat. except the luXurIeS
OF tropical climeS and all We wish TO
wear. ali the manufactures necessary TO
human life, that this great and powerful
nation Of d@MU09peopie, extending over
vast region. from ocean 10 ocean and
from the Gulf to Canada, may be indie
pendent in themSelveS.sO that II European
nations VIII be at w9r with each other,
here We may have republic Of freemen,
making It's own way III the word, able 10
keep itself. and. if Necessary, to help the
country North OF us and the country
South OF uS. manifestations OF applause
Ill the galleries.
TIE PURITY OF TIE BALLOT.
Cincinnati Commercial-Gazette
Judge Thurman, in his opening address
to the jury for the prosecution in the tally
sheet forgery eases at Columbus. uttered
a sentiment which deserves to be widely
circulated and carefully treasured as the
keystone of the arch which suStains our
system OF government. from the national
system down through states and munich
paiItleS. We reproduce this much from
his address:
The state Will prove that these alterations were
made Tor the express purpose Of defeating the VIII
oi the people registered at the polls Ii is not
necessary. IN speaking 10 twelve Intelligent men,
T. Gl!aIc en the importance Il this ease For more
Than one hundred years il has been the boast OF
ms nation t!laI We have. 10 Use the language ol
Abraham lincoln, q government OF the reGple,
b. the people, aud iul The people We nave held
ourselves mp 10 foreign nations such: have taught
the doctrine to our children and have embedded il
IN ON laws. The registration laws recently passed
show how zealDuSls the right OF suffrage Is guard
ed. II, however, crimes ike this yan be commit
ted win nPUniI, IN Ohio, the JuSted government
"9L tie people bE the people, aGd f0s the people
viii soon b. ended. There are LO politics in this
case. would be ashamed To call myself a Demo-
cI5lt snd am kE0Nn 70 he one II did n1t delfe-
cate the commission If such a crime as that with
which the defendant is charged.
The crime for which the parties are be
ing tried at Columbus WAS committed in
1880. when an effort was being made to
obtain control OF tine Legislature, and
through it a seat in the United States Sen
ate now occupied by John Sherman. Gin
cinnati had its turn with the raScalS. and
obtained Il victory so far as the LegiSla-
ture was concerned. The crime did not
succeed at Columbus because there were
honest Democrats on the Board who re-
fused to count the forgaries. Il happen
ed that all the frauds committed and AT
tempted We're under the control of Dem
Ocrats. The fact therefore. that Judge
Thurman, a Democrat Of Democrats, *
aiding III the prosecution of the accused
criminals gives special significance to the
case. 1t shows that d man. because he is
a Democrat, is not necessarily a rascal
As whole. Democrats are Us honest and
as much opposed to frauds that threaten
our system Of government as other peO-
pie. 1t happens that, III this case the raS-
Gals were Democrats, and operated in the
name OF the Democratic party. The
trouble was that the Democratic party,
as an organization. undertook to sustain
the frauds. 1t did not denOunce the ras-
calitieS as HOadley did, or rdiscoWtenance
them rs Judge Thurman is doing. When
parties in their organic capacity set their
faces against fraud, and refuse to accept
the result of the suppression of legal bal
lots, false counts and Illegal returns. the
danger to our institutions which Judge
Thurman 50 forcibly points out. frauds.
at least upon any considerable scale. viii
not be attempted
And now apply Judge Thurman'S prin-
ciple to some OF the Southern States, and
what do we find? The frauds there were
not precisely as practiced inC Cincinnati and
attempted at Columbus. They We're more
open; but they were frauds. nevertheless.
The cOlOred vote is as legal rs the white
vote. The cOlOred people before the law
are as fully entitled to Il free ballot and
an honest count as the white people. No
body Will deny this Yet the President
of the United States WAS elected by the
suppression Of legal votes. There are Sen
atOrS and Representatives i'll Congress
who hold their seats by precisely the same
tenure that a Senator from Ohio would
have held his had the forgerieS which
Judge Thurman is prosecuting succeeded
How 4 Democrat can den0Gnce these and
defend or remain silent with reference to
the other class, and try to be consistent.
we can not understand.
Furthermore, by reason OF the suppress
ion Of the cOlOred vote in Southern States.
while the cOlOred population is counted
in the basis CT representation. a white
man III those States counts for more than
Il white man in Ohio or III any Northern
State. There are thiTty-eight RepreSen-
tativeS in Congress, and thirty-eight Elec-
tOral votes, to represent population that
is virtually excluded from the ballOt-bOx
Between this fraud and the kind Of frauds
at Columbus there is only a
difference in degree: yet the Democratic
party, us an organization, defends these
frauds, and profits by the results; whereas
a few Democrats ike Judge Thurman
could, if they would, correct the evil. and
the Democratic party would profit by it,
No party ever loses, in the long run. by
doing right. 1t can not succeed except
by doing right. The frauds in Ohio of
1880 set the Democratic party in this State
back for years. The people will trust no
party that tries to exist by fraud The
Democratic party viii have the same eX-
perience in defending and accepting the
Southern frauds. To the latter Judge
Thuman'S remarks apply quite as fully
as to the crimes which he is prosecuting
in Columbus. If we are to have gov
OF the people. by the people. and
for the people, there must be a free bal
lot and an honest count. not in one State.
but in every State; not in one section, but
IN every section; not by one party, but by
every party.
The sentiment uttered 10y Judge Thur
man should have universal application.
The principle is Il fundamental one. It'll
can not safely be disregarded anywhere
TIE Boston Herald wants to know
now long it will take the bumptious pro-
ectionist organs to find out that "shout-
ng Free Trade doesn't humbug any
body" It is most emphaticalIy answer
ed by Southern newspaper, the Chatta-
lOOga Times, which wants to know how |
Ong it is going to take 1.-The bumptious |