Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-11-17
PRESS connemrs.
he Assasli On ~ s.s....

n painful and portentIous con..
" inc satc erection Is the evidencae
fraud In the polling and the c e Of
votes In Southern states Which 1ouht OF
4 and reputation ior Bryan
Before the election pronjnen,
tirely trustworthy newsnaI.are ana en-
states expressed many rnisrivIngmn these
the possibility that II wo,I1 LIE as TO
uucteu honestly They uttered freo, uon.
| anu soiemn warnings against the r4ucnt
| ton Of fraudulent practices y .he Iepeti-
Mmassgraced previous elections In ths mad
Tnese declarations were made syos J,outh.
| sinca. rha rar papers Tor the first lin.
Inc rear OF negro dominafjon H.
States induced measures OF ress, these
upon ane part OF the whites, which amce
OF the ballot box, but they u,1 ". purity
tolerated ~ intelligent and eniiybtctly
pubic opinion as seemingly or nre sfIsened
Of s outheryn =, c;y, prevent The destruction
north they were sometimes e1c,,s, the
!ne casulstical ground that the snd ,, on
t pne, nhe means. When, Therefore Jus Jus
republican party used them AZ q the
text Tor passing force Bill both pre-
ana south rose In protest. and H. N1rth
ri s,, OF MI Cleveland in 1892 was vas e d,c
trl adnra 70 inc united opposition tue w.
rtuera! interference In state elections 20
which the Sun was the leader ana rs OF
gro domination. The Democraitd9o'o ne
s asa a, ana bpresident then elected proVed
OF the party platform but the a ,di.,ons
election law was repealed ConseG,,an.ilg
Ine late election at the South Vac ny,
by the m ana inarassed by that law. or
fedeTai control which had been tbr~a.c
ened The Southern states were ,t es,'ed u
soiut e,so, free in the management Of their
row dld they use this boom ohtainad ~
tlem through the loyal SUPPORT and d AT
renee OF the Democrats Of the North
"a "a We nave said, they have misused
ana ana perverted it, according TO the ~
tshohy or Southern Democratic ma ness
VI me hignest character and creiibiII,r
d d,,c dc i to specific evidence pro.
democratic sentiment produced nv IN ~
precipitation of the Reputation issue bao
released these papers from the obiigation
VIII pea,1us ~ ret to preserve silence
elections, it having aroused strong a VA
most honorable opposition in the Sor,h
sia,S %f fnr' these praiseworthy Journals
election they made no secret of their de
trust as to the methods by which I,
would be conducted, but exhorted tho
ing the force of the election as tr;,s
expression of public opinion. Sine t ih
returns of the balloting have been sen,
IN. charges that the dishonesty feared II
nor expected, was practised to serjn,s
ana even appalling extent have hsen
made IN Virginia and Tennessee more esa
PIe ectnryyi; and that by reason Of it The
len from Mr.. Mckinley and given to H.
Bryan. The truth of these alieeati ~ NJ /;
supported at least by strong differences
ana ana, IL cannot hn, be denied that generally
they are believed to be true. Moreover
such imputations are made concsrn;n1,
the, elections in Southern states e1ly. ~
az least We have seen no noteworthy ex-
preston of suspicion as to the puritv ~
the ballot box elsewhere. 'N''' vi
This is a matter of extreme gravity
such charges tend to bring the Southern
states states INTO peculiar disrepute, and they
there. due to a longtime dread of negro
domination. which threatens the very
existence of this republic. whose only Sc
!curity rests in the purity of the ballot
box, or in elections as actually expressive
OF the popular will honestly and freely
declared. If. for instance. the result Of
me me late election had depended on the
electoral votes of Southern state WHOSE
election frauds. were notorious, the con-
sequences would have been appalling.
Here in New York and throughout the
the election grew. to be positively pain
ful as the day for the balIoting ap-
preached. Men felt that the security Of
their property and of Republican insti-
tutions was in peril They foresaw that
a fearful financial and business catac-
iysm would follow the election of Bryan:
a ana s Ssaa s. SUSPENSION OF banks and ruin
not even imagine the fun extent Of the
catastrophe which would be the conse-
quence of the calamity of the triumph of
reputation. If under such circum-
stances; with every mans nerves
triumph had been obtained by false
counting and other fiagitious practices at
the election in any Southern state. on
whose electoral votes the decision for tine
whole Union depended. how terrible
might have been. nay. would have been.
the revolt aginst the outrage. The dan
ger of ruin by fair means made men al
but Hsthe ruin had actually been brought
upon them by foul means their indigna-
ton Against the cheating would hardly
have been restrained.
Happily. that peril was averted. Such
cheating as there was and extensive as
It was in the Southern states, according
70 the present allegations. proved to be
enough electoral votes in states where
there was no charge of dishonesty. and
no doubt of the honesty in the counting
of the ballots. to make his election sure
and unassailable by fraud elsewhere.
But IT was peril that must be removed :
in the presidential elections
yet 70 occur. or the very existence Of the
will continue 10 be threatened.
The southern states in which the right
u suffrage Is VIGOROUSLY and shameless
y asSailed. have uDon them RESPONSE
ollity in the ewes of the whole American
people to which they will be held sever.
No force bill, No negro domination.
But also no cheating at elections, No
reversal of the popular Judgment bv
fraud. The first duty of the Southern
states now under charges or suspicious
II dishonest practices. is to purify their
election methods.