The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-12-04

on fair vote there Is not less than 1000 Repub-
lican majority. by the proofs above referred TO,
n Democratic majority of z, 800 returned.
| Upon reflection, the Bourbon managers reduced
IL To 100, stating they had made slight error
I'm adding up the totals. An error OF !, SO in
small county was, In the opinion OF the Bour-
bon leaders, n slight one 1 remember ono vot-
ing precinct. Aspinwall, in Charlotte County
where there Is registered Democratic vote OF
| 1875. The usual Democratic majority
turned is from 175 TO 200. Our people
this year were seriously considering the
propriety OF Withholding their votes
hoping thereby TO save from so TO rs ma
Jorty Tor the Republican ticket, the power
OF modern Bourbon addition being able 10
change n reliably Republican precinct into n
Democratic majority greater by 80 or 75 than
the total Democratic vote OF the precinct.
The election laws OF the State provide for tho
registration OF all legal voters. No persons
vote unless they are registered. The form OF
registration Is such that once n registered
voter always one, until the voter dies moves
away, or cakes n transfer to some other pre-
cinct. There is no annual registration required,
as in Ohio. Ten days before the election the
registrar Is supposed to be at his office TO
register all new voters who arrive at the vot-
ing age, or those who have moved into the
precinct. This is the last day OF regis
tration for the election and unless regis
tered no one vote. Persons can be
transferred either upon verbal request To the
registrar or by written request to him This
transferred from their legal voting precincts
where transferred and by whose order only the
Bourbon bosses tell. The negroes
only know this that they have been illegally
transferred without their knowledge or con-
sent, and that they We're thus prevented from
voting at all. The Republican ticket lost thou
sands OF votes from this fraud, which was gem
eral all through the Black Belt. The law also
provides that the registrar can give notice that
on certain day he viii purge the list OF voters
| by striking of the names OF certain
votors from his registration list. The
law requires that ne shall make out a
list OF the names TO be stricken off and
| post IL up in some public place the object
being to give notice 10 the voter that his name
is to be stricken off the list This year in Rich
mond $500 names were stricken off the lists
in Lynchburg, 1900 names; in Norfolk 1900
names and in the State not less than 10000
names. These remarkable facts have been dem
onstrated. Not one OF all the thousands whose
names were stricken of saw or heard of
the list OF names being posted pursuant to law,
aud every name so stricken of was the name OF
II colored Republican. The colored voters who
had properly registered found on going to the
polls to vote that their names had been
stricken of the list without their knowl-
odge or consent, and that by this fraud they
were prevented from voting. because there is
noilegal process in the State by which they can
have their names restored in time to vote
Significant fact, indeed, that all names so
stricken of should be OF coored men and Re
publicans, and that not one Bourbon Demo
crat thus DISTINGUISHED but % 900 Republi-
| cans were thus fraudulently prevented from
| voting for Malone and the Republican ticket
| II any notices we're ever posted they must have
been posted in the night time, and at once taken
| down and destroyed because not ono notice
was ever seen or heard OF. The frauds at the
| polls and i'm the counting OF votes were in such
/ varied forms that they not be- enumerated
here One Of the principal ones was TO permit
| all Democratic voters TO vote without delay or
! hindrances OF any kind, aud 10 delay and pre-
vent negroes from voting by every scheme that
| Bourbon ingenuity could suggest, with this uni-
| versal result. When the hour to close the polls
arrived all the Democratic votes had b, Ell cast
and were in the boxes, while in tho State
| thousands OF negroes standing in line at
! their precincts, waiting for opportunity 10
vote wi Republican ticket in their hands.
Bourbon managers claim that it is much easier
10 thus prevent negroes from voting than ii Is 20
manipulate the votes after they are in the boxes,
and count themin favor of Bourbon candidates.
ask in oil candor, II IL is strange that, in the
| face OF such frauds rs these, bourbonis IN has
over 40 600 majority on the face OF the election
| returns in Virginia
And now the question suggests itself: What
| IL anything. can be done 10 prevent repetition
| OF these frauds upon the ballot and the dis
| franchi sement OF the majority OF the legal
| voters of Virginia? l am satisfied that the
| masses OF the Democratic voters do not favor
| these frauds-the Bourbon leaders there do,
and they VIII resort to any and all measures
| that will enable them TO retain control of Vir-
| ginia and in fact all the other States in the
| South. Bourbon leaders are so strongly en-
| trenched in power that they do not fear opposi
| ton in their own party. We know that year
after year the same mon are returned 10 the
| United States Senate and House of Representa-
tives. Forty members of Congress and
| forty votes in the Electoral College for
President based upon the negro voters
! OF Virginia and the South, and these voters
| disfranchised and nullihed by frauds intin-
| idation, and murder, which mot one State gov
eminent in the South under Bourbon rule
| tries TO prevent and these same methods, in
less repulsive forms, have invaded the North.
Here in Indiana we know that, by gerry
mander made for the purpose of disfranchis-
ing Republicans in Congressional representa-
ton, the rights OF the people have been so COM
pie ely dsregarded that il requires more than
1900 less votes in the Second. Third, and
Fifth Congressional Districts, which are re-
liaby Democratic to entite them TO n member
than IL does in the Ninth District which have
the honor to represent, and which IS reliably
Republican The outrages in legislative repre-
sentation are in many instances equally as
great they are in the Congressional districts
referred to, and we are told that over in Ohio,
where the coal-oil gang won in the late election,
there is TO be complete Acknowledgement OF
Republicans in both Congress and Legislature.
The experiences OF the past tell us that we shall
not be in the least disappointed, for the.leaders
of modern Democracy North and South are
actuated by similar motives, and are controlled
by the same considerations IN all their political
movements.
The American people can not longer disguise
the fact that they confronted by an issue OF
gravest Importance, and OF the most far-reach-
ing results 20 the life and spirit OF our Govern
ment Frauds and outrages innumerable
openly perpetrated against the ballot, and these
frauds and outrages change the honest, lawful,
and proper expressions of the majority ut the
polls, that the result of elections held do
not give expression TO the wishes OF the major
fly OF legal voters Of the State and there is an
abrdgment of their constitutional and legal
rights citizens.
The plain and simple question is: Can the
|
them which will guarantee TO and secure the
majority OF legal voters i'm the enjoyment OF
their constitutional and legal rights citizens
OF the republic? / have no doubt the Govern
ment can. At least / would make an honest
and determined effort in that direction. The
Republican party is in power. nndit must stand
just as resoluteiy by protection to the ballot at
this time IL did by the nationality OF the
Union from 1861 10 1866. There were doubling
Thomases then who declared that the Union
could not be saved by force OF arms. The Re-
publican party said IL could and must be, and
it was saved. The cry raised mt that time
that 20 put forth heroic efforts 70 the life
OF tho Union would be unconstitutional
Heroic measures were u sed. and the result was
that both the Union and the Constitution were
saved.
The cry will doubt 90 forth at this time,
and from the same people, that IL the Federal
Government shall enact laws TO secure honest
elections in tine South. all such laws would be-
-uncon stitutional" modern Democratic leaders
con slider all laws thnt tend To enforce the letter
aud spirit OF the Government ~unconstitution-
al and an invasion Of the sovereign rights OF
the States / have thought it must be n unique
Judge indeed, who would hold upon an interpre-
| tation OF the prerogatives Of the Federal Gov
eminent. TO secure 10 all the people by every
known means or by the exercise 81 any known
power, honest elections whereby tbs wishes OF
the majority OF legal vot RS OF State might be
ascertaf.ed and carried into Illegal effect, could,
under any OF the known rules of Interpretation
be held 70 be an invasion or infringement OF the
rights Of the States or could be tortured into
II