Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1896-11-18
ANOTHER STEAL.

AHGOu
frauds were committed to maintain
the t%yrannical supremacy of the old
gang" and cosequent bad and reck.
less government with the %disgraceful
and dishonorable devices employed
two years ago to count in az Governor
an old wreck repudiated by the people,
shocked or even surprised by the
vote being manipulated in Middle and
West Tennessee in such a way and to
such an extent as to defeat the Repub.
lican candidate this year. In fact he
would have been astounded and para
lized by a free election and a fair count,
would have elected Mr.. Tillman
by a handsome majority.
In many of the Popocratic strong
holds the crimes against the freedom
and purity of the ballot are glazing
and unmistakeable. They are 80 ap.
parent that he who runs ma read
them on the face of the returns and the
fool has no chance to err therein
1t will be remembered that there
was an election in this State the first
Tuesday of last August. 1t will, also,
DO remembered that three members of
the Supreme Court were elected at that
true. AS Governor Evans had carried
the State by a majority of 74S by off.
cial count the Democrats were appre.
hensive of the defeat of their ticket.
They conducted a spirited canvass and
brought to the polls every Democratic
voter possible. In Madison County in
the August election the Democratic
vote was 1869. In the last election the
Democratic vote was 3,700-a gain Of
1883. In Haywood County the Demo-
Gratis claim a majority of 1000. In this
county the colored exceeds the white
population, and il there had been q
free election and q fair count the Re-
publicans would have a majority in the
neighborhood of 1900. The fact is the
colored vote was not counted at all.
Fayette County has an excess of color
ed voters, and whilst the Democrats
claim a majority of 800, the real ma.
jority is at least 1000 on the other side
If the colored men were allowed to
vote. If the paradox is allowable, the
machine outdoes even itself in its vii.
lainies in the Ninth Civil District. 1t
sets up a claim of a gain of 2 900 which
is an increase of 10000 over the Demo-
cratic vote cast in August. The Au.
gust vote was the largest vote polled in
the district since the enactment of the
Infamous poll tax law. Nor does the
evidence of r~ascality stop here. In this
district 5000 Republican voters quail.
fled themselves to vote in the Noyem.
Der election who did not vote in the
August election. Now, these Republi-
can voters were scared into voting the
Democratic ticket or their votes were
suppressed, or the Democratic party
has increased in numbers Is, 600 in the
time intervening between August and
November.
In the face of these incontrovertible
facts what man of sense and honor can
believe that Tillman has been honestly
and fairly beatenY
The instances cited are characteristics
OF all the counties lying in the black
belt, where the machine rules with I'M.
resisted despotism.
TWO years ago the gang was so
sure of winning by means of their dis
%iranchising enactments and the intimi-
dation of the colored voters in the black
counties that they did not deem it ne.
cessary to doctor the returns, and
were paralized by the official count
which gave Governor Evans a majority
of 1884.
The blunder was cured by u legisla.
tive procedure the most lawless and
revolutionary in the history of free
government. The fiat of a star chamber
caucus was substituted for the verdict
of the people, and the poorest apology
Tor a man within the confines of the
State was counted in as Governor who
was no more elected to this high sta.
ton than Belva A. Lockwood was
elected to the Presidency in 'S4.
This outrage provoked such a storm
oil honest indignation throughout the
State and country, decent Democrats
vying with Republicans in their hot
denunciations Of such an unwarranta.
BILE act, that the gang" realized then
that they could not safely repeat the
experiment of so openly and f%lagrantly
defying the popular will. And so ia
the good year of grace, 1896, the ma
chine and its proficient servitors return
to the old fashioned Democratic trick
OF suppressing votes and stufiing bal
lot boxes, and Robert L. Taylor turns
up for the third time the alleged Gov
ernor Of Tennessee.
As long as the Democratic machine
is dominant in our politics and directs
our legislation, elections will be a farce
and government a fraud. The reputa-
BILE elements of our society, regardless