The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1912-09-24
Honesty Of DR.. Hatfield
Questioned by Congress

Temperance Union determined TO put
a stop TO fraudulent elections there.
and with the i.nest spirit OF Ameri.
can womanhood repaired TO the poll
ing place at daybreak and begged the
election officials 10 see 10 il that Il
fair election was held that day.
Fed From Tubs, Like Hogs.
THE evidence further disclosed
that colored men were modified in
several vacant buildings i'm the pre-
cinct of Matewan for two or three
days before the election and that food
was carried to them i'm tubs De
spite the protest of the women, these
negroes We're shamelessly voted
under the direction OF Greenway Hat
field. above referred to. Hatfield
was not "A voter at the precinct. and
it is not apparent, except for the
position which he holds. why he was
directing the election at that place.
The negroes were given names at the
gate. They then repaired to the
polling place and in many instances
forgot their names, and TO remedy
this defect in the system they were
given slips of paper with their names
appearing upon them 1t appears
that Mr.. G.. r. Buskirk, Democratic
election commissioner, made an effort
% prevent some Of these negroes
from voting Thcreupon the plan
was changed. and Postmaster Hatfield
would stand at the gate and he was
occasionally relieved by man by the
name of Harmon. As the negroes
would approach the door of the poll
ing place they would shout out the
voters name to the Republican com
missioner or clerk, and despite
further protest of Mr.. G.. II. Buskirk
i'm each instance, they were permitted
10 vote Or. Turner, a reputable
citizen, who testified that he was
Republican, remarked in the presence
Of Greenway Hatfield that it was a
shame TO permit these 'darkies' to
vote. Thereupon he was struck in
the face and driven from the polls by
the oVerzeGlous postmaster. 1t APP
pears that many OF these negroes
voted more than once, and G.. Il. Bus
kirk, Democratic commissioner or
clerk, adopted an ingenious plan of
determining this question. As the
negro voter would cast his vote, usual
! ly over the protest of Buskirk, he
would put chalk mark upon his
back, and one industrious repeater
had twelve of these marks.
Just &c Bad Elsewhere.
On the other contested precincts
of Mingo the conduct OF the election
was just as bad, fraud was perpe-
trated i'm the interest OF the contestee,
ana il seems that the county officials,
all of the party of The contestee. were
directing the election in much the
same manner as Postmaster Hatfield
at Matewan precinct. The plurality
/ Of 1850 received by the contestee in
: Min2o county is changed TO a plural
/ ity Of 1871 for the contestant by the
proper exclusion OF The precincts
I'm the ten counties outside of Min.
20 and Mcdowell. the vote for Wiley,
the contestant. was 1912, and the
vote for Hughes, the contestee. was
. 1854 Adding the plurality OF the
contestant in Mingo by the proper
purgins of the poll in that county the
vote in the congressional district, eX-
elusive of Mcdowell county, gives
| the contestant a plurality of 2.345
votes. The vote of Mcdowell county,
as shown by the official returns, gave
, the contestee 1850 plurality, and if
/ the returns from that county are not
rejected he will have a plurality OF
+ / .GO5 votes over the contestant
3 The question of the validity of the
returns i'm Mcdowell county is. there
fore vital one in considering this
case.
Fruitful Place for Wholesale Frauds.
/ Mcdowell county is located i'm
mediately east of Mingo county. It's
population is largely made up of for
+. cigncTs and negroes who are EN-
, ployed i'm the various coal develop
monts of the county All of the
/ county officers are Republicans
The county court, the body which ap
points the election commissioners, il
, composed of Republicans, and The
testimony iu the case shows Concu
sively that the method of conducting
elections I'm the county make it q
most fruitful place TO perpetrate
Wholesale election frauds The testi
mony shows that the president OF The
county court, one Or. n. D. Hatfield
who is also president Of the Senate
Of West Virginia, refused TO appoint
/ challenqers for the Democratic party
at the various voting precincts Of Nc
Dowel county although the law Of
West Virginia seems clear that tho
county chairmen Of the two leading
political parties shall nominate anc
the county court shall appoint chal
lengers Of election. The testimony
shows that this same Or. Hatfield
was very active in the actual conduct
Of tho election in Mcdowell county
. and the refusal 70 appoint Democratic
challenger raises q strong presump
ton that the conduct Of the election
was 20 be neither fair nor honest.
Personal Violence Threatened.
However. the absence Of challeng
crs from The voting precincts is moi
OF itself actual proof of fraud The
contestant relies upon the failure o
, tbc county court to appoint cholleug
lcrs of his party upon tho evidence
| that whore Democratic challeugcrs az
tempted 90 serve they were either mr.
Frosted or driven from the polls. ant
upon his own testimony That genera
political conditions were such in NC
IUowcU county that he had beer
warned not 10 20 into The county tr
make speeches for fear of persona
violence 10 establish such genera
spracv 10 dofraud as warrants tn'
PROJECTION of the entire vote of BIC
/ uowoU county Whit hat PROPOSE