Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-02-03
The Tenth District Frauds.

luo DduHeT is mixing u neTOlC tHOrt
to expose, as Henry Gibson would say,
the "damnable scoundrelism" of the
Tenth District Democrats, The Banner
and Josiah Patterson are about the
only parties who appear to be inter.
ested.-American.
What reason has the American for
the assumption that the public is not
interested in this matter? And why
should not a public journal that pro.
fessors to stand for order, d~ecency,
good government and the enforcement
of the laws feel called upon to make
known such revelations as this investi.
CATION has brought forth.
Is this news considered trihing be.
cause it has revealed only Democratic
corruption9 The American two years
ago printed column after column of
evidence taken in the Turney-Evans
investigation. 1t commented with a
show of horror on the fact that some
East Tennessee voters were allowed to
vote without exhibiting their poll tax
receipts when it was iknown to the
election judges that the taxes had been
paid, 1t was shown yesterday in
Somerville that where 300 votes were
counted for Carmack and 10 for Pat.
terson, Patterson actually received the
vote of every negro in the district and
those of the gold.standard Democrats
among whom were some of the best
white men in the district. At Braden,
where only four votes were counted
for Patterson, twenty men testified to
having voted for him. Mayor Sher-od,
of Mason, testified to having voted for
himself as a candidate for the Legisla.
lature and for the Palmer and Buckner
electors. He knew positively Of others
who had voted the same ticket, yet not
a single vote was counted for Sherrod
or for Palmer and Buckner at that box.
These are all facts, to which solemn
affidavit has been made by reputable
citizens in a legal investigation, and
MIR. Carmack's attorneys have failed
to contradict them by lengthy cross
questioning. But the American laughs,
and says it is a trivial matter in which
the public is not interested.
III the matter related to the Tenth
District only it would be bad enough,
even though it might not be of stirring
interest in this immediate section, but
the G~ubernatorial and Presidential
vote was affected by these brazen
frauds in the same degree as they af.
fected the vote cast for Congressman.
1t is a shame and a disgrace to the
State and an outrage on the rights of
citizenship that the ballot box is thus
corrupted. 1t is also a shame that a
prominent journal at the capital,
claiming TO be the %mouthpiece of the
Democratic party, should fippantly
ignore the revelations of such practices.
All wrong doing must have a reckon
ing, and vice and corruption will bring
their own inevitable punishment. Ten.
nessee can not tolerate such political
practices as have grown up in the
State and not suffer a host of evil con
sequences. When public journals like
the American attempt to treat fragrant
frauds like those proven to have been
committed in West Tennessee as mat.
tiers of no public concern it is time for
the honest people Of the State who
love its good name and wish for it's
future prosperity to do some thinking.
and such thinking should lead to action
that will bring about a better state of
affairs .-Nashville Banner.