The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-04-08
THEY MUST STOP.
REPUBLICANS GETTING TIRED
OF FAKE CONTESTS.
Disposition on Part Of Committee to
Refuse to Pay Contestants for Seats
in Congress.

The Washington correspondent Of
The State says the contests for seats
in congress by A. P. Prioleau, A. D.
Dantzler and Isaac Myers will contin-
ue just so long as Congress allows to
these interesting citizens the sum Of
$4,000 for the expense of their con-
tests. But from present indications
this is not going to be much longer.
AS Representative Mann Of Illinois,
chairman Of the election committee
which has sat patiently through the
absurd arguments" for three times,
said to the negro lawyer. Jacob Moor
err, who appeared for Dantzler and
Myers, it is a fraud On the govern
ment, and as already stated In my
dispatch, the chairman indicated
that he was in favor of not approx
ing the expense account.
The law allows the actual expenses
incurred by the contestants, mot ex-
ceeding $4,000" This account must
be itemized, and these negro states
men are at least sharp enough
to itemize 1t up to the two thousand.
Chairman Mann questioned Jacob
Moorer, the attorney, very closely
about the expense account and gave
the whole crowd of them a little i'm
promptu lecture on the subject OF
coming here year after year with
these bogue contests.
"You had some sort of a case six
years ago." said Mr.. Mann, in sub
stance, to Moorer. 1.-TWO years ago
you came with a weaker case and
now you come with practically none
at all. 1t Is difficult to understand
here what your kick is about. Az
cording to your own statements there
are l,4O0 registered Republican
voters In the one county Of Beaufort
and 600 Democratic voters, and yet
you poll only 226 votes In the whole
district. In the face Of that showing
with 1,4O0 voters who are registered
you come here and claim that you
are deprived Of your right to regis
ter"
Taking up the expense matter then
and the fact that the cases are IL
aagrontly absurd, Mr.. Mann asked
Moorer if he thought it right and just
to come here every year ane ask con
gress to give them $4,000. The sub.
stance of Moorer's reply was that he
thought it was right. entering in gen
eral the plea that they needed the
money.
One new member Of the commit
tee, Mr.. Mauser, a Republican wbc
seemed anxious to do the square
thing and get at the true facts In the
case, closely questioned Moornr about
the allegations that the negroes In
South Carolina were denied the
right to register. 1t is really a pity
that these contestants and their law.
yers could not go before all the mem
bers of congress so that other Nor
thern members, who have false i'm
pressions about the methods OF dis
franchisment of the negro in the
South could learn something as Mr..
Mauser and the few other members
of the committee did. Moorer was
wholly unable to cite any convincing
facts as to negroes being denied reg
istration, though he asserted that II
was done.
Mr.. Moss, representing Mr.. Lever,
stated that he had made an investi-
CATION in nearly every county u
South Carolina where there had beer
allegations of denial Of registration
to negroes and that not once Ill his
district had any negro taken an ap'
peal from the registration supervis-
or to tho courts. although. he dc
| clared, the law distinctly provided for
such an appeal to the circuit judge al
chambers. The only appeal he found
ever made, he said. were in the Sc
cond district, in Beaufort county
some years ago when Senator j. H.
| Earle was a Judge, when In a num-
Der of cases the appeals were granted
and the supervisor ordered to issue
the certificates.
why Is this?" Mr.. Mauser asked.
81 don't know" answered Mr..
Moss.
A little later, in answer to another
question by the Ohio man, Mr.. Moss
gave the whole thing away. Mr.. Moss
| admitted that there were a large
number of negroes in the Seventh dis
! trict who were registered and he ad-
| mitted that IL they had voted they
would have voted Republican ticket.
! Mr.. Mauser wanted to know why
they had not voted. Mr.. Moss said
there was a reason, but that II was
not in his record in the case and that
it would be wholly apart from any
thing he had intended to bring up ID
connection with it, but that II the
gentleman from Ohio really wanted
to know he would tell him. Mr.,
Mauser wanted to know.
"Well, the negroes in the district
take the contestants candidacy as a
JOKE" said Mr.. Moss. Il would not
say anything against the contestant,
either as to his character or his
ability, but this is the simple truth
Dantzler got 1873 votes in the dis
trict.
The claim upon which all these
contests have been based for many
years, as estimated above, is the
claim for the $4,000. But the argu-
ment, so-called, is as to the validity
of the Snnh Carolina constitution Of