The Portland daily press., 1890-02-22
DISSOLVED IN THE DEW OF NIGHT
How Republican Votes Disappear
Way Down In Alabama.
The Killing OF Saunders Draws Atten-
tlon to Southern Elections.
Able Contestants For Seats in Con-
gress Tell their Stories.
Especial to the PresS,l


ably the Southern problem is receiving more
attention during this Congress than for
several years. One reason for this is that
the election of Republican House of Rep
resentatives has emboldened Republican
candidates for Congress counted out in
Southern districts to come up here to con-
test with some hope of fair hearing and
treatment. A dozen able Republican con-
testants are about the capitol and the
city relating the startling stories of varied
and picturesque frauds by Democratic
election officers In the hearings before the
committee on elections these stories of fraud
ana outrage have been and are yet to be
told at greater length and with fuller par
ticulars than can possibly be given in the
newspapers. The killing of Deputy United
States Marshal Saunders in Western Florida,
coming at this time also has had powerful
effect in calling attention to the state of
society in the South and in enforcing the
claims of frauds made by the Republican
contestants before the committee on
elections. The killing of Saunders is known
to have been discussed by the President and
cabinet at the White House; and some of
the most sanguine of the Southern Republi-
cans are hoping and expecting that at least
a proclamation may result, and that perhaps
martial law may be de ,lared in parts of
Florida. This phase of the Southern ques-
tion is receiving much more attention than
the frantic speech which Senator Blair has
been making in behalf of his education bill.
Mr.. Blair has talked day after day, and has
capped the climax by condemning the news
papers for not attempting the impossible
task of reporting what he says.
The Southern Republicans suggest one
remedy for the frauds, the use of the
strength of the federal government for the
protection of the voter, and for the punish
ment of the men who manipulate the returns
in the Southern states. They think that the
difficulty would be cured in this way, and do
not apprehend, IS do many Northern men,
only be followed by the opening of another
by the compact and powerful Southern
society that is leagued against the negro
voter.
The forms of fraud shown in the various
contests represent the result of Democratic
invention after twenty-five years of experi-
ment in the best methods eff handling the
negro vote. In the next case to be brought
before the committee on elections, that of
McDufl1e VS.. Turpin, in the fourth Alabama
dlotliCty bhCic dI6 otttTdl CHOICE EXAMPLES
of Democratic ingenuity. This case will be
argued Tuesday. and the contestant will
probably get the seat if he can prove enough
TO overcome his opponents majority. This
It Is quite difficult for contestant from the
South to do because of the immense amount
Of testimony that has to be collected and the
difficulties that are thrown in the way.
John v. McDuffie, who is the contestant
in the case assigned for Tuesday, has been
large planter in his district since 1868. de
Is a white man, and has always been very.
prominent In Alabama, having been judge of
Probate in Lowndes county for twelve years.
he has been a member of the Alabama Con-
stitutional Convention, and of the various
committees OF his party In his state. He has
also been a delegate to Republican coDyen-
tions az Chicago, and a candidate for Con-
gress three times before the present, but
alleges that he has been counted out
each time. He has now come up here to
show how that counting out is done. When
the Democrats got control of the election
machinery of Alabama in 1876, they began
at once to plan to disfranchise the colored
voters. Shot gun methods were employed
at first: but this plan of campaign grew un-
the North who found themselves hampered
in their constituencies by the outrages COM
mitted by their Southern political brethren.
So, fully as much from necessity as from
other motives, the plan Of intimidation was
given up and in its place was substituted the
more refined, but not less effective methods
by which McDufie's support was whitfield
down when the votes were counted. For
instance, a. Martin station, a voting precinct
in Dallas county, there are 4S0 colored and
about 80 white voters. The leading Repub-
lican at that precinct testiies that he dis
tributed 324 ballots for McDuffie and saw
these ballots cast. Two other men who aid
ed him testify in corrob0ration of his testi
mony Nevertheless the returns made by
the election inspectors and clerks, all of
whom were Democrats, show only % ballots
for McDuffie, while his opponent is credited
with 1888. In Pence's precinct of the same
county another leading Republican dis
tiibuted 219 votes for McDuffie and saw them
Democrats. When the polls were closed the
ballots were not counted, but one of the in
spect0rs took the ballot box home with him.
After keeping it half an hour he gave it to
third inspector. The ballots were not count
ed until the next morning. Then it was
found that the night dews of Alabama had
dissolved so much of McDufie's vote that
only 20 of the 219 ballots put in had remain
ed, while the vote for his opponent had stood
the moisture so well that there were 1888 votes
left. In MitchelPs Mill precinct, In the same
county, the Democrats did not have the
whole board of election officers, and it might
have been expected that the vote and count
would be tolerably free and fair. So it was
but the Democrats saw to 1t that no one on
the Republican side profited thereby. The
appear on the morning of the election, so the
third inspector, who was Republican,
opened the polls and allowed the voting to
proceed. The Democratic voters seem to
have been in the plot with their officers, for
there were no Democratic votes cast in the
precinct that day, while the Republicans
polled 345 votes for McDuffie. Ali this was
done in strict accord with the law of Ala
bama, but the Democratic state board of
canvassers calmly threw out the vote.
AND so the record of testimony goes
through twenty precincts of this one county
of Dallas A reading of the testimony and
the words Of witnesses of the scene seem to
leave no shadow of doubt that the Democrat
should be unseated. But it is to be remem-
Representatives cannot unseat one man and
seat another unless the frauds shall be shown
to be extensive enough to overcome the ma
Jorlty returned for the seating member. So
that while Republican contestant may be
able to show barefaced frauds, yet he may
not be able to show enough to establish his
election 1t has been very difficult to collect
evidence for this Alabama case. 1t is of no
use to summon the Democratic inspectors.
Tor they Will never testify so as to incrimin-
ate themselves. Neither is it expedlent to
call the voters themselves, since so many
witnesses haze to be examined to do this
that the Democrats can easily wear AWAY the
time allowed for taking the testimony So
the plan was adopted of having leading
Republican at each precinct count the voters
as they voted, while assistants noted their
names. But it was not always possible to
keep these lists on account of Democratic
opposition; and McDufie alleges that several
of his list keepers were abused and beaten,
while in one precinct there was riot over it
lican and the wounding of several others.