Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-12-11


II is the extent aud nationality of these practices
which give them their new and alarming character.
If such national scheme Of fraud and corruption
has been devised and carried out IN all The STATES u"
me who will carefully examine the subject, can Gnu,s
that i, would produce the results which have occurred
Other means were put in operation hut we snail en-
ieayor 10 show that these means were, mostly oi'y
parts of the general system Of fraud ana corruption
Other causes are supposed 10 have operated Hgalnsi
The Administrations but there is not the least reason !"
hclieve ,ha, all Other means res"tc 10 ny
the Opposition could have produced the results w!c
have bpen witnessed. Low prices IS one {" Inc causes
relied upon; hut those who use tins argument seem |"
frcet that prices about as low IN le59 as EAU
The depressed state of business is assigned az another
cause bu, is not true IN point OF fact, that business
has heen less active this than asi on the contra
nv there has no doubt been more building IN all our CT
lies, and more business generally doing.
lis ,rus ,ha, the misrepresentation and iasehoods
which have been circulated against the Administration
bean more Aaotious and carried greater extent
than ON anv former OCCASION This, by exasperatlng
the public mind to state OF phrenZy, produced thal
moral depravation which results from ianatcsln ana IN
that way contributed TO carry out The system o fraud
But independent of this influence, there arc no evi-
dences and TO believe That II produceu any
material effect on public opinion
The RIGHTEOUSNESS of the press is no new thing IN
this country The experiment has repeatedly been
tried 10 he down an Administration by the .rossest
msrepresen,atons and alsehoods, and has always in'
cd wnS
with the nj, Of the Bank of the u States, and s'lnally
failed During the first term of Mr. Jellrrson the IL
centonsness aud progacy OF the press were excessive
and beyond any example in this or any other country
I'm his second inaugural address, lie audes To u, ana
SAYS he had discouraged all attempts 10 stop by e-
RI, procccdiprs dccming It important 10 our nstitu-
tinns that the experiment should hc fairly tired, whc-
Their an administration conducting itseii IN Inc true
spirit of the Constitution, and with SINGLE eye 10
The public rond could be over!hrown 10y the false
e H., ,,i1 lao nrnss u.
you have patiently Witnessed the scene, 'ei!""-c'-
zsps and behold The result. A proud and glorious
result alike honorable to him and the country as IL
was reelected with only fourteen opposing votes
The same language might BE- used by Mr. van buren,
with equal truth of his predecessors, not ex'
ceptinr Mr. Jefferson have administered the Govern
ment with a more scrnpuous devotion to The Constr
tuition, truly in lis spirit, or with more sacrea
regard 10 the real and lasting interest of the country
The result, however, has been entirely different.
But his have been alone produced by the msre'
presentations and fasehoods of the press To suppose
has would be falsiiy the trnlh Of Mr. Jefferson
experiment, and The results at all other experiments
since ms tine. Some other causes must have rSrrrd
their agency and those the system Of frauds and
corruption 10 which we have referred.
We are aware that there has been reluctance IN
the public mind 10 attribute the extraordinary results
Of the elections 10 practices 81 dis"nnrapie 70
country and 10 human nature. Many OF our pnii-
teal friends 10 regard rs almost incredible, thai
about wholly or n.:ny BY corruption and fraud. Bnt
f all such vii only anay2e the subject, and look al II
in detail instead of regarding these results Incrcdl
blr they will he convinced that il general system oi
corruption and fraud planned and carried out over
the whole Union, il could not well have failed OF pro-
ducng the results which have occurred.
The only doubt there b., whether such system
ton Before the elections took place the evidence Of tins
oriniquv planned and carried into general cxecu-
only circumstantal aud prcsumpvr; bn. tue ciec-
r.. .l,.lt t,,.,I,, .r.
these prescriptions, and remove all d"uLt. We will
briefly al,ne To the prominent facts winch sup
port the truth nf this position.
The ground assume is, that foul conspiracy
was formed at the Harrisburg Convention bv The pro-
iiratc Wing leaders, overthrow The Administration
tons which has been carried with greater or less
in every Stale in the Union which they had the
least hopes ofcarrying This position and nov
for the proof
l. 1t IS now established beyond all controversy, thai
at the election in Pennsylvania in ls'5, the mos
wholesale frauds prac,ised ny the Wings, in the
city and county of Philadelphia, in Adams county, the
reside of Thaddcus Stevens and III other Places.
II is proved that about thousand fraudulent or fc
,itio,s votes were poied in Adams cunnty, and about
The same number in the third Congressional dIstric'
IN Philadelphia county, and TINT by those fraudulent
votes Nayor returned 10 Congress. He had the
year preceding, at special election, hcen declared
10 be chosen by similar wholesale fraud, having
more Than The Wing party had ever given before
or since in that district. 1t has also been proved i'll
Court Of Justice, and by the testimony of the
guilty parties, (all Whcs) that the most astound-
ing frauds were Practised III the city Of New York in
the fall Of l>.sS, and III the spring and fall of l-39
by importing gangs Of pipe layers depravcd wretch
IS from Philadelphia and Albany. who voted III all,
large number Of The wards in the city large sum
of money (from seven thousand 10 nine thousand dol
lars) was expended in this villanons transaction, So
A i. No.. ,sl..
collected in Philadelphia BY Young and other police oi
GERS. conducted 10 New York hy G!rn;worlh, where
they were taken INTO custody Of the Wing committees
and public officers. by whom they instructed i!
the and siys'rry Of illegal voting. The gang from
Albany were taken 10 the Wing head quarters, where
they dined and received instructions writing how
proceed get in their Each had piece of paper
given to hun, containing the name which he to as
sumo and the street and number at which he Il
claim 10 reside The Democratic ticket was gwen Il
them, with the names erased, and the names "f the
Wing candidates written in small hand. This wa:
to deceive the Democratic callcngcrs and large PHI
was put into their left sleeve sign TO the Wing cha
lengers 10 let ,!em pass.
We aude 10 these particulars to show that the prac
iicc Of fraudulent voting had been reduced to
pete system IL is also proved that these v'llannms
Francisco audlcions TINT they would be incredible
were not the proof SO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS known I;
nearly all the Wing leaders in New York, who raised
large sum Of money TO aid their preparation. They
were therefore all concerned in them. ltalsn appear.
that Gentworh, the chief agent Of the Wing leaders
this abomnah able vllany, rcwardrdior his services
by lucrative office, worth about I2d01 dollars per
mum; and according 10 his letter, the "appGlnting
power knew Al the time the nature of his services fo
| which so important an Office bestowed upon him
and notwithstanding he has confessed his gnilt, he i,
not removed and The presumption is that the Governor
dare not do II.
These frauds in New York; particularly in 1898, a:
well as those in Ph,lldrlp ha, succcssn and Sc
cured the election of four members Of Congress, tir
teen members Of The Legislature, and other officers.
We refer 10 these audacious frauds i'll Pennsy lvania
and New York IN ls3S and 1882 because believe
they the prototypes Of The system adopted al ilar
sburg and because that many OF the active agents in
them present at Harrisburg Stevens, lenrosc,
Burrowes, and others concerned in these frauds,
present during the Convention. All must admit, that
the authors and agents Of such arocinns frauds these
we're hse enough to plan and atrmp, 10 carry into
ccnton general system Of fraud and corruption
the whole country and the Of these frauds
cnuTaged the schcme. We would by no means assert,
nor do believe that the scheme devised h. the des.
and DrOli,Ulip was led