The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-11-17
PENNSYLVANIA AND KENTUCKY

"a little jail stuffng would go long
way toward the publication of Phila-
delphia elections says the Washington
Post.
The Philadelphia Ledger. an honest
Republican paper. charges that in the re-
cent election brazen frauds We're COM
mitted to swell the Republican majority.
Here is an item in its news column:
Samuel Salter, who is a deputy coro-
ner. entered bail yesterday for his APP
raarance ON Thursday next 10 answer
n charge of conspiracy to procure fraud
ulent votes and false return Of votes
~ the last city election. Bail was also
ensered for the appearance of heuten-
ant OF police of Washington. ID. G.. and
another resident of Washington on SINH
lar charges.
The Ledger explains this paragraph
by saying that the deputy coroner and
the visitors from Washington had come
to Philadelphia election day to inlperson-
ate election officers and make false re-
ports of votes. This kind of crooked
work" says the Ledger. has been going
ON for years in many divisions Of the
city. but as it is done under the auspices
Of powerful politicians, the police make
no attempt to interfere
The Philadelphia Record, a vigorous
Democratic paper, commenting on frauds
in Philadelphia says:
"When Senator Penrose shall get III,
in his place in the Senate to plead for
the admission of Matthew Stanley Quay
as the appointee of Governor Stone the
most conclusive argument he could pre-
sent would be the election returns from
the Seventh ward in the city of Phila-
delphia, where the ballot-box in a single
division was stuffed with 215 fraudulent
Republican votes out of total of 30I
votes cast. This is the .impregnable
basis of the claim of Mr.. Quay to repre-
sent the people of Pennsylvania. THESE
stuffed ballot-boxes make sure the cleo
ton of Republican Governors and Legs
latures in Pennsylvania, and keep the
State firm in its place as the foremost
stronghold of Republicanism."
= The Springfield Republican comment
ing on the Philadelphia stealing says:
s.The discovery of election frauds here
and there in Kentucky was to be ex-
pected When elections are very close
and both sides have their fight up, it is
not difficult matter to find irregulari-
ties in the polling, in the ballots, or the
counting. In Philadelphia there is an
immense Republican majority, yet at the
recent election in that city brazen
frauds were committed in behalf of the
Republican ring that rules that sancti-
fled town"
We have been reading the Republican
and those so-called Democratic papers
that supported Mckinley very carefully
of late, and with the exception of four
or FIVE, they have had no word Of de-
nunciation Of the brazen and notorious
frauds in Pennsylvania, while their col
umns have teemed with vigorous and
vicious denunciation of Goebel and
Blackburn because the Republican lead
ers Of Kentucky, who confessedly stole
the electoral vote in 1896 say they are
trying to seat Goebel by fraud In
PENNSYLVANIA the ballot boxes were stuff
ed Ito preserve the national honor" as
they were in Kentucky in 1896. In
Kentucky this year Goebel stands for
the Chicago platform, and if he does
anything crooked, he is working for
national dishonor" With some Repub
leans and their assistants, it depends
altogether on whose OK is gored. 1T is
alright to buy, STEAL intimidate, coerce
and stuff ballot boxes to preserve a
..sound currency; it is infamous to
throw out illegal votes and protest
against the use of troops at the polls
If done by those who oppose Mckinley
ism. If votes were stolen IN Pennsyl-
vania it is as nefarious as in Kentucky.
and both should be equally condemned.
Pending the settlement Of the contest
in Kentucky, there is one thought thar
we desire to commend to those North
Carolina Democrats who are disposed to
accept the Republican, statements sent
ont from Kentucky. In 1898, when it
was reported first that Pritchard would
get the President to send troops 10
North Carolina on election day and af-
forwards that Russell would call out the
State troops in the large centres, what
was the feeling in North Carolina? Turn
to the files of the daily newspapers and
it will be seen that the people We're
outraged by the suggestion of troops
at the polls. In Kentucky the Repub-
lican Governor actually duartered the
y troops in the city Of Louisville on cleo