The Arkansas banner., 1844-07-10
LooK oUT FoR PIPE.LAYINGl


 Early in the past session of Congress- Doctor Dun- can, of Ohio, introduced a bill into the House of Representatives, providing that the election of Pres ident and Vice President should be held on one and the same day, in every State in the Union. The reasons for the passage of such bill were very clearly and ably set forth by it's author in most remarkable and powerful speech; showing that, for the want of such bil the grossest and most dis graceful frauds had been practiced in the elections of ls4o The memory of those frauds which were characterized as "pipelaying," has not yet passed away. In the more eastern States, and insome ot the western States where travelling from one State toanotheris speedy and convenient, 1t is well known and has been fully established, that hundreds upon hundreds of voters were bought, by the uhig lead CTS and carried from State to State and made to vote the whig ticket, wherever they were carried, and as oitenas it was practicable to get them from one cleo ton to another Thus, by way of illustration, they were bought in New York, and made to vote there then they were shipped to Philadelphia, and made to vote there; and then shipped to Baltimore, and made to vote there thus, voting ttree tmes in the same election. This case of illustration may not have occurred in the precise order in which we state it. but IS fair representation, in substance of what did take place, in many instances as has been amply proven. Such transactions involved not a single crime only, but number and complication of crimes darky dsgraeeful alike to the individuals who com mitted them, and the party which procured their commission, and utterly subyersve of the legitimate efficacy of the elective franchze. BRIBERY and PERJURY are among those crimes. BADGER, CLIENT WORTH, Sc. &c., were among those wH1G leaders, of 1910, who participatedi in their commission. Now 1t is obvious that if the elections had all taken place on one and the day. these disgraceful frauds this bribery and this peJury-could not have been perpetrated. Voters could not have voted in one State and then have been transported to another in time to vote again In the speech referred to, Doc tor Duncan exhibited all these things in their true and revolting coIors. He showed that these crimes had been comtnitted-how they had been commit ted-ana how they could and oagat t0 De prevented in fdture. The remedy he proposed was as certain i'll it's operation, it was obviously simple in char aeter and righteous in purposeit was nothing more nor less than to hold the election for President and Vice President on one and the same day, in every State in the Union. This was bis proposition. Was ii not righteous measure? We ask this question of every honest man of fevery party. DR. DUNCAN sub nitted this proposition to the DEMOCRATIC RoUsE OF REFREsENrATIyEs. They agreed with him. as to the crying niquity of these crimes-they passed his bW. Itthen weatto the WHtq SENATE. What did they do with it3 Did they pass it? Not they ! They rejected 1.-the WHIG SENATE, with all their boasted purity and honor, REJECTED c bM to protect the BALLOT BOX f.o: tisaa and c5r,upii0ni rejected bM to pre0eat bribery and perjury! What reasons did they assign for rejecting suclf bill 2- They could not assign any good reason for it, and they did not The wHIG leader in the Senate, Mr. bERRrEN of Georgia, proposed to pass the bill, Prooided t shou2d not iaes ecct afH afler Me aert eleeiioM Why was this proposition made--why did he wish to put of the operation of this righteous bill, until qlef the next electon3 Only one answer can be giyen-and that is--he, and his party. wish to purchase those same voers..as they did in 184o and use them at the next election, by making them vote first in one State, and then in another, and another. The neat election is deemed most im- portaat one--as in truth it sto both parties, and to the whole country. The whig leaders knowing that their success, in IS40 was mainly if not wholly achieved by means of these fraudulent votes, are desirous to make use ofthem again. The democrats on the other hard, wishing only to see the election conducted t'ifig, and discardng every thing like iraad bribery, or perjury, are desrous to destroy this prolific source of corruption, and wipe off this foul stain from the purity of the great palladium of our lberythe 6ailot bor. This, then, is the diife- renee between the two parties: The democatic party desire success in the election, for the honor and interest of their country and seek it only by fair and honorable means: The 'objg leaders, on the contrary, desire success for the sake of the spells and their own personal advancement; and seek it by any available means-not even stopping at bribery and peEiHrE Therefore it is that the DEMOCRATIC House of Representatives have passed this righteous Bill in order to protect the ballot box against fraud and therefore its that the WHG Senate have rejected the same bill, in order that they and their party may practice bribery perjury, and any other crime which may promise to gratify their corrupt ambition Let the people-the honest of all parties-bear this in mind let them consider this grave matter, for it is as grave and important as the difference between virtue and vice. Let all honest men reflect on this and then say whether they will take sides with the party which advocates and maintains the purity of the ballot box; with the party that contends for bribery and pcNhry al elections.