The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-20

The Ballot Box in the south.
we eiVe hesrty encouragement 10 any
--sts-e-t IN behalf Of q pure ballot.
wecsec- GO Is in the north or the south.
e-- vVe save no sympathy with dema-
soeass vho INSIST thas the party 70 which
lesy heicas IS the party OF purity and
ere c7Tosing party is the party Of ras-
Ety. We 90 not know anything about
=. o. Manning, the president OF the South
ern Ballet Rights league. except as his
name appears IN the public prints He
may De an honest man. OF he may be only
q shrswd politician Who IS drying TO
bring himself into prominence. His inter-
view. puhIished IN the New York Tri-
hune, a synopsis o. which appeared in our
Dispatches yesterday. in which he tries 10
create the Impression that an honest cleo
ton Is practically unknown in the south.
would make us hesitate TO fndorse him
and his. work unless satisfactory evidence
OF his sincerity were forthcoming. The
fact that he Is in New York with Con
sroesman Howard. % Alabama. who. on
Monday made a publication in that city
that IS calculated 70 injure Alzbama's
credit, Is against him.
There may have been ballot box frauds
in Alabama a. the last state election by
the democrats. We do not know whether
there were or not. but We do know that tt
was openly charged that the party 10
which Howard and. we suppose. Man
ming. belong, was guilty OF the grOssest
frauds. We assume that Mr.. Manning is
, republican or a popuHss. from the fact
that be carries his tale Of woe 10 the
New York Tribune paper that is an
organ OF the party that committed the
most stupendous frauds on the ballot box
in the south Of which there is any record
Among those mentioned by Mr.. Manning
as members OF the league OF which he is
president. is number OF populists. 1t
certainly cannot be fairly claimed that the
populists in this or any other southern
state are not guilty of ballot box frauds
The Investigations that have been made
in many counties Of this state Of alleged
frauds In tho last state election, leave no
room for doubt that the populists are
not the ones TO intrust with lthe work
Of introducing ballot box reforms.
Whatever election reforms are made in
the south will be made by the Demo-
cratic party. The sentiment in that party
is in favor Of a pure ballot Prior to the
meeting OF the legislature in this state
last fail and while the legislature was in
session. the democratic newspapers of
the state insisted upon the enactment of
a registration law that would prevent
fraudulent voting. and they carried their
point. The registration law that is now
IN force was enacted by democrats, and
the legislature at its next session will
enact a law that will give ample pro-
lection to the ballot box. In future. there
will be no ballot box frauds in this state
by democrats, popullsts or republicans, I'M
less altogether new methods Of committing
such frauds are discovered. The south does
not need tho help Of New York or the
New York newspapers to guard her ballot
boxes against frauds, and the fact that
Mr.. Manning is IN that city telling what
sorry condition Of affairs there is, in his
opinion, in the south. justifies the con
clusion that he has some other object in
view than the publication Of the ballot
As a matter OF fact we do not believe
that the ballot in the south is in any
more need Of reforming than the ballot
in New York city or in any northern state.