The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-06-11
STUFFED BALLOT-BOXES
HOW REPUBLICAN MAJORITIEs ARE
OVERCOME In ALABAMA.

Some Details of tho White Mans Methods
of Carrying Eiections-south CaroIina's
Unconstitutional Restrictions of the
Franchise Roll Up Democratic Msjori-
ties and Deceive tho Coiored Voters.
Washington speciall
The Democratic method of converting
an immense Republican majority in the
black districts of Alabama were ventilated
IN the House Tuesday in the discussion
OF the contest of j. V. McDuffie, Repub-
lican, against l.. w. Turpin, Democrat.
The certified returns give Turpin a ma
jority of IL, l53, while McDuffie was
graciously allowed total of only 1925.
This occurred in the Fourth Alabama
District, which has colored population
of 1873, 1913 and only 1884 whites. The
proportion of white voters to colored is a
irihe over one fourth-that is, white
voters, $500; colored, 27.0O0. In 1874
the district gave over IA, 900 Republican
majority, but few years later the
Democrats had matured their plans for
cheating the colored lpeople, and by
fraudulent and Illegal methods a Demo
crat has been returned to Congress
ever since. In the present case
ballot boxes were stuffed before
the polls were opened, aud in some
places stuffed boxes were substituted af-
ter the polls closed for those in which the
ballots had actually been deposited by
the voters. In Lowndes County the in
spectors were appointed at certain time
according to law, but few days later
Turpin visited the county and secured an
entire change without authority of law.
he caused colored Republicans who could
not read or write to be substituted as
election officers in place of intelligent
men who were satisfactory to the Repub-
lican party, SO that the Republicans prac-
tically had no representative and frauds
were easily perpetrated. When McDuffie
undertook to take testimony in some
parts of the district he was driven out by
threats of violence. The Democratic
officers of the law declined to guarantee
his protection, and as one murder had
been committed in Turpin's interest, Nc
Dutfie thought prudent to leave.
The majority report in the case of Mil
Ter versus Elliott, from the Seventh South
Carolina District, was submitted to the
House Committee on Elections, Tuesday,
by Chairman Rowell. The report is
somewhat sensational in that at the very
beginning ii declares that the entire
South Carolina registration and election
laws are unconstitutional. The basis for
this declaration, as stated in the report,
is that the State law imposes a number
of restrictions upon the exercise of the
right of suffrage which are in conflict
with the State Constitution. Whereas
the Constitution deprives person of the
right of suffrage only upon conviction
for murder, felony. dueling and treason,
the State law prohibits the exercise of
the right of suffrage by persons who
we've entitled to register in 1881 and
neglected to do SO; by those who moved
into the State and neglected 10
register at the first ensuing regis
tration; and by those who sold their
registration certificates for q valuable
consideration. The report states that a
number of negroes have been compelled
by poverty, while waiting the maturing
of their cotton crops, to negotiate their
certificates 10 traders, who immediate y
send them to political headquarters, with
the result that the negroes are perma-
nently disfranchised.
The report recites the facts that in GER
tain precincts what amounted to an edu-
cstional test land, therefore, an illegal
test was imposed by lettering the ballot
boxes which were separated in the case
Of each Office, and that voters were de-
ceived by an intentional shifting of the
boxes, so that the judges of election
were able to throw out all of the ballots
cast in the wrong boxes. There was also,
says the report. evidence of ballot box
stuffing. Summing mp it is found that,
taking the position most favorable to the
sitting member. the contestant Miller
had a majority of 757, while if the law is
strictly followed his majority will reach
l44S.