Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1838-12-27
THE TRUE STATE OF THE CASE.


The following article from the Phila-
delphia United States Gazette, gives .
clear and accurate statement of the ori~
gin and nature Of the troubles in the
Legislature Of Pennsylvania. il will
bo read with interest by oil who have
watched the course Of events at Harris
burg for the last two weeks.
(Yrom the United States Gazette.
4 The evils under which this state is
now laboring have their pro- ximate o cause
in the fraudulent attempt to defeat the
return Of Mr.. Charles Naylor. There
is no one doubts that he was truly elect
ed. Several days before the election,
scoundrcl who had been selected as a
Van Buren, Judge Of the election for
Kensington, having been detected in
another fraud, and being dealt with
rather severely, as he thought, sent for
the attorney general and confessed that
NOT only was it determined that Charles
y. Ingersoll should be returned as elect
ed, but that The tally list was ut that
moment already made out.
Our readers at distance will please
to understand that, by tally list, we
mean, in this state, the exact returns Of
the votes given at any poll or voting
district. This, it seems, was made out
more than week before hand, and was
To be SWORN To-so that the Van Buren,
candidate, Mr.. Ingcrsoli, was to have
majority Of some fifteen or sixteen
hundred votes in KensingtOh. The
prompt measures of the attorney gener-
al prevented any such extensive fraud,
and the consequence was large ma
jority of votes for CHARLES NASLoR-a
majority which no one doubted that he
had, and which no one, not even loco
foco, doubted would be returned in his
favor, unless fraud was practised. Our
distant readers will please to understand
that the county Of Philadelphia is divi-
ded into two districts for Congress mem
bcrs, but elects by general ticket it's
members of the state Senate and House
Of Representatives, voting in seventeen
districts.
On the day appointed by law for the
return judges ofthcse seventeen districts
to meet at the State House IN this city,
TO receive the account Of votes and to
make returns thereof 10 the proper Off
GERS and through the proper officer it
was found that the votes Of certain
| ward of the northern liberties, a ward
invariably and decidedly in the hands
of the Van Buren, party, were not to be
found. The box and its contents of
votes and tally list ,cere lost. The pon-
der as to the cause Of this strange alb
duction or disappearance was lcssened
when Mr.. Chas. j. Ingcrsoll forced
himself into the room occupied by the
return Judges, and imperatively demand
cd that the whole Of the votes Of the Sc
ven wards ofthc northern liberties should
be THROWN OUT, which would Of course
leave minority Of votes for him In
gersolD in the third district, Of which
the northern liberties formed a part
Then, too, the citizens understood the
call made upon the partizans Of Mr.. In
gcrsoll in morning Van Buren, paper,
to assemble at the State House. These
partizans did assemble, in immense and
noisy crowds.
n The fraud contemplated was too pal
pablo to be winked at I; and the sober
friends of Mr.. Van Buren who had vot-
cd for Mr.. Ingersoll, turned Up their
noses in contempt Of the high handed
measure, and in scorn of the individual,
whoever he may be, who could project
such vilainous scheme, or the nnscra-
bic objects who could lend themselves
J TO the fraud. A majority Of the seven
teen return judges made up their minds
to return Mr.. Ingersoll as elected. or
course only majority would consent
to such measure. The minority made
their returns Of the votes presented, by
which Charles Naylor was declared
elected.
| The Van Buren, judges having yield
ed all to Mr.. lngersoll, retired from the
Hall, forgetting or neglectng to make
their returns to the proper officer. The
whig judges waited in vain for their col
leagues, and at length complied with
the act of assembly by returning, upon
the votes of the several districts then
before them, the names Of the persons
who, according to those votes, appear
ed to be elected as county delegates to
the Legislature ofthe state. These were
! wings, and these returns were made in
due season to the sheriff, and by him
forwarded in proper time and manner
to the secretary Of the commonwealth.
The other party Of judges on the next
day, finding that they had overreachcd
themselves by their subscrviency to Mr..
Ingersoll, got together some returns
which they caused to be forwarded, but
not according to the act Of assembly.
4 BY their rctdrns, or rather their cal
cuiations--for they made no legal re-
turns-the Van Burcn county delcga-
ton was declared to be elected. Now
the secretary of the commonwealth re-
ceived the returns Of the minority .iudg-
es through the legal channel, and was
bound to hand those returns to the Lc-
h gislaturc. Hc has done hat, and tho
whig delegates from shc county Of Phil
adelphia are legally and constitutional
ly members of the Senate and House OF
Representatives, until those bodies (iu
their constitutional character A. Judges