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

as to deprive any citizen or class of
citizens of the State of the right to
vote in said State, who are entitled to
vote by the Constitution herein recog-
nizad, except as q punishment for
such crimes as are now felonious at
common law, whereof they shall have
been duly convicted under laws equal
ly applicable to all of the inhabitants
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
a 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 shal
abridge or infringe the privileges OF
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
Constitution and laws of the United
States, recorded herein--thousands of
citizens and voters in said I'd Congress.
sional district were deprived of the
right to vote in the aforesaid election
for Congress, the Sd day of Novem
ber, 1896, who were friends of and de-.
sired to vote for B. p. Chatfieid, 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. Chatfeld, Protestant.
November %, 1885,,
E. J. Dickerson and s. E. Smith,
attorneys for protestant.
Mr.. Screven, on the part OF the con-
testants from the Sd and 4th districts.
filed a formal contest, summing up all
Of the ground made in mCst 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 all regular
requirements had been complied with.
His grounds Of protest are more nu-
merous than those of the other con-
testants, and it is taken for granted
thst they will be made the chief
grounds on which the lighting is to be
done in Congress. The notice reads
as follows:
State of South Carolina-Fifth Con-
gressional District-John F. Jones
VS.. T. J. Strait. Contested Election
| Fifty-fft Congress.
| To the Honorable State Board of
lCanvassers of Election: The protest of
John +. Jones shows to your honora.
BILE that he is the NOMINEES 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 T. Jones, pro-
tests against your honorable board de-
claring the said DR.. T. j. Strait to be
elected as Representative for said dis
trict in said 55th Congress on the fol-
lowing grounds:
1st. That the registration OF voters
TO. the election on November 8, 1896,
for Representative in said 55th Con,
gress was held pursuant to the provis-
ions of Article 2, Sections 4 and s, 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
2Gth of June, 1869, whereby the State
of South Carolina was admitted to
representation in Congress on the fun
damental condition that the Constitu-
ton of South Carolina then in force
should never be so changed or amend.
ed az 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
prote slant AYERS that the boards OF
registration in the various counties in
said district refused to register a large
number of citizens of this State who
were entitled to vote in said district
for said Representative under the
Constitution of this Stale 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 mt said elec.
ton.
I'd. That the managers OF election OF
the various polling precincts in said
district denied the right to vote at said
election on November 8, 1896, for
Representative in said 55th Congress
to 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 2Gth,
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.
Sd. And your protest ant further
AYERS that the provisions of the Con-
stitution of the State of 1895 providing
for the registration of voters, or ele =
tors, are null and void, on the ground
that the said Constitution wes never
ratified by the people of this State,
and the peOple of this State never del