People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-02-21

- ~AAhA NollCu IuO NOh'OhNiOA oI
New Orleans for the purpose of dis
cussing plans to secure a free ballot
and fair count in the south.
And that convention did not allow
itself to be led away from its patriotic
purpose, nor make a partisan farce Of
itself.
The convention assembled in the in
terest of honest elections for the bene-
ut Of all concerned without regard to
party, and though the Peoples party
should be credited with this effort, the
POpulist leaders, did not assume to
monop, ize the convention, nor assert
that their voters were the only honest
ones in the south. There was an open
discussion by all parties, and 1t Is
hoped that much good may result to all
the people of the south, and to the
whole nation. The election laws OF the
south seem to be so constructed as TO
invite fraud, and it is but natural that
dishonest men should take advantage
of them. A concerted effort will be
made to secure such election laws as
will in future prevent fraud. The con-
vention assembled at New Orleans,
Friday, Jan. Is, at 1890 o'clock, and
meeting was also held in the evening
to which ladies and all public-splrlted
citizens were invited. The meeting
was fairly we'll attended by leading
men of the south, and speeches were
delivered upon the subject OF citizen
ship and popular government by means
of the ballot. Ignorance and dlsnon-
esty received both their share Oh con-
demnation.
Mr.. Manning said in his opening ad-
dress: 1T is not my purpose to charge
this condition of things-which exists
not alone in Alabama, but throughout
the south-solely to any FOAtlcal
party, but do charge it to sloth1ul
public sentiment, which it is, not a
partisan, but a patriotic duty we owe
to our country to arouse from its leth-
argy before republican form OF govern
ment becomes forever lost to US and
coming generations"
- NF
He recognized the fact that some OIL
the great newspapers Of the south had
realized the deplorable conditions, and
had fought valiantly for a reform OF the
and an Indifferent public. At the
same time it was evident that some
of the papers made it policy to keep
the people in ignorance.
Mr.. Manning cited as an example OF
the situation that ''from Dallas coun'
ty, the home of Senator Morgan, the
election officers sent to the secretary OF
state an alleged vote of 6517 as cast
in the state election. Of this number
6517, sworn evidence hasbeen taken,
which l can produce, proving that
5000 of the votes returned as cast
were fraudulent votes and were never
cast by any voter. Two members OF the
grand Jury of Dallas county asked the
probate judge to grant them the priv
ilege of inspecting the registration
books and also made an inquiry as tc
how much money had been, expended
in the registration. The county
Judge refused to grant the request
made, saying that he desired to adj
wise with the circuit judge as to his
duty in the matter. Finally the
grand jurors approached Judge Moore
the circuit judge, who irritably replied
that he didn't propose to be annoyed
BY such foolishness. This, fellow
countrymen, is the situation in Dali
las county, Ala, and fourteen other
counties can be found in darker Ala
bama" of which Dallas is but an ex-
ample"
Preparations Of gross and enorm-
Gus frauds, as occur in Alabama and
other southern states, are not commit
ted in support of white supremacy
1t is to use the negro voting popula-
ton, fraudulently counted, whether
they vote or not, to keep down the
supremacy of the sovereign white peo-
pie that actuate the enemies of re-
publican form of government to COM
nit these crimes against their country
and themselves. Five thousand fic-
titious and fraudulently counted negro
votes in a general election annuls
5000 ballots honestly polled. 1t is
by such manipulation as this that
the voice of the people has been
stifed and revolution has run riot
in many states and in many congress
sional districts like the Fourth and
Fifth in Alabama, and the Tenth in
Georgia, in which the overzealous
counters of Richmond county heaped
up 10000 votes for Mr.. Black, who
appalled, at the enormity of the steal
now demands an honest election be.
fore he will accept a seat in cong
gress." .- ....
The questions discussed are broad
er than the life or death of any
party. They involve the question
whether our republican form of gov
eminent shall stand as the repre-
sentative institution Of free people,
or whether it shall become the prop
erty thieves and assassinS of liberty
The people must rule by their ballots,
and in order to do that their ballots
must be fairly counted.
The negro question seems to be the
bugaboo of the south, but if the negro
was taken out of the hands of the poll
ticians, there would be nothing to fear
from him. The politicians while cry