The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-12-02

of said States, etc. This article OF the
| Constitution amendment 14) makes
all male Inhabitants Of the United
States 81 years Of age and upwards
citizens and voters Of the State where
in they reside, as every person born
and naturalized in the United States is
citizen OF the United States, and
says the persons already designated as
citizens OF the United States shall
hereafter be citizens Of the States
wherein they reside, and no State
shall make any law which shall
abridge or infringe the privileges Or
immunities Of the citizens Of the Uni
ted States. We further protest that
! in view of the Constitution OF South
Carolina, ratified December 4 1895,
and the election and registration laws
enacted subsequent thereto, to the
Con nstitution and laws of the United
States, recorded herein-thousandS of
citizens and voters in said ID Congress.
sional district were deprived OF the
right to vote in the aforesaid election
for Congress, the 81 day of Novem
Der, 1896, who were friends OF and de.
sired to vote for B. p. Cnat.ield, Of
| Aiken, for Congress, and that the re.
suits Of said election do not reflect the
views and wishes OF a majority OF the
electors of said district.
Signed. B. p. Chatfield, Protestant.
November %, 1896.
E. j. Dickerson and S. E. Smith,
attorneys for protestant.
Mr.. Screven, on the part OF the con-
testants from the 81 and 4.h districts,
fled formal contest, summing up all
Of the ground made in most Of the
other papers and giving the facts in
succinct form.
Col. Jones seems to have gone about
| his contest in regular form. In the
argument Mr.. Cochran said that mott.
ces of contest had been filed with all
OF the county boards, notice had been
served on DR.. Strait, and ali regular
requirements had been complied with.
His grounds OF protest are more nu-
merous than those of the other con-
teStsnts, and i is taken for granted
that they will be made the chief
grounds on which the fighting is to be
done in Congress. The notice reads
as follows:
State of South Carolina-Flfth Con-
gressional District-John f. Jones
VS.. T. J. Strait. Contested Election
Fifty fifth Congress.
To the Honorable State Board Of
Canvassers of Election: The protest Of
John +. Jones shows to your honora.
BILE that ne is the nominee Of the Re
publican party for Representative in
the 55th Congress from the 5th dis
trict OF this State, and that DR.. T. j.
Strait is the nominee Of the Demo
cratic party in said district, and that
the undersigned, John +. Jones, pro-
tests against your honorable board de-
claring the said DR.. T. J. Strait to be
elected as Representative for saio 1i;;
trict in said 55th Congress on the fol-
lowing grounds:
1st. That the registration Of voters
for the election on November 3, 1896,
for Representative in sid 55th Con.
gress was held pursuant to the provis.
ions of Article 3, Sections and 8, OF
the Constitution of South Carolina, of
1895, and that said provisions and all
laws passed hereunder are in conflict
with the Act of Congress approved
26!h OF June, 1869, whereby the State
of South Carolina was admitted to
representation in Congress on the fun
damental condition that the Constltu-
ton of South Carolina then in force
should never be so changed or amend
ed as to deprive any citizen or class OF
citizens of the United States Of the
right to vote in said State who are en-
titled to vote under the Constitution
OF said State then in force, and your
protestant AYERS that the boards Of
registration in the various counties in
said district refused 10 register large
number of citizens of this State who
were entitled to vote in said district
for said Representative under the
Constitution OF this State OF 1868, and
who, if they had been allowed to reg
lister, would have voted for your pro-
testant, and thereby have given him a
majority Of the votes cast al said cleo
ton.
81. That the managers OF election OF
the various polling precincts IN said
district denied The right to vote at said
election on November 3, 1896, for
Representative in said 55th Congress
to a large number of citizens Of this
State who were entitled to vote in said
district for said Representative under
the Constitution OF this State Of 1868
and the Act of Congress of June goth,
1869, admitting South Carolina to
representation in Congress, who would
If they had been allowed to vote, have
voted for your protestant, and thereby
given him majority OF the votes cast
at said election.
81. And your protestant further
AYERS that the provisions OF the Con-
stitution of the State Of 1895 providing
for the registration of voters, or cleo
tors, are null and void, on the ground
that the said Constitution was never
ratified by the people Of this State,
and the people of this State never del
egated toithe convention framing the
same the power TO impose Constitu-
ton upon them without referring it
back to them for ratification ;and your
protestant further AYERS that the laws
OF this State passed under the so-called
constitution proposed by the conVen-
ton of 1895 are in conflict with the
provisions OF the Constitution of South
Carolina OF 1868 on the right OF sutf-
rage, and are null and void; and that
under said void laws and provisions
large number Of citizens of this State,
in the said 5:h district, entitled to vote
for Representative in the 55.h Con
gress for said district, have been de-
MED the right Of registration and suf-
frage as guaranteed by the Constitu'
ton of South Carolina of 1868, who,
if they had been allowed 10 vote,
would have voted for your protestant,
and thereby have given him a major