Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-21

receives from Irishmen is when they
emigrate TO America and vote for
free trade London Times
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TIE REPRESSION OF POLITICAL RIGHTS
The San Francisco AhG takes exception to
the application by the REcoRD-U UNION OF
the declaration that in all places in the land
and at all elections. the citizen should be
secured in his right to freely deposit hi,
ballot and to have it honestly counted
The Aita insists that the Republican party
cannot claim this as party doctrine" since
all good citizens must admit the PROPOSE
ton. 1t adds that there is no political
party that does not desire free ballot and
fair count. Upon this affirmation we
take issue with our esteemed contemporary
The evidences are such as would convince
any reasonable person of any physical fact
thai there is a political party which,
judged by its acts and acquiescence does
not desire in certain sections a free ballot
nor fair count, and that it is the party OF
which our contemporary is so able and
adroit an advocate. An issue could not,
We think, he more squarely made Desir-
ing TO be perfectly fair in this consider
alton, We quote from the Alta:
Il Is true that part sans of every political party
have at different times and places perpetrated
frauds on the ballot box. but these ar- local in
ttNa IL.
only party that ever, as an organized body
justified and upheld a national swindle on the
elective franchise was the Republican party
Professions of purity from such a source re-
semble the extreme piety of murderers on
the gallows. All decent men of
whatever political complexion, will promptly
declare themselves in favor of a free ballot
and a fair count. The genius of our
institutions provides for it and the laws
of our country guard it But the Republi-
can party has assumed that in the South
there are extraordinary frauds on the ballot
box, and acting upon this assumption il at
Temps 10 pose,before the country as the especial
guardlaa of the suffrage. Its virtue in this re-
spect is Il fraud because its pretense is hum
bug. The whole thing is based upon the theory
that because there are more colored voters in
South Carolina and Mississippi than there are
white voters, those states are necessarily Re
publican. To bolster up this theory they assert
that If 4 coored voter stays away from the polls
he is inundated, and that if he votes the Dem
ocra,ic ticket he does SO under fea of violence
lican contention is that a Democratic majority
l. evidence of force and fraud.
liz support of the proposition we affirm
let Us see if there are any evidences that
may be cited oii-hand and without descent
into minute detail and complexity of sta
tissics In at least one of the Southern
States, as we the other day showed, the
legislature fixes the number and locat ION
OF polling places, and in such cities as At
lana, with 10000 inhabitants and nearly
$4,000 voters, there are but two polling
booths. Il is therefore physically impos-
sihle for the voters to freely reach the polls,
and il follows that the weaker will be re-
strained and the less intelligent be cowed
by the conditions.
Again, in the same State and in other
States, several ballot-boxes and distinct
ballots are used. The former are located
behind a lofty screen. To these the voter
enters alone The Election Board must
not aid him in any respect. He must de-
post each ballot i'll the proper box, and
misplaced ballot is not counted. The
tickets of one party are conspicuously
placed upon each of the boxes The voter
who Is illiterate and antagonistic to the
Democracy must deposit his ballots by
count kept in order in mind, or upon his
fingers. Should the ballot-boxes be shifted
fAnf,ro ha ba g
place his ballots and that this is done is
susceptible of proof. If no more were cited,
these outrageous restrictions and provisions
would be sufficient to establish the fact
thai free ballot Is not secured in Georgia
to AZ the people. Against these shameful
re,u lat,Ons, which have common pur-
pose, the Republican party has repeatedly
declared, while the Democratic party re-
mains significantly silent concerning them.
Il makes no sort of difference what the
political faith of the white or the black
it j. sufficient TO know that the regulations
give undue advantage to the intelligent
and the white, and COW and keep from the
polls she illiterate and the black.
IN Georgia for several years the vote
for Congressman in the several districts
have been representative of but mere triile
of he whole number of electors Thus,
Georgia had SCI i3S electors in 1880, but
only Us, 900 of them voted Four years
later, with $4,000 but 40 per cent, and
in 1856. but so per cent, while only
per cent. voted for congressman. This.
We affirm, is indicative of restraint upon
voters, and it makes no sort of difference
whatever, whether we assume that the non
voting are mainly Republicans or not. 1t
is sufficient to know that it is opposed to
the genius Of our institutions, and to the
theory Of a Republican form of govern
meat that Representatives should be
selected in such a manner and by so small
a minority of the people represented
That it is an abnormal condition, is estab-
lished by the fact that no such phenomena
are manifest in st ates where the Demo-
crazy is not automatically powerful, and
that they obtain in States only where the
Democracy is dominant.
But another State may he taken-for in
stance, Louisiana, where such remarkable
fluctuations in election results take place,
as to Justify the assumption that they are
bern Of fraud, and as they contribute
wholly 70 the dominance OF one party, it IS
iustisab}e to charge them to its account.
Thu, III April last the Democratic major
iiy in that State was 1876. In 1884, a
Presidential year, it was 1912. Again
the Republican vote rose from 49,