Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-06-09
HONEST ELECTIONS.

Corruption in elections Is an eNll
of rapid growth. Before the days OF
reconstruction in the South, il was TN
known IN this section Of the country.
The effort to place the white citizens
of the South under the control OF
their former ignorant slaves was the
beginning of corrupt elections III this
section. Actuated both by a diabol-
ic;L malignity and the hope OF per-
petuatlng themselves in powcr,thc re-
publican party of that day, by the
use of the negroes of the South, at
tempted to disfrancNiSe the lntelli-
gent white people and place the
Southern states under the domination
OF the negroes. For a very short time
this infamous scheme was success
and some of the states Of the South
were represented by negroes. The
legislatures we're controlled by ne
groes and two classes ofpeople, whose
infamy has never been equalled, the
carpet-baggers OF the North and the
tcalawars of the South. But for
tunately, The White locple OF tie
South to-day have tie cont ol Of their
State governments and they intend
TO hold it, III spite OF force bills and
ether partisan legislation. The scheme
to perpetuate the power Of the Re
publican party by giving The han-
chise TO the negroes before they
were prepared for it, was complete
failure but became the instrument ct
wrestling The administration tlom tie
hands Of the Republicans and placing
it into the hands of one OF the best
democrats that ever filled the presl-
dental chair.
The people Of many parts OF the
South deterRGned that they would
mot submit to the government Of the
classes above referred to, and it is no
secret that from this effort to wrong
the whites and deprive them Of their
God given right OF self government,
sprang the fraudulent election
schemes of the South.
1t is an evil, only less than that
which it was designed to defeat. j,
however, is fraught with danger to.
the very people whom it was maugu'
rated to protect. Under it, tie worst
and most INSCRIPTIONS classes OF
white men obtain power for which
they are not, IN any respect, fitted.
The danger of negro domination has
passed, but the danger OF being
placed under the power of the domi-
nation Of All INSCRIPTIONS class OF
white men now threatens us. The
people of the South, when all that
was venal, supported by the power OF
the general government, was against
them, were equal to the emergency,
and we believe that they are now pre-
pared TO meet the new danger which
threatens them. The cry for honest
elections has gone forth. Many OF
the partisan papers of the day do
not advocate the cause, but the peo-
pie themselves recognize The nCccssi-
ty and will, we have no doubt, al
ply the remedy.
In referring TO fraudulent schemes
in the South, we would not have our
readers believe that elections are more
fraudulent in the South than they
are in the North. Such is not the
case. The North were actuateS by
different motives, but were no less
backward in using fraud to accom-
plish their purpose. Candidates for
Office expended so much money to Sc
cure their elections that, in some
states, laws requiring them to report
under oath the amount expended by
them for election purposes, were en-
acted. THIS was feeble effort to Sc
cure honest elections, for it is easily
seen how such laws can be success
fully evaded. Does any one suppose
that the 100000 carried by John
Wanamaker to New York City were
intended 10 be used in an honestly
conducted election? Are not the
hundreds OF thousands OF operatives,
IN their factories compelled to vote
at the dictatIOn of their employers ?
Is any one silly enough to believe
that there has bt en- an Honest elect on
in the last twenty-five years, in either
New York or Philadelphia? Dead
men are regularly voted and in Phila-
delphia, few years ago, they at
tempted 20 vote dog.
The elections in the North, we be-
lieve, are more fraudulent than those
Of The South, but this does not fur
nish even an excuse for not making
an ..fort to have honest and fair cleo
tiOns.
On a fran mao I