Birmingham state herald., 1896-06-28

w. H. Robertson, colored, republican, swore (p. AID:
 q am colonel of the First regiment, national guard, of South Carolina, and am now acting brigadier general of the First brigade natiodal guard, South Car olina; am registered voter of the city of Charlestons am acquainted generally with the intelligent and business colored people of Charleston my relations with them have been of such a character as to know to a great extent the political feeling that exists among them; at the congressional election in 1894 they SUD- ported both Col. William Elliott and George w. Murray; l supported Murray; There were, during the canvass, two fac- tions of the republican party in the city of Charleston"
 On cross-examination the same witness swore '.I hold as high position of honor in the military circles as any colored man in the state; I have always held a posi- tion of honor and been well thought of and respected by the citizens of Charles ton generally; I have held the position of alderman of this city and supervisor of the high school of Charleston, white school, and was chairman of the commit tee on water works of the city. R. c. Brown is a colored attorney of this city. and is republican congressional chair man of this district; he. is well thought of here; he was bitterly opposed to Mur- ray. I know. J. H. Lsgare; he is well
  leading and intelligent colored man, and adjutant of my regiment. Hesexpressed himself to me as being bitterly opposed to Murray. I know D. l.. Adams; he IS a leader among the colored people, and holds a high office in the republican par ty. A great many of the leading intelli- gent colored republicans were divided as to support of Murray. T got my registra- ] ton certificate; l saw no fraud at the registration office."
 
 Much more evidence of the same nature and character was produced in proof of the great unpopularity of Murray among his own race, and in his own party throughout the district, and the very large support given Colonel Elliott, espe- cially in Charleston, by the white and colored republicans; also to prove there were no irregularities in the manage msnt of the registration or elections.
 That there were no such frauds as charged by Murray is further and clearly proven by the sworn testimony of the supervisors of registratio of the city of Charleston and their secretary, and that the manner in which they conducted the registration covering a period of three months, gave ample time and opportunity to all persons, white and colored, who de- sired to do so to register, and that no dis criminations were made against colored people. The supervisors of registration were all bank presidents, non-partisan, and men of the highest probity and repu- tation in the community. Certain or Murray's own witnesses testified that under the commission they believed ev- erybody was fairly dealt with and none were refused who were entitled to regis- ter"
 The thorough and impartial manner in which the board of registration commls- sioners did their work appears by the tes- timony of Scipio Dantzler, one of Mur- rays witnesses (p. AT of the record) that his certificate was numbered n,213, and it elsewhere appears that over 13,0OO cer+ tificates were issued by the boards. AS Murray shows that there were in lSSo 6492 white persons of voting age ir Charleston, allowing that every one or them registered, it would result that at least 650S colored voters were registered by the board. Es. 1rr Y
 There is not a particle of proof in all the yoluminous record of the case which shows any fraudulent conduct on the part of any manager of election. In fact,s it was not pretended that Murray, the
 
 was cast for him, and 1t is not shown that any of the acts charged against the managers of election resulted in giving to the contestee, Colonel Elliott, more votes than he actually received or was entitled to.
 The testimony relied upon by the re- publican committee to support Murray's claim to the seat and rob Colonel Elliott of 1t was principally that of ignorant, ir- responsible negroes of the lower class that infest southern cities, and upon this testimony, contradicted and proven to be false, in many instances by intelligent, respectable, leading colored republicans and a large number of well standing white republicans, partisan and un- scrupulous republican majority, aided by A. T. Goodwin, a so-called populist, suc- ceeded in robbing a southern white man of the seat in congress to which he had been fairly and legally elected by ma jority of 1737 of the white democrats, pop ulists and republicans and large pro- portion of the respectable colored repub- licans of his district and giving the same to black negro who was not elected, and whom even the most respectable men of his own race refused to support be- cause he was totally unfit for the place, was not a resident of the district and had secured the nomination by fraudulent means.
 At public meeting in Beaufort Ex- Congressman Miller, colored, attacked Murray on the ground that he was un- worthy of his support and as being unfit to represent his district in congress; nor would Ex-Congressman Smalls. eolored vote for him at the November, 1894, elec- tion, presumably for the same reason.
 In the face of the sworn testimony of the registration commissioners. the sworn returns of the election officers, the un- controvertible proof of numerous white and colored republicans that the regis tra- tion and election were regular and with-l out fraud, and the irresistible conclusion that Murray the negro received every vote cast for him att the congressional election in 1894, and that no votes were counted for Colonel Elliott that he did not actually receive Goodwin, the con scientious immaculate Goodwin, acting