The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-07-25
NEGROES { l:,' FOOLED.
Tricks elayad Upon Them in Many
Of the! Country Districts
T THE SUNNY SOUTH,
Many Tickets Hended Republican
But the Names That Followed arc
tho Democratic Nominees-How
Ballot Boxes are Stuffed and sto-
len-shall the Caucasian or Afri-
Z can Race Rulep.
!. I.l. 2. ~ 2.

Louisiana and Mississippi are prac-
'aticnllylthe only states of the Union in
which the negro avoids a ballot box as
carefully as be does graveyard by
night. There Is q tacit understanding
that voting Is. not u part OF his busi-
: ness. h s. Z, 5.., 1.
~ The ballot box in a negro precinct is
q strange Incubator. The darby de-
I clares that the votes so In Republican
but come out Democratic. There are
! numerous ways. OF offsetung negro ma
jorities, and nearly all OF them consist
I'm Juggling with the ballot box after the
Votes are cast Purchasing votes
among the negroes is an easy matter.
The promise. OF q Job, some old clothes,
I a half pint OF whisky, or a twenty-five
cent piece will win ballot. The edu.
cational qualifications requiring the me-
I gro to read clause in the constitution
and interpret Its meaning is one Of tho
most effective methods of disfranchls-
ing in the south. writes a correspondent
OF the Chicago Inter Ocean from Fort
Worth. Texas. l,
In the election OF 1893 Y, County, In
the STATE; of Arkansas. solved the prob
/. lem of negro franchise for the first time
I, without the hint of force. The vote In
the county was about two TO one In fa-
vor Of the negro Weeks before the
election ways aud means had been dis
cussed as to the best plan to get away
{ with the BLACK vote after It should be
4 cast. Three polling places had to be
I secured in order to insure Democratic
Z victory. The idan Of a ballot box hav-
4 Ing a false bottom was adopted. These
were square. innocent-looking things
made OF inch pine lumber, but wise as
q serpent.
Gutter Drawn Through Center.
The exposed edges had a gutter
drawn through the centre. which. SEEM
ed merely an attempt iat. Ornamental
\ lion unworthy OF a second thought. The
false bottom fitted closely. against the
,gstde having the lid attached. The gut
I;tfrs everywhere. else except here were
I OF no Importance. It meant much Just
':along the hinges. for here the gutter
!, was Occasional by the false bottom COM
Ing In contact with the side. The bot
tom was ingeniously arranged on pivots
:. so that 1t could be managed with ease
!! aad certainty ut the proper time. 1t
] was understood that the white vote
would not be cast until late in the at.
ternoon. Now the southern negro loves
TO vote. and Will do 1t at his earliest
convenience. After the voting OF the
day shows that the negro strength has
been pollcd some member OF the COM
nIttcc shakes tho ballot box quite
vigorously ITO settle the votes" Now
{ is the die cast. The, false bottom re-
tisponds and closes down from tina side
of the box and covers oil votes in the
box. The result Is evident. All doubt
afulz boxes go strongly Democratic. but
the returns show lighter vote than
I, was expected. The Republican men,
be.s OF the election committee wer2
negroes OF undisputed loyalty to their
party. and each declared that the cleo
ton was strictly fair. To avoid pos
sible detection of the fraudulent boxes
they are quietly spirited away and
Other boxes substituted. -
How It Was Done.