Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-09-01
REFUSED IS MAYOR BELLS REQUEST FOR REPRESENTATION. The Election Commissioners Address an Open and Insulting Let ter to Mayor Bell and
 His Supporters
Pine Bluff, Aug. 31, 1898.

edge receipt Of your communication of the 2Tth inst, requesting the Board of Election Commissioner to appoint the persons named by you, as judges of election at the severa voting precincts of this county. At the same time you also filed with us petition, purporting to be signed by 164 persons of which the follow ing (omitting signatures) is a copy,
 (Here follows Mayor Bells peti- tion and letter. recently published in this paper.)
 We haze given your letter and the above petition that caraful and de liberate consideration which the inn portanee of the subject deserves and we desire to say in reply,
 1st-That lest our silence be con- strued as an acquience, we desire to repudiate and deny the statement of fact contained. In the first sen tenee of said petition, we do not knoto or admit that both the candidates fir the office of sheriff are of the same political faith.
 We do know Maj H. A. McCov, the nominee of the democratic party of Jefferson county, to be demo- crat, but, as to yourself, we only know that you are fighting the reg ular democratic organization as an independent candidate, and it is matter Of common notoriety that you have been endorsed" (which is equivalent to nomination) by the republican committee of this coun- ty; that Ferd HaYis, Middlebrooks, Jeffesson and other notorious negro republican leaders of the county are among the loudest in your support and that your only hope for success S, to be elected by negro votes over those of the white democrats and taxpayers of the county, h our opinion democrat is one who sup ports ..he ticket, advocates the prin- eiples and labors for the success of the democratic party, and we see nothing ih your present course which would bring you within this definition.
 2dr-Your petition from beginning to end bristles with uncalled for, unwarranted and gratuitous insults to the democratic party. Of this county. It assumes in almost every sentence that unless you are allowed tc appoint judge and clerk of elec- ton at every voting precinct in the county, that fair and honect elec- ton cannot be had. Wren and how your supporters become the custo- dians of all the political honesty and virtue in the county does not ap- pear; and we respectfully dissent from such a conclusion. We know of nothing in the history of our county democracy, since it rid itself of some of its old compromise leaders and assumed sole control of the county government which would warrant your or your supporters in assuming that fair and honest election will not be had on the 5th, prox., under the management of the regular democratic authorities. For six years past no such charge has ever been made by any decent re. publican in the county, and certainly not by any democrats.
 3d-We have no power to appoint clerks, but the law makes it the duty of this board to appoint three judges of election for each voting precinct. The only limitation is that they shall be qualified electors;"dis- erect persons able to rean and write" and "shall not all be select. ed from the same political party il competent persons of different poli- tics can be found" We fiud noth- ing in either the lette. or spirit Of the law which gives to any conda date the right to select judges in his own interest. Political parties only are to be considered-not per sons. Hence, if you are, as you claim, Democrat the appointment of two reputable Democrats, pos