The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-12-02

class of citizens within the State with
rights and privileges different from
those of citizens who are not registered
prior to January 1 1898, and your
protestant AYERS that by reason of said
void laws and provisions large num-
ber of citizens of this State, entitled to
vote at said election of November 8,
1897, in said district for said Represen.
tative in the 55th Congress, were de-
MED the right of registration and suf-
frage, who, if they had been allowed
to- vote, would have voted for your
protestant and thereby have given
him a majority of the votes cast at
said election.
Respectfully submitted, .
j. M. +. JONES, Protestant.
Dated at Columbia. S. c., Novem.
ber 90, 1896.
MIR Moss, in the matter of the con.
test between Mr.. Johnston and DR..
Stokes, said that he supposed the
board would consider the resolution
passed in the matter OF the special
election from this district as applica-
BILE to the general election. By this
resolution the protest against the tab
ulation of the vote was overruled.
The board took that position and the
protest against the tabulation of the
vote was overruled.
The Board when it went into execu.
tive session overruled all of the pro.
tests and contests, and declared the
result according to the tabulated
report.
There were present during the
meeting of the board as members of
the board Chairman Bates, Secretary
OF State Tompkins. Gen. Watts and
Attorney General Barber, Lee Brook.
er; as interested pirties, State Chair
man Webster, Secretary Screven, Col.
Johnston, Col. Jones, w. j. Talbert,
Col. William Elliott, J. F. Cochran,
E, M. Bray ton, B. Hart Moss.
The board adjourned about o'clock
until tomorrow at 10 o'clock.
The following protest was fled by
Mr.. B. 0. Duncan, one OF the electors
OH the Reorganized Republican tick
et:
To the State Board of Canvassers- -
Gentlemen: The undersigned, one of
the candidates at large for P Presidential
elector of the Reorganized Republican
party of South Carolina, begs leave
very respectfully, but in all serious
ness. to enter solemn protest against
the declaration and pronunciation of
the result of the recent election in
This State for Presidential and Vice
Presidential electors, and 10 state brief
" his reasons therefor as follows:
1. Because the call for the late
Constitutional Convention of 1895 is
currently believed to have been fraud
,llently counted in" end that, too,
by a popular vote of only about 81, ,CGo
out of a voting population in the
State, according to the census OF 1890,
Of over 1886, 900.
2. Because the openly avowed
purpose for calling such Convention
was to devise some means for disfran.
chising the mass of the coloead voters,
without disfranchising single whits
man, and because this purpose was
carried out to the letter by the Con-
ention.
8. Because such discrimination
against an entire race is not only ju
clear and palpable violation of both
the letter and the spirit of the four.
teenth and fifteenth amendments of
the Constitution of the United States,
but is also directly in face of the Act
of Congress readmitting South Carroll.
ma and other States of the Union,
which expressly prohibits the Consti.
tuition of either of these States from
ever being $50 amended or changed
as to deprive any citizen or class Of
citizens of the United States of the
right to vote in said State who are en-
tilted to vote bv the Constitution
herein recognized" except for crime.
A. Because this new Constitution
was put in force without having first
been submitted to the voters of the
State for ratification, which is moi
only contrary to almos; universal
usage, but it is also directly. contrary
to the fundamental principle Of popu.
lar government, that is, the consent of
the gogerned.
5. Because, acting under this new
Constitution, the Legislature has en-
acted a partisan and factional regis.
tration law, that grossly discriminates
against the colored race, and under
which only about $4,000 to $1,000 ne.
groes have been enable to register out
of voting population, according to
census of $780, of 132,649. Thus in
the face of the Constitution and laws
of the United States, expressly declar-
ed to be the supreme law of the land,
nearly 100000 citizens of the United
States are deprived of Their right to
vote by this new Constitution of s outh
Carolina and the laws enacted there
under.
For these and other reasons that
mightbe mentioned I do most soiemplY
and emphatically protest against your
honorable body declaring the result OF
the recent Presidential election held
under such a Constitution and regis
tratlon law.
B.O'DELL DUNCAN.
The protest was overruled without
discussion.
Prosperity Not Relished.
Wheeling is a manufacturing city, a