The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1840-10-30
MORE WING FRAUDS,

Were we to yield our columns to an exposure Of
all the base wing frauds which are practised upon
the ballot box, in parts of the country, we
must of necessity, exclude every thing else. The
facts daily coming to light of the most startling
and alarming Notwithstanding, if long con-
tlnued, to cheat the TRUE DEMOCRATS ont Of
their votes and rights and bring the glorious insti-
tutlons OF our beloved county, under the mad des-
Potsm OF whig honesty, Bank mercy, and Brit.
ish Democracy! But we have not room to dis
close the thousandth part of those deep laid plots
fpolitica niquity and crime. The recent disclo-
sures in the city of New York, by which it i,
shown that illegal voters were clandestinev trans
ported from Philadelphia to that city, in 1898, in
numbers, and by voting in various wards, sufficient
to change Congressional representation to whiggery
in some cases, are enough to kinde the indigna-
ton of every true democrat. When all the facts
of these base conspiraces shall have come to light,
we may present our readers with condensed &C
count of the whole. For the present, we desst
from giving names and dates, as published in var-
Gus papers, as the limited space in our sheet, to-
day. would allow only of very meagre view Of
the facts of the case.
But, we cannot too earnestly warn our friends
against the gross iabrcaions of the wing press, in
relation to this subject Their pretensions that this
story Of fraud isa humJug, got up for effect, or
that the facts Of the investigation are recoilinr dis
astrously upon the democrats, should not be cred
tied, for a moment. The New York American.
the Boston Atlas, and subordinate kindred prints
are too notorious to deceive the well informed
The truth is that the frauds of 1888, were suspect
ed, and described, almost literally though they
could not then be proved, as they are now, upon
the perpetrators. In confirmation, see the follow
ing from the Evening Post of Nov. 8, 1898, imme
dately subsequent to the alleged, and now proved,
fraudulent transactions
Besides letting out the inmates of the city prs-
on on condition of their voting the wing ticket, ar
engagements were made for procuring large num-
Der of wing voters from Philadelphia.
"One of the officers of the Philadelphia police.
who was supposed from his situation to know the
most abandoned and profgate persons in that city,
men who were VIGOROUSLY ready to sell their con-
sciences for money, engaged to conduct the nego-
Clh'oH' tHuci HIS uusVCtS, anu those oil DINER
wing agents. a selection of these fellows was made,
amounting it is supposed to about two hundred, who
were sent TO this place in different divisions They
were each paid twenty-five dollars in advance, in
sructed to present themselves in each ward and Of
or their votes, and after having voted in as many
wards as they could, they were TO receive still
further compensation.
"On arriving at New York, they were taken TO
the wing quarters in one of the lower wards,
where they received ticket prepared in very Pc
culiar manner. 1t was the printed democratic
ticket, but the names were cancelled with very
line pen drawing delicate lines across them which
could not be seen on the other side. The names
of the wing candidate were then written on the
nargian with the same fine pen and delicate hand.
The ticket had thus all the appearance, ou,wardly,
Dl beng the regular democratic ticket, while in re-
atty, 1t was wing ticket. Ii was prepared in this
manner that the fraudulent voter might escape the
democratic chalengers. To secure him in the
meantime from being obsiruc,ed BY his own party,
nc was furnished with note to some confidential
person at the polls nnallng that he was to be al
owed to put in his vote without challenging.
"a gentleman from Philadelphia, who knew
omehng of several of these men, and who saw
hem hanging about the polls in one or two wards,
ave waning to the democratic chaengers, and
prevented in some instances their voting But,
generally, it is supposed that they voted several
lines and swelled the aggregate wing vote by at
east five or six hundred. To stimulate them to
reatcr diligence in the work they had undertaken,
hese men received dollar each at the several
Yards where they succeeded in getting in VOTE
This account, which was published at the time,
n the most veracious information, agrees almost
terally with the recent disclosure of facts And
notwithstanding all the clustering of the Atlas and
o., there remains not shadow of doubt in the
ase. The frauds were commted-the frauds
'ere alledged-the frauds have been proved !! as
ne conscientious wings must and do believe.