Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-11-14
Election Frauds.
Chattanooga Times. Ind. Dem)

Chattanooga Times. Ind. DENY
/ Our dispatches, printed yesterday
morning. announced that w f. Car.
mack had carried the tenth Tennes.
see Congress district, by about $50
! votes" over Col. Josiah Patterson
/ The following remarks of the Memphis
\ Commercial Appeal. supporter Of
| Mr.. Bryan. with reference to the man.
rer in which the district has been car.
| ried. will be interesting:
THE rape Of the ballot in Fayette
county is one Of the sensations Of the
/ campaign. and the boldness Of the
| outrage is most startling. 1t has had
| the effect of delaying the announce.
ment of the result in the congressional
race in this district, the boilers, who
! have control, desiring to hear from
| Upton county so they can ascertain
| Just how many votes are needed to
give their candidate the majority On
| the face of the returns. The fact
that enthusiastic boilers have stolen
| ana hid out the ballot box from one
| CT more of the precincts of Upton
/ prevents a full return from being
| made from that county, so that the
game is a waiting one. Meantime the
Democrats are not worrying over the
result, as they know Col. Patterson
| has fairly carried the district and
| they propose that he shall have hi9
rights. 1t is only stating fact viii,
| is of common knowledge that the fla
grant stealing in Fayette county has
been so bold and notorious that it has
| defeated the purpose which it was in
tended to serve. Those who did the
stealing have laid themselves liable
to prosecution without benefiting their
cause. and when they are called upon
to answer for their crimes in the fed
eral court, as they will be, they will
have cause to regret their injudicious
enthusiasm. With a perfectly fair
election Col. Patterson would I'M
doubtedly have carried the district by
5000 votes. Without actual and whole
sale stealing he will carry it by safe
majority of several hundred. He is
absolutely certain of election and
there is no escape for those who per-
sist in attempting to defraud him."
The election fraud chicks are COM
ing. home to roost; and in that fact
! we see a substantial reason to hope
for their reformation. The practice
that was winked at, excused, defend
ed when it rid several counties in the
black" section of West Tennessee Of
negro government, becomes intoler-
able when it is used to rob the reg
ular nominated candidate of the DEM
Ocracy of his election and a big ma
jOrity of the people of their rights.
We shall not here discuss the politi-
clans quarrel in the tenth district.
Suffice it to say that Patterson's NOM
ination was admitted to be regular
by his opponents. The latter were
self confessed "bolters." They had
right to bolt. Honest men will find no
fault with them on that score. They
did not have a right to elect their man
by any means, save the means provi-
| ded by law and suggested by hon
esty and fair play.
And more as precursor of reform
of franchise abuses. and way Of
furnishing and eliminating crime
against the purity of the ballot box.
than as 'vindcation" of Col. Pat
terson and his supporters. we wish
him success in his contest for the seat
in the federal House of Representa-
tives. We have no feeling. of per-
sonal nature. in the quarrel. We have
a very ardent desire for electoral re-
form over Tennessee, over the South.
for that matter; and we believe sue
cessful exposure and defeat Of fraud
in this case, would be good Begin
ming for our state.
I'VE must stop this thing. or it will
rtin us. utterly. No government. fit
for decent people. can be founded on
triumphant crime against that gov
ernments laws: and this was what
our whole country was fast coming to
when a majority of the states par
TALLY reefed the sails of fraud. by
enacting reformed franchise regula-
tions. The South is behind in this
matter. not from any inherent weak
ness in the southern moral structure
and development, but because of her
peculiar population.
She must speedily learn to honestly
and justly modify the power of igno-
rant numbers welded by the dema-
gogues and criminal heelers and the
lesson must be learned and practiced
upon, in defense of no party in the
South, but for the saving of southern
civilization from the stain Of dishon-
or.
We must reform this or we must
perish. The permanent pollution OF
the ballot can have but one result,
first oligarchy and then desp0tism.