The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-08-16

=
MED registration. Nearly all were
asked If they had listed and paid
their poll tax and If not, they were
when the constitutional
To vote In the election
law makes no such requirements. In |
many townships men were solemnly |
asked upon their oath about their
privaee Mmily affairs. How he and
his wife got along together aud 9th
or foolish and absurd questions and
III many instances if he was not liv-
ing with his wife. or had not been |
divorced, or domestic troubles of
any kind, he WAS promptly disfran-
chised. In Halls township, white |
man was disfranchised because he |
plowed half day without a plow-
point. After they had denied sew
eral hundred in the county of regis |
tration in the way have stated
above, they drove many from the
polls by intimidation and threats,
and by requiring them 10 take sol-
emn Oaths about trivial and irrele-
want matters and threatening them
with criminal prosecution for perju-
ry if they made an incorrect state
ment in any particular. Hundreds
were registered on strips Of paper
and these strips were afterwards
destroyed by the registrar and their
names never carried to the registra-
tiOn books at all.
All of this fraud and deviltry was
OF no avail. The county grew strong
er Populist every day. Some other
plan must be resorted to. Their
next scheme was larceny and ii be-
gan in this way:
HONEYCUTT's TOWNSHIP.
This township, the old home of
Senator Butler, is large and strong
ly Populist township. On the last
day of registration it could be easily
seen by the Democrats that the
Populists would have a tremendous
majority in the township. w. A.
Baggett, the Democratic registrar, on
returning home in the evening of
the last day of registration. claims
that he was assaulted about dark In
few hundred yards of his home by
a mob of men and made to surren-
der the registration books. He
made no alarm and had no search
made for the parties, but came to
Clinton and reported the fact and
had it wired to the State papers that
the Populists had stolen the book
claiming his book showed a regis
tered majofity of 81 votes for the
Democrats, while both Baggett, the
registrar, and John ID. Kerr, wht
sent out the libellous report, knew
that it was untrue.
There was legal election held il
this township. Each man taking al
oath that he was registered, and TIT
registrar, in the absence ofthe book
certifying to the same fact, ant
passed all that were properly regis
tered to the polls, who voted. Th
actual count after the polls close
=, showed % Democrats and 24l POI
uists, and yet in the face Of this
John Kerr wired to the State paper
the vile SANDER upon the Popuiis'
of Honeycutt's township that the
had stolen the registration books {
the Democrats had % majority
the township: The caDvassin
board, at Mr.. Kerr's request, thre
out the entire vote nt Hone.
:, cutt's because they alleged that NJ
all the men in the township vote
:, on the day of election. The Pop
;. lists then agreed to give them evel
man in the township whose nan
= was on the registration books al
count all not voting as Democrs'
This they refused, aud after havil
: stolen the registration book fro
4. their owiffegistrar, committed Z
:, double crime by throwing out {
;. entire vote Of the township, there'
stealing 241 Populist votes in o
10 precinct.
=. Their next crime WAs IN
JsBoS TOWNSHIP.
h This il another Populist stror
m hold. The first registrar the ben
,ir Gratis. appointed was given his
IS. structiou how to proceed with
,ct dirty work of cheating the Popui
no out of votes, and he was eitf
a afraid to do it Or he was too hon
is- to do it and after registering abt
.ct fifty voters resigned
arr The County Board Of Electit
ne then appointed another registrar.
ey registered few and then he resi-
,e, led, and instead of sending the DC
on and his resignation direct to II.
in Faison, the chairman of the boa