San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-11-09
A FRAUDULENT ELECTION.

There is nothing moro certain
than that this city needs some such
lesson as that which was given
Tammany last Tuesday. The most
fragrant violations Of the spirit and
letter OF the ballot law were wit
messed, and II those who have
spoken Of these crimes against the
ballot would come forward and tes-
tify under oath there would be
some one behind bars before the
official count Is made. 1t never
was the intent OF the law that those
who are engaged as clerks OF cleo
ton should be so placed through
the action OF the election judges as
to pass upon the ballots upon which
their own profits were predicated.
The spectacle of those who had
thousands of dollars on the result
sitting in judgment on the ballots
and announcing the tally, was not
calculated to give the ordinary
mind an exalted conception OF the
methods in vogue in close con-
test in this city. The unblushing
effrontery with which this thing
was done and the open manner in
which it was managed on the east
side, was only exceeded by the
methods in the precincts on the
west side of the river. Here a du-
plicate stamp was brought into
requisition and the regulations
governing the exit and enterance
OF voters were so disregarded that
it was possible to march the voters
as sheep down from the private
rooms where their ballots had
been sold them, the requisite
stamp having been affixed with
out the formality OF the law in
that case made and provided. With
a barrel Of whisky on tap and
a bag of silver within easy reach,
and those who were neither judges
or clerks of election within the
guards it was not difficult to man.
ipulate the votes as required, and
that it was done in no end of cases
is matter Of general belief. There
should be no rest on the part OF the
county officials and OF the courts
until these frauds have been ferret.
ed out and their perpetrators
punished. That hundreds of fraud
ulent votes have gone into the
boxes in this city through the con-
nivance OF those interested in
manipulating the result is motor
ious. 1t Is so notorious that promi-
nent citizens have spoken of offer
ing 900 reward for the sworn
evidence Of those who are conserv-
ant with the facts, in order that the
guilty ones might be brought to
the bar OF the criminal courts and
made to answer for their suppress
sion and subversion of the ballot.
No more daring invasion OF the
rights of the citizens than has been
perpetrated this election has been
witnessed in this state, and
its inequity has been seen
here this week, in this city.
The respectable voters of San
Antonio do not propose to sub
nit to such treatment without pro.
test, and II the perpetrators are in
dicted, as is now probable, they will
find few sympathizers in this COM
munity outside OF their own clique.
Pennsylvania spread herself in
Tuesdays election as conspicuous
ly as the old hen which laid her.
self away in eggs until only her
tail feathers and her claws were
left. That plurality in the old
Keystone State OF 233,77S sets the
mark above anything that Texas
has yet reached. Stet.
The passage OF the Wilson bill
revived the hope OF the downheart-
ed manufacturers OF England that
a market for their products would
! be opened in America. The defeat