The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-02-02
TALKING ABOUT FRAUD.
A MEMBER or The LEGIsLA7UHB
BEFOHE THE HOUSE COMMITTEE.
He Tells Of Crooked Elections In His Coun-
ty-Judgss Who Can Neither Read nor
wri,c-Experts At Handling Ballots.

oil inc iktslcAtf VI tut i<till ollCt, Win
Colonel Gibson In the chair.
The only matters under consideration
were four bills introduced by Judge +. h.
Buford. Of Brunswick. for the purpose Of
amending the existing election laws.
Judge Buford. who is member Of the
committee. made lengthy statement ex-
nlaining the purpose OF the DIS lie
said that he did not denounce the Ander-
.or-,,ccoruick law, which was a good
la, n II was only fairly executed. lie
,,ave numerous Illustrations as " .ne 81
pe.,,larities perpetrated recently III no
.ection of the state, Where vi az "
a,'la rad been threatened with peihs
s,,h,neroed by African ignorance. AZ '. nc.
time a variation in the execution y, ~
listing law became necessary, an- -
GOOD men were obliged TO cUtuo"S S.',ger
they did pot approve OF. Ina" ss ,be neo.
however did no longer e~iS.' az 80 nat
ME I'm his section OF the Sta.e ".-,,,,,,,
It'd Of negro domination. In ms cou",y ~,
tha coiored popuatlon had ABOUT o.
,naioritv hut the white people Coui1
control the negroes and no longer ie"'N-
them as a disturbing element o,,o
The practices taken up a Re" sea s -
s.iu continued and they only tehueu W
DiCfrdnrnlSe the lHlFhibN-'N
the machinery Of the party vas III W
hands of rings and cliques. Money va
,,sed not i'm the regular way aione' pu'
80, ON the inside of the pollias poothS,
man who wished TO be eiecteu' Noutu
nav the Judges of election 'al-
amount of money to obtain a cert"l, -
e,,lt and the latter wouid ai~"yS 49,,
as expected The judges We're pau NJ, Nc.
- brino about result when was -
/ In mat ltldLiNi N'N
/ intelligent white peoP'S a.
! heen DISTINGUISHED. ,...o- from
Ov IIa nod IN his possession a letter rom
,,.,r,ocrats in Warwick and YORK couns'es.
/ ,rho letter was written 10 q No. 10
-, ~sn Tor the State Senate. ana ~
,,.ss nromised in the letter his eiec.lo, o..
he would pay the sum OF Sipo l',e Ia di'H baey
only TO be paid after the resul. 49, 'a''a IN
achieved. 1t was hishiy NJ
have the existing laws ahehueu'
T., ~. sig - idd"r.
Tho sneaker said that he mao iioin-
formed that in one OF the Cum l,ac,o,,l
ING his the men appointed ~ TIN how
| hcsrd as Judges would ascri 80 -, ,
'',',nh money would be given duilnr .,I
,,,ro,gn IN each precinct Ihey No"'s
e'.,'.io,,,,artlv go TO the Republicans an"
o.. - carry the precinct FOR mem piV
,lded they paid bigger price .'s no
-, ,rasent no other cause that uiu IL.
,arno 10 The Democratic " -
,nso the belief that the inte4hse"e III
sbould be disfranchised by Vdiiu - e,,Id
men he thought the only Iei,ouy -,
49, forrd IN an amendment OF the eleO,ioi,
laws. and with that emu III w"
prepared his four bis. ..,,io,e.
"it is nainful and exceedingly uHpieHSe
80 "a have 10 wash the dirty llnen y.
80, ,artv in public TO have 10 make IT,
n -. but il is necessary 10 90 %
~. the corrective may be applied. on
49, -, contest last fall for the seat now
occunv here l was confronted Dy . to
e+ote Of affairs. At very man! "a 80.
nrecincts In my county lo"sN -,
there were negro judges soiiiS 5 " 800
,o,,ld not read nor write. 1 lnduceu SUI
~ tbese 10 resign and give place u
- ,ersons who measured up to the re-
o,,irernentg OF the law. l went before .ne
atoctoraI board with these resiSha 'ionS,
,',t tbe hoard positively refused TO aocepe
tbem. and in one instance tne 49, 49,
tne,@ee of election refused TO let uiie',
associate Judge serve upon the s'ound
Ut he could not read and write ana
substituted another in his place. ~ 'n''
precinct the ballot-box was stuHeu'
An Invalid JUDGE
Tn another case judge appointed uy
tho electoral board to represent the OPP
posing party was an invalid sulleiln5
from a malignant sore OF sonhe NM,
which for many months had piesei,y1Iu l
him from getting away from hoihe, -
eant his resignation TO the electoral
hoard. stating his inhrmity as reason
for resigning The board refused 10 ac-
conf IT, on the day Of election ahCthoi
nudge was sworn in. My majority AT tna'
precinct by an accurate tally was 90 - -
if was counted % against me- oh ,ie
dav of election / went to precinct I"eN
miles from my place of residence, anu
remained there until about z'cv Tioe'
p. NJ. When about 10 start hoHe
ceived a note from a friend al ahotnci
s nrecinct. eight miles distant, requesting
mo 10 90 by there as ] vent nome 90
the Judges were preparing TO steal my
J entire vote at that precinct. Nheh th'
! ! count was made at night 1 went by there
and found my friends in n great std =
of excitement. l advised them TO De quie'
and remarked that there were TWO
my uolitical opponents present, 10 Nhoh
| was perfectly willing to commit m'
interests. ana asked that they be per
mitted TO 90 in the room and witness TN
count. The Judges declined 10 let eithel
, Of them go in. though opposed 10 Ine
, Finally, they did admit one or them' IN
count commenced, which could be readli.
heard on the outside. Every secOhn y
, third vote was counted against me. ms
nv friends told me, was absolutely
: false count; that my opponent had no
gotten ANYTHING like the number OF vote
that were being counted for him the
demanded 10 send a friend IN the room
which 1 had the right to do unaer IN
, law. NV demand was refused. toiu III
Judges that l was well aware Oh III
rights. and that / intended TO SEND
friend in at all hazards one OF IN
Judges then said | had the right TO q
| SO. and my friend was admitted IN
counting against me ceased then an
there. but twenty-three of my votes ma
j already been counted against me. A htu
negro as black as the ace OF spades wa
c one of the judges. and was the ielio'
J. handling the tickets.
!, N s log Dic'a'ion.
I Judge Buford went on TO state that a
t the last election he ran in BruhsWlc
county as an independent Democra
against the Democratic ring. To be
, Democrat did not require a man 20 SUI
p scribe to a Democratic PLATFORM put
I, subscribe TO the dictation OF a rms
; In June, 1892, he had accepted the chali
a manship in his county, and he haa cai
: ried the Democratic party 10 victory &c
the first time since Abraham Lincoln
election. At the last primaries he n
SONS. and friends were utterly neglected
and In their stead eight negroes WEI
Il selected as delegates TO the convention
e some who had never before voted u
= Democratic ticket The speaker explaine