Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-02-12
DEMOCRATIC ELECTION FRAUDS.

THE LEADER gives space i'll another
column to an interesting cOmmunica-
ton from Mr. John W. Mathis, of Co
piah county. Our clever Populist
friend has wholly misapprehended the
ground of our opposition to the Popu-
list contests from this State If DIR.
Newman and others had simply predi-
Gated their contests on alleged frauds
and irregularities committed by Dem
ocrats in the late election, while we do
not believe there were enough of these
to have changed the result in any con-
gressional district,-we would have Of
fered no protest, but said go ahead and
make all unfair and dishonest election
methods odious, wherever they can be
uncovered. But when it comes to ap-
pealing to partisan Republican Con
gress to eXpunge the whole State con-
stitution and return at one bound to
the political conditions which prevail
ed in Mississippi prior to 1890, that is
an altogether different proposition
and one we will never entertain with
complacency. The editor of THE LEAD
Err may be young in his knowledge of
Democratic election frauds and trick
understand perfectly we'll that the
very worst of these which have black
ened the fair name of Mississippi, grew
out of the conditions to which these
Populist leaders are now seeking to re-
turn us. Democratic corruption and
fraud in elections! Why, there was
enough of this in Mississippi up to the
time of the adoption of the new con-
stitution to make Satan himself stand
abashed. 1t was knowledge of this,
and the seeming justification for such
methods under the old order of things,
which made so many of Mississippi's
most loyal sons, ourself among the
number, anxious for change in the
organic law So far had the demorali-
zation incident to the old order OF
things gone, that Democrats had act
ually gone to swindling and stufting
ballot boxes against each other. Near
ly all the frauds cited by our CORES
pondent occurred under the old Con
stitution, and so debauched had the
public conscience become in his coun-
ty by these reprehensible methods, it
is of common repute that even such
good Democrats as the lamented Banks
dale and Congressman Hooker was
each successfully swindled out of the
vote of that county by Democratic
tricksters and ballot box suffers, who
had as yet been wholly unable to rec
oncile themselves to the intent and
spirit of the new regime.
Alabama and Georgia, cited by cur
correspondent, have no new constitu-
tions, and are in far worse predica-
ment than Mississippi. Our new CON
stitution is not perfect, but, taken as a
whole, no State in the Union has one
equal to it.
Our correspondent testifies that the
late election was perfectly fair and
honest at Gallman, his home box. We
are sure it was that way all over Lin
coin county. The light vote was due
to the fact that the majority of regis
/ tered voters were too little interested
to go to the polls. The course for all
reformers to pursue is to organize,
stand pat on the constitution and cleo
| ton laws we have and denounee and
expose unfairness and election frauds
wherever committed In no other way
can there be more than one distinct
white mans party in Mississippi.