Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1844-12-06
From fbe,Natiosol Ifslligepcer.
THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

held for Electors of President and Vic
President OF the United States, Flecto.
have been chosen of whom maioy,iv wil
cast their votes for Mr. Polk for the FIRST
and Mr.. DALLAS for the second of thes
oihces. 80 that, ii effect James K Polk
OF tennessee, hHs cen chosen President
and George M. Dallas, of PENNSYLVANIA
wee PRESIDENT Of the United States, lo
1our years from and after the 4lh day O
March next.
Looking into the particulars Of the vote
by which these citizens have thus beer
chosen to fill the chief Executive Offices
we shall find that lhey have not received
the vote, bynany thousands, of majo,7i,
OF the voters that, probably, making a ius
allowance for frauds notoriouslv parDetra
ted in the elections, it is doubtf i, TO SAY
the leas: oft, whether they have rigbtfui.
ly received a plurality Of the votes. The
results OF the election in each State, how.
ever (eXcept South Carolina, that NAV be
set down against us, and whose vote
could not IN any case change the result
have been declared, and we hear OF no
intention to dispute them. They give to
Clay and Frelinghuysen one hundred and
live electoral votes, and to Polk and Dallas
one hundred and seventy.
The disappointment and pain with
which this result Of the late animated can
Vass has filled our breasts it would be
mere affectation in us to deny, or to at
tempt to conceal from our readers Who'll
ly unexpected, the event took us by sur
PRISE. Noteven for moment apprehend-
ed, the blow come upon US with a sagger-
ing force.
From the force of that blow we confess
ourselves to be hardly yet sufficiently re-
covered TO determine certainly to whom or
TO what Influences we are indebted for it
That the Judgment which has been rem
dered is not that of the intelligence of the
country, no one will, we presume, be har-
dy enough to deny. Neither, we sup
pose, can any doubt be reasonably enter
tanned that far the larger portion OF the
educated and informed people of the land
voted for Clay and Frelinghuysen, and
much the larger portion of those neither
educated nor well-intormed voted for their
successful opponents. The decision can
hardly be referred to an overruing Provi-
dence, 1ort. is not the voice even Of the
majority Of the people, which is commonly
(but Implously) said to be the voice Of Goa.
II any event iraugh with consequences
80 possibly mOmentOus to millions Of men
can be properly attributed to accide6t, such
surely is that which we are now speaking
OF.
Upon the combination Of causes which
have produced this accident, even 80 far
as we arr able to comprehend them, we
shall refrain from animadversion, rather
leaving them to he developed and discuss
ed by our contemporaries in the several
States in which they occurred. To make
a single exception, however, we may be
Iop ed to say (the vote of the State of
New York being now known to have de-
termined the eIecton) that we have no
doubt, upon such information as has reach
ed u.s. that the loss Of the vote of that
State to the Wing candidates is attrbuta-
bic toseVeraI causes, the absence of either
one Of which would have given the vote
ofthe State to Clay and FrcIinghuysen. =
One OF these causes we may specify, first,
the vote OF the mass ol!hat class Of persons
who even in monarchiaI Governments are
preCIuded from interfering in elections in
any manner WhateVcr-that is to saw. the
dependents on Executive patronage, such
as pOstnlasters, contractors, Custom.house
officers, soldiers in the army, and seamcn
IN the navy; Sec0HdiB the increase of the
foreign vote within the last four wears by
fraudulent naturalization, in connivine at
which the judicial authorities Of that State
have cu paby neglected their duty; Efi,d-
W, the wii!uI misrep presentation of Mr..
Clay's views in regard to the annexation
OF Texas; and, .f0why, the even more
wiliuI misrepresentation, by his own sup
porters, of the opinion of Mr.. Polk in regard
to protective tariff. Thus much only for
the present on this head though much
more might he said.
We grieve over the issue of this cleo
tion, less from apprehension OF the actual
danger to be apprehended, under all the
circumstances, from nal Administration of
the Government during the ensuing Pre-
sdentiaI term, than from the fearful les
son which it affords Of the vanity Of all
reliance for snccessupon intellectual great
ness, unimpeacheablo probily, or faithful.
ness of service in the candidate for ma
tionaI prelerment. Was it rot in pro-
phetic spjIt--though certainly with entire
Innocence on our part, for we at that time
entertained not doubt of the election of
the Wing candidates-that two months
before the election, ION September 3D. ad-
vSrting to "the example of those old Re-
puhIIcs, over whose history every student,
IRON the veteran statesman down TO the
boy at school, saddens at the wild humore
OF an untought popuIacc," we asked this
questions but are zoe, in the new freedom
which enlightenment has produced
this era Of universal intelIigence-amidst
institutions the hope and the pride of the
world with people whose boast is
knowledge Of what is good in Government,
to present no better, no more encouraging