The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1889-12-05


sress The right 10 enact uasioasl slec,ieu /
law. % far AZ Votes tor oosetessmsn ard
presidential electors are concerned. and
there can be no reasopshle objection 10 .
fair lsw ihAs would ensure Tree vote and
40 hobtsi enuet The only questions 10
Tho case are, IL such la~ needed and
could Il be enforced II epaeieiY
Harpcrs Weekly. which IL auyihins hu,
a Republican, paper. says IL is a notorious
feet ihs, 10 many sections II the south
there Is DO, free vote aud an honest
count, and that The homes, people Of those
sections make 90 claim that the vote is
fair and honest, YET Il says iha, il would
be unwise for The reoersi government 10
attempt 10 ensure fair vote by forelble
means. II admits that The evil is a serious
one sfociing the rights Of the people Of
the whole conniry. yet II says. 10 effect.
that there is no practicable remedy.
Some Of the Southerpen have the i'm
pudenee to repeat the question Of Boss
TSeed. what are you going to do abou'
IN
People will remember that after the war
aud before the adm ibisiration o. President
Hayes troops were stationed at many
points 10 the south. Upon the promise Of
many leading men Of that section that the
blacks should be given all their rights the
troops we're wilhdown. Since that time
there have been very few cases where the
negro vote has been fairly cast and honest
ly counted II is quite likely that con-
gress may attempt to pass general cleo
ton law this winter, bnt it will be very
difficult matter to enact law that cannot
be evaded ia some vsy, when there is
general disposition to eyade it as there is
at the south
Virginia is probably as free from objeo
tionable methods as any southern state,
aud most OF the leading Democrats will
claim that the recent election there was
perfectly free aud fair, bnt some honest
people who live there tell q very different
story. One OF them, personal friend o.
Judge Dunton Of Rutland, in private let
ter to him writes as follows:
Never were such gigantic and brazen
frauds perpetrated "purgipg" OF the poll
books. stufiing of ballot boxes and deten-
ton and intimidation al the polling pre-
cincts. The majority could have been
double 40 600 had the Democrats SO wiled
It, Under the so called Mccormick act,
all the judges Of election, clerks and regis
trars we're appointed by an electoral com
mittee consisting OF three OF the most par
tisan Democrats in the county; and a new
registration was ordered wherever they
thought 1T desirable.
10 this county, the time for such new
registration was appointed when all the
colored oystermen would be ont OF the
county. The law provides, however, that
10 days before election the registrar shall
be at the Court House, and receive al
names OF those who could not be present
on the regularly appointed day. When
this time came, the registrar claimed to be
too sick to attend We hired wagon and
took lot of them to his house, but he had
gone to the home OF his uncle, physician
living seven miles out OF the district.
He registered five, and then his uncle
forbade his continuing the work for fear
Of killing himself Two days afterward.
this dangerously sick man was at the
Court House, and on election day he voted
the Democratic ticket, and his own father,
challenged the votes of the five men he
had registered, because it was done out Of
the district.
"Purging" the poll books is done in this
way. Any five voters may paste notices
in public places containing names of votes
they wish to challenge. and on the day OF
registration the registrar tesrs the evidence
and removes the names from tho poll
books ii lie sees fl. They select as many
names as they please and post them on the
outside of store, and then tear down the
notices before the men whose names they
contain can see the notices or learn OF them
Then, as the voter doesn't contest the mat.
ter on registration day, his name is re
moved from the books; and the first he
knows OF it is when he is told that be can.
not vote.
These are the methods by which 'the
great Democratic victory in Virginia
was obtained, instead OF being simply "a
deiea, of Mahoneism," as our friends at
the north are led TO believe. 1t was, in
fact. the extiuguisbment Of the Republi
can party in Virginia. Inever was a Ma.
hone man, except as he was the nominee
OF niue-tenths of my party; and this last
election has sunk us as q party beyond