The Portland daily press., 1890-03-15
THE WATEUvILLE DEMOCRATS ouTDONE
BY a South Carolina cerrymander
Fencing In the Ocean.
A Contested Election Case Which
makes Interesting Reading.
Yesterday In congress-Mr. Teller
on the Blair Bill.
Especial to the Pr Sc ]

Especial to the Pressl
| WASHINGTON, March IA. = Today. the
| House committee on elections has been con-
sidering one of the most Interesting contest
| ed cases on the calendar, that of Thomas +
Miller against William Elliott. who il occn.
pying the seat for the seventh district of
South Carolina. Miller has negro blood in
his veins, just enough to secure for him So
cial ostracsm in South Carolina society. al
| though not enough to make him ANYTHING
but white man under the laws of his state,
His bar sinister is of remote origin. and he
is in fact what he is In law, white man. He
is an able white man, too, thoroughly ac-
quaiRted with the business resources of his
state, and long prominent in her political
councils. The district in which he lives is
the lasting monument. of the plan of Demo-
cratic control adopted in South Carolina in
1882. Prior to 1882 all the districts of South
Carolina had Republican majorities, but in
1882 the Democratic legislature determined
to re-dstrict the state so as to leave six dis
tricts Democratic and one Republican. AS
might be expected, that one Republican dis
trict is remarkable political division. It
was created without regard to size, shape or
any other condition. In order to make its
several parts contiguous a portion Of the At
lantic ocean has been treated as dry land. 1t
extends from the capital of the state to Sa-
vannah, Ga, a distance of over 200 miles, and
consists of the Republican portions of five of
the original districts. 1t contains only three
entire counties, but to these are added ir-
regular patches from six other counties. In
it are the mass of the negro population in the
state. 1t is a more grotesque gerrymander
than that perpetrated by the Democratic
party in the city of Watervllle, Maine. 1t
was intended and expected that this district
would be Republican, and so it was for
time. Smalls sat for it in Congress for
while, but after time the ambitious Dem
ocrats got ambitious for political honors and
reached out for the last crumb of comfort
that the gerrymander OF 1882 had left to the
South Carolina Republicans.
Mr.. Miller and his attorney told today how
the Democrats did this. In the first place
the governor of the state refused, when
specially requested, to appoint any but DEM
ocratlc Judges OF elections. The language of
his refusal Is interesting reading. Says the
governor:
ITO the eternal henor OF the state and the
Democratic party, it can now be said that our
elections are the freeSt and faireSt in the
world, and that not single citizen of hers,
no matter what his color, race or condition.
can, under her Just and equal laws (impar-
TALLY administered as they are) be by any
perversion or intimidation barred at the
polls from the free aud full exercise of his
suffrage. There is not only perfect freedom
In voting, but the amplest protection afforded
the voter"
Then this governor went to work and ap-
pointed election judges for the whole state
not one of whom was member of any other
party than the Democratic party. How
these impartial judges performed has been
shown here today by Miller and his attorney.
But before referring to them it should be no.
ticed that the simple going to the polls is only
a small part of the duty of the Republican
voter of South Carolina. he must first be
registered; and in order to be registered he
village, town or parish, but to the county
seat. OF course "a visit to the county
seat is a great burden for poor black man
who wishes to have his registration certifi-
cate altered to conform to change of resi-
dence, and to the young man who is about
to vote for the first time. But it is made
doubly b1rdensome by the fact that after he
has travelled up to the county seat he is
registration officer nus is mot mot 'at at
home" Although a Democrat NAV
have registered with little trouble not long
before, the official is found to have disap,
peared suddenly, although the law states
tnat the oi1ce must be open proper time.
proper time. when they happen around
Sometimes when the Republican has regis
tered It is found that "P' Is not crossed, or
an II not dotted, and this is enough to pre-
vent the voter from exercising his right If
the officer at the polls happens to be stick
ier for exactness, as he is pretty apt to be if
cinct.
These precise election officers of South
Caroiiua also have two ballot boxes on pres
election now contested. In one of these
Doxes go the votes for congressman and into
tne 0tner the vote for President. Some of
the Republicans of that state have not had
tne pest opportunity in the world for getting
an education, so they do not readily deter
mine the arrangement of boxes until their
Iriends nave explained the positions to them.
ABOUT the time this has been done the i'm
partial Democratic election officers appoint
ca eS by tne governor find it convenient to
caasse caas 'ne met boxes ie9 OF course many Repubb
wrong box. This is illegal, and Of course
tne ELECTION officers are bound to throw out
tne palloGs thus thrown when they come to
count. Inc law so reads, and they would
not depart from the law for the world.
But there is United States law that there
snail be two United States elections super
vIsors present If necessary to secure fairness
one TO represent each party. The United
States official is above the Governor, and of
course mas TO be managed by some devices.
On the morning of election one Of the Demo-
cratic officials puts up table in the house or
store where the voting is usually held and
makes all otner preparations for an election.
Inc Unlted States supervisor arrives and
taxes oakes ms al, station; 1t grows late and the
Soon also his companion disappears. Then
ne hndS that the ballot box is in another
place, that 1t has been locked and the voting
mas Deen begun. He says to them that he
must mus sac the inside Of the box before the
not been "stnffed." They tell him mt that he he
IS TOO late and that the election is already
begun. Ii he Is a fighter and is willing to
stand up Defore three state officers
and the Democratic United States
inspector ne ne may stop the fraud. But
aud where It Is considered as allowable to
shoot from behind as any other way SO long
as you show the proper spirit and Shoot, the
lone supervisor Is quite as likely to waive his
pg9TS as e Stotas Ihis game was played
in Green Pond precinct in Colleton district,
ana his evidence was introduced here TODAY
in proof of it. 1t was done at other voting
precincts,as shown by the testimony of other
United States supervisors.
By such tricks majority was obtained for
Elliott, and the contestant has had to 20 to
the great labor of taking his Testimony and
bringing. it up here. while opposed and
thwarted at every step.
In this, as in the other cases. the commit.
tee will require considerable time to study
the evidence, so report Is not Iikelv for sew
eral days, or perhaps weeks.
SENATE PROCEEDINGS.