The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-02-17

attend 10 this al once.
METHODS ~ NORTH CAR
OLIsA. vIRGISIA AND ALABAMA.
The House Committee which has had
under consideration the case Of X. i.
Thorp, contestant against Sidney 7.
Epes, OF the Fourth Virginia Congress
ional District has finished its report. |
The report covers fifty-two printed
pages and devOtes considerable space
to the election laws Of Virginia and
their history.
We make the following extract:
affections held In this section of the
State have become notoriOusly corrupt,
false, and untrustworthy because OF
the bad character aOd fraudulent prac-
tices Of election officers appointed by
partisan Democratic ELECTORAL boards,
which in many instances ilagrantly,
wilfully, and defiantly disregard the
salutary provision OF the law requir-
ing Judges to be selected from cOmpe-
tent voters known to belong to differ
ent political parties, selecting as such
judges only partisan Democrats in
many case, or, often when the law Is
pretendedly observed, selecting as a
representative Of the Republican party
ignorant colOred men not recognized
rs morally or politically fit to repre-
sent that party. Until the fraudulent
practices of election officers we're in
troduced, the Republican majority in
the district as returned was from 5000
to 1900 votes in all elections for Re-
preventative in Congress"
1t will be seen from the above that
the gross frauds and ballot-box stuff
ing in this Virginia District were
made possible by the appointment of
improper persons for registrars and
judges of election. In fact the report
above referred to maintains that the
Virginia election law requires the
choosing of judges Of election from
persons known to belong to different
political parties, each Of whom shall
be able to read and write, was disre-
garded by the Democrats who were in
charge of the election machinery for
the purpose of fraud and ballot-box
stuffing to defeat the will Of the peo-
pie.
The same condition Of affairs was
brought out in the report of this cleo
tion committee a few days ago in the
case Of the Populist candidate for Con-
gress from Alabama contesting the
seat of Plowman who holds the certi-
ficate of election as Democrat.
This is nothing new to North Caro-
linians. Under the rule of the Ran
som machine, the same condition OF
affairs existed in this State until the
ballot-box suffers were overtbrown in
1901. While the Democratic election
law in North CarOlina, as in Virginia
and Alabama, required the appoint
ment of at least one representative OF
opposite political parties for registrars
and judges, yet the trainers of the law
cunningly and with malice afOre.
thought left the selection of these per-
sons Of the opposition party to the
wanted to commit fraud they always
selected those to represent the Re.
publican party or the Peoples
party who were either ignorant OF
corrupt or else Democrats in dis.
guise. This, of course, will ena.
BILE any party having charge of the
machinery to manipulate elections a:
they see fit. In addition, the NORTH
Carolina election law provided for q
county returning board, which met 8
week after the election so that they
could throw out more votes if the bal.
lot-box suffers had not thrown on,
enough or stuffed the ballot box suffi
GENTLY.
1t was to correct these fragrant ant
infamous abuses which poison TIT
very springs of free government thai
caused the Peoples Party to make .
fight for each political party to hav'
the power to name at least one regis
trar and judge of the election to repre-
sent it. This proposition was so emf
nently fair that no one could give an!
good reason for Directing to it. 1
gave to each party one person, and
person OF its own selecting, to guar
its interest and to see il there was
free ballot and fair count on the da.
Of election, and when the votes wer
counted. This eminent'y fair and jus
principle was engrafted into the new
election law enacted by the Legisla
ture OF 1895. IL was so eminently fai
and just that it made no differenc
what party was in power, each part.
was entitled to representative of 1t
own selection to guard its interests
and therefore fraud in elections wa
made practically impossible. No hon
est.man and no honest party can objec
to such provision, and no election Law
10 fair and just that does not contain
this provision.
But we regret exceedingly to stat
that the Republicans, who had beef
cheated by the Democrats for a quar-
ter of q century, in the Legislature o
1897 joined with the Democrats ant
the boiling Populists to strike thi
provision out of the election Of thi
State and return to the old ballot DO,
stufi1ng methods of the Democratic
machine.
IT LOOKS PECULIAR, ANYWAY.
Elsewhere in this issue is publishe,