Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1879 — The Alabama Plan. [ARTICLE]

The Alabama Plan.

The full significance of the recent Democratic movements in the Alabama Legislature and Courts is apparent only when scrutinized in connection with other features of the Democratic plan in that'State. In 1872 the Republican vote in Alabama was 90,272, and the Democratic 79,444. In 1874 the Republican vote for governor was 93,928, and the Democratic vote was reported at 107,118. This result, secured, as has been shown in Congress, by ingenious frauds, _gave the Democrats control of the State Government. The Executive and the Legislature resorted to destroy or limit the influence of the Republicans. In the central counties of the State, where the Republicans constitute threefourths of the Democrats went to extreme measures. Local laws and customs to the rights of citizens werft And Federal laws bearing bn the ,same points were nullified or ignored. A law providing that the ballot-boxes used on election day should remain in the custody of the Probate Courts, was very much in the way of the Democratic Managers. As the Probate Judges were elected by the people of the several counties,

and as they held oflicu for six years, the Democrats found it impossible to manufacture majorities to order in these counties. The law making the Probate Judges the custodians of the ballot-boxes was therefore another passed, making theSuoervisors of Election the custodians. The Countv Commissioners of the counties in the black belt stood in tho way of Democratic intrigue. A law was passed abolishing the Boards of Commisaioners in the counties referred to, aiid substituting therefor Boards of Revenue appointed by the Governor. Under the State law the Sheriff of a county selected the jurors for the County Courts. In Republican counties the Democrats found it impossible to pack juries for trial of offenses against Election laws, and a law was passed taking tfie power of selecting jurios away from Sheriffs of Republican counties and vesting it in a Board of Jury Commissioners appointed by the Governor. Previous to tno meeting of the first Democratic Legislature, State elections were held on the same day as Presidential elections. To get rid of the presence of Federal Supervisors on election day the date of the State election was changed from November to August. These instances of change in local laws show successive steps m the Democratic programme to secure power to crush out the Republican majority. In every case of special legislation, power was taken from the people of the counties and placed in the hands of the Governor. This is the Democratic idea of local self-government.when the rights of Republicans are concerned. Every move of the Democrats increased their opportunities to practice fraud and to limit the power of Republican majorities. Ih 1.876, the Republican vote was 68,230 and the Democratic 102,002. Nearly 30,000 Republicans were kept from voting, the recent State election, the Democrats had perfected their plans, and they boasted that, while Republicans might vote, Democrats would do the counting. The Democrats had the power and tho will to carry out the programme, and Republican officials were counted out as was convenient or desirable. So certain were tho Democrats that they would not be interfered with that (hey were open and reckless in their fraudulent practices, and did not hesitate to taunt defeated candidates with tfieir want of power to accomplish anything against Democratic management. Just at this stage, in the play something not down on the bills occurred. Several of the defeated candidates presented evidences 6f fraud to the United States Grand Jury, and indictments were found against a number of Democratic Inspectors of Election. The District Attorney and the Marshal proceeded at once to secure the ballotboxes and poll-lists containing evidences of fraud, and locked them up in the vaults of the United States Marshal’s office. The trials in which these are to be used are to take place in May, and the United States officials acted on the theory that it was important that neither ballot-boxes nor poll-lists should be tampered with. This brings us to the stage of proceedings described in the dispatches. The United States Court issued an order forbidding the removal of the documents until otherwise ordered by the Court itself. The Democrats thereupon secured the arrest of U. S. Marshal Turner, on the order of the City Court of Selma, and he was committed to jail. He was released on writ of habeas corpus, and the evidences of Democratic fraud are still in the vaults of his office. What step the Democrats will take next remains to be seen. The Legislature has before it two schemes to still further increase Democratic power. One is to take the ap-_ pointment of Election Managers away from the county officers, elected by the people, and give it to the Board of Revenue appointed by the Governor. This, as one blunt legislator put it, is to take away frogjPthe people of Republican counties the power of appointing their own Election Managers. Another scheme is to take the election of Presidential Electors away from the people and give it to the Legislature. This is to destroy the chances of a Republican majority under a fair Election law, and to make the voice of the State depend on legislators chosen when there is every opportunity for Democratic Managers to practice fraud. This, in brief, is the “ Alabama plan.” It DShtte-Jia- amplification to secure the —Chicago inUr- OcearZ— —-