New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-11
TO PROTECT THE BALLOT.
NEED OF NATIONAL LEGISLATION.
WHERE THE TROUBLE LIES /" THE WHITES
MUST RULEr-TuE TENNESSEE CONTEST
PROOFS OF A DEEP CoNSPIRACY-IN.
TIMIDATIoN OF WITNESSES.
rpY TELEGRAPH TO THE THDUNE.l
rpr TELEGRAPH TO THE TnmUSE.I

| Washington, Nov 1O.-Judgng by the cvldence III
the contested election which has been already
| nr,ntcd and which Will BIO laid before the House as
soon as the List Congress is organized there Is ltuc
mr. no reason doubt that every Republican repre-
sntaiyc will soon become convinced that nothing short
Of stringent national law firmly enforced will pre-
vent the seating in each succeeding Congress OF men
whose titles are tainted with fraud and theft to such
a degree seriously to endanger II not wholly 10
destroy the representative character OF that body 50
far as the constitutional meaning Of the phrase is con-
censd 1t not unlikely that the exposures OF wrong
and infamy to be made will result In bringing to tho
aid of the Republicans a few sefrespectng Demo
Gratis who In private for several years have denounced
the inquities Of which OF their colleagues have
been the benefclaries, and who, in few individual
cases have refused TO at all. The fact that the
opposltlon to the enactment Of law placing the ma
| cbnery OF Congressional elections throughout the
| country-ln New-York and Ohio and Iowa, as Wei
| as I'm South Carolina, Alabama and Arkansas
| in the hands Of the Federal judiciary Is
| almost wholly among the Democrats and Is most
violent IN the South IS as natural " IS significant.
In the last Congress the Dark Lantern monstrosy,
even with all the help OF the Administration, would
not have passed the House II It had received no
votes except those of who were fairly and
honestly elected to that body. The same is true
OF every other party measure which passed or
defeated by majority Of less than twenty votes
where the forces all brought into action
A National election law ought not TO be, and
would not be, party In COngress-nor
would It be necessary one, perhaps-wero 1t not
for tho openly avowed determination Of tho Southern
Democrats that " the whites shall rulc" BY that
the 4" chivalry" mean that the Southern whites shall
rule' not only the cOored Republicans of the South,
but the whites Of tho North also They do not
stop by applying their Infamous doctrine to the
control OF local Offices at homo, but impudcntly
extend It to the control Of Congress and electoral
colleges.
OF the Southern Democrats are subject
TO no severer blame than the Northern Democrats
who have thus far aided and abetted them in Con-
gress by confirming the titles Of men who came
bearing certificates rocking with perjury and fraud
Of the vilest description. II any party In the
North had been guilty OF such crimes in any Northern
State, it would not have been forgiven or trusted
for generation to come
The testimony in the election case OF Eaton
against Phelan Of the Xth Tennessee District. not
only dscloses many Of the methods by which Demo
Gratis are returned from Republican districts in the
South, but also sheds a ferco. penetrating light
upon the motives Of the men who tncite and commit
crimes against the elective franchise. The Xth
District Is one in which, with full vote and fair
count, the Republicans would have majority OF
5000 5000, but for some years such has not
been the case The coored voters ounumbcr the
white voters about $1,000 and there arc
at least 1000 white Republican voters
The contested, Phelan himself is authority for tho
statement that ninety nine out Of every 100 color d
voters arc Republicans In 1884 the Republicans
carried the dstrc. by majority Of $50 in total vote
Of os OLE in 1886 the Democrats carried It on do
creased vote-1O 062-by a majority Of 1905; in 1888
the vote as canvassed and returned by Democratic
officials was: Republican IL 730, Democratic 2O,140,
giving Phelan majority Of s,419 and showing an
increase Of the Democrat vote I'm two years Of ol1o,
or nearly 20 per There had been no changes Of
populatfon or politics in the preceding two years 10
effect this enormous chang In two previous
Presidential years, when the vote was heavy-227o2
IN 1880 and os Ole in fss4-the Republicans had
rid the district despite Democratic frauds; but In q
1898 when the toa vote 31,610 the largest |
ever known. the Democrats by something worse than
nolltlcal conjuraon, achieved majority OF SAB
more than twice as big the heaviest majority over
before known.
The purpose OF the conspiracy was twofold hrst. 70 /
elect Phean to Congress second to save the electoral
vote of ths state. which would have been cast for
Harrison instead Of Cleveland but for the frauds in six
counties OF West Tennessee. The latter fact gives to
m, testimony in this greater National interest
than It might otherwise possess.
"Tbe race question: and is the burning qies-
ton in the district as Is fully set forth by citations
from high Democratic authorizes chbf among which .
is The Memphis Avalanche q stralghtout "whte
mans newspaper owned and published by Conteste'
Phelan. The spirit Of this newspaper Is 1ariy OK
hbitcd I'm such sentences tho following, scatterod
through the editorials of dozen or moro dates all
referring TO "the question:" or negro
supremacy: III.
We should prefer to have the most contemplate white
robousc politician in the South in Office than the most
inte1g gent negro 1t is race question
The negroes have nothing 70 do with IT, IL Is qucs'
ron to be settled by and for the white people.
The coored voters should be let alone. Ihey nave
no business with the franchise.
Ncor, suffrage in Mississippi is incubus upon the
state The paramount is to get rid OF the incubus
In a summary manner ~, o..
r II Edgington member Of the Contcstce
phcans campaign committee, in public speech at
Memphis declared:
ANY Republican who sincerely fayors negro suffrage Is
,h. misguided victim OF a maudin philanthropy Any
Democrat who fayors II faVOrs also Ihc s'c"s VI VIC
ballot when It is deposited
Contcstec Phelan's newspaper went into raptarcs
over this speech and edltoriay declared that 1t
wonl1 give Edgington national reputation
soon ancr Colonel Eaton began TO take testimony
IN his contest II discovered that witnesses,
esrccally in the country district were being sub
,octcJ 70 insults and overawed by threats Of violence,
and several of them who had been threatened with
assassination II they testified at home, went to
Memphis and did so. One OF them Is crippled
+ MON veteran, who was wounded while serving
under sherman At Lagrange. while a colored wit
mes, was tc,tiyng the contestee's counsel suddenly
tranr 10 his feet nouished open knife before the
witnesses face, and with much vulgar profanity
threatened 10 cut his black heart out" but
tented himself by breaking over the head Of the
witness stick OF wood two or three inches through.
Another Witness also an old Union soldier colored,
who went TO Memphis to testify, explained that |
no felt some dclcacy about giving his testimony
in Fayete County, because he had been informed |
that he was liable be shot at any time and the
nemocrats I'm Fayete claimed that It better
tor the negroes Of that county TO be counted out
than shot out
or innocent persons the Democrats of Memphis did
.,mc strange things. Ono to refuse contestant |
raion access to- permission to have Transcribed at
his own expense, census of Memphis giving the
napc Sex age and color OF every resident OF that |
. taxinc district" This census made I'm the
af March- Anrll. NAV and .Iune nrecedInn 1Ln