The record-union., 1895-11-06
Yesterdays ELECTION - SLAM
DERS REFUTED.

DERs REFUTED.
Inspired by the hysterical shriekings
OF a lot of men who account no virtue
possible in any others than themselves,
who see in honest ambition to attain to
public station and in fealty to party
principles only endeavor and intent to
wrong someone, the reporters of some
of the San Francisco press who wire
and write from Sacramento have. been
led into the indiscretion of giving
through metropolitan columns a foul
name to Sacramento.
To believe some of these susceptible
writer's, upon whose imagination the
Miss Nancys of our city have played,
Sacramento streets were yesterday to
run with blood and the cutters to be
choked with human gore. The world
was told that the citizens of Sacramento
were in the jaws of political wolves and
their rights at the mercy of remorseless
foes All sorts of absurd forecasts
were made as to an expected tragic
outcome of yesterdays election. 1t was
published far and wide that our re-
gister had been stuffed, our election
boards corrupted, and that our polls
were to be dominated by rascals who
would prevent decent citizens from ap-
7,roa ching the ballot -boxes
The Record Union, while demanding
that all due guards be thrown about the
polls. and that no reasonable precau-
tions be omitted to insure peace and
the free exercise of the rights of elect
ors, has from the beginning of the I'M
holy agitation about possible frauds
upon the franchise, expressed it's dis
belief that there was any serious cause
for alarm or for extraordinary precau-
lions. 1t has all along declared that the
scare was cooked and served for the
purpose of promoting the interests of
candidates opposed to the Republican
party; an attempt made for the purpose
Of exalting a "holier than thou lot of
people.
The outcome was precisely what we
expected and announced. There was
never a Quieter election than that Of
yesterday, following a campaign in
which so much of effort had been made
to in1ame men against the Republican
party. It was, indeed a dull election.
There was no abnormal excitement, no
excited, angry canvassing, no unusual
friction, no attempts to vote Illegally
equal Importance.
There were only two exceptions to
this statement. One relates to a pre-
cinct of the First Ward There, at an
early hour citizen entered the polling
place with list Of names in his hand,
and announced his intention to chal-
lenge the votes of parties named in the
list if they offered ballots. This was his
right, and it was no cause for offense.
One of the criminal class, however,
snatched the list and destroyed it and a
scrimmage ensued that was prevented
from growing into a difficulty that
might have been serious by the prompt
interposition of the police. The as
sault upon the citizen was an unpro-
voked one, and met with the condemna-
ton of every right thinking man.
There were fisticuffs over the chaI-
lenge of vote in one other precinct and
a head broken.
1t was at all times in all the precincts
perfectly easy for any man who wished
TO vote TO come to the election board
and cast his ballot. The story set ahoat
in the afternoon that any men were
prevented by fear and intimidation
from voting, is a graceless fabrication.
If any men entertained such fears
they were groundless. In the lower
precincts the same element that al
ways appears at the polls, the element
that is usual in river front wards in
cities, was present, but there was moth
ing abnormal in the situation, or the
character or number of this element
The simple truth is that the people of
Sacramento proved their capacity to
conduct an election in an orderly man
ner and with regard for the laws of
their country.
It will possibly be claimed the quiet,
order and freedom were due to the pre-
cautions that had been taken to place
an unusually large number of officers
az the polls, and to the impertinent
and unwarranted assumption of police
duty by men of private organization.
But the truth is that there was no war
rant for the extraordinary expense in
cured in the employment of such host
Of special officers. There was no
reason whatever to fear that the voters
were to be robbed of their rights, or
that the ballot boxes were to be tam
7,ered with. The election was con-