Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1847-08-19
sixth Congressional District.


Sixth Congressional District.
The unofficial news Of the recent Congressional
election in the 9th district made appear that Dobson
dem, was elected by small majority. The official
returns as readers have SEEM show the election
Of Dunn whig, by II votes. We are less surprised
at the last than the first. For not
wlthsandng the district is admitted to be democratic
by a majority Of at leas, 500, such had been the
of events during the recent canvass. that
sensible democrat could have reasonably anticipated
any thing shor; OF the defeat of the democratic
ddate who should have the misfortune to be on the
track on the day of election No less than fur con-
ventions had been held to settle upon Of the
sevesal asprants for the democratic nomination. and
of them APPEARED to give general satisfaction
Why dissatisfaction existed, lrhy the difficulties
could not be compromised, we not sufficiently well
versed in the circumstances to be able to say; but
that fault existed somelchere and that some are ob
noxious to severe censure, is unquesonable. The
rank and file Of the democracy of the district owe it
to themselves and to their TO ferret the de-
lnquents if they can and hold them TO stern account
ability. Nothing certainly be disgraceiul
to any party than to suffer itself to Be stuifed and
rants for office. The tolerance of such course is
always sure to reduce party, however strong org-
nalv, to meagre and powerless minority, and Justly
For if party organizations to serve no better
purpose than merely aid the intrgues of heartess
ice-seekers the less we have to do with them, the
better it will be for ALL Every manifestation Of
such heartlesSness ought TO be crushed an the bud
There should be temporisng whatever; especially
not because of any fear that if this or that
his friend be rot nominated he or they may threaten
to desert their party and give aid and comfort to
the enemy. Let the men who make any such threats,
go if they please; the sooner party is rid of them
the better for it, whether they be big little
men. No man is big that any party need fear him
if it be actuated by honest pocyj and no man is
perhaps lille, that he may not accidentally have
the power do mischief and whose correction would
not be worthy of sufficient attention to accomplish
the purpose. These remarks are of course not In
tended for personal application any politician in the
9th district; for as we have already said we have
not a sufficient knowledge of the circumstances, to
justify in making such an application If we had,
we certainly should make it without reserve.
Another thing. Conventions to effect the objects
for which they designed should be fairly cons,tu-
ted in all respects. Hardly any thing can be more
important than this and we fear that in some quarters
the people do not pay sufficient attention to it. 1t is
their fault if they do not, and they are TO
experience the evils which necessarily must grow
out of neglect of such duty on their part. One
Of the first complaints in the 9Th district was we be-
lieve, that their first convention was not fair repre-
sentaton Of the wishes of the district If there
no reason for such complaint, it should have been
disregarded. If there any just ground for it,
second convention should have been such as to have
given unequvocal evidence that it was the authorta-
tive organ of its party 1t is the business of the
people themselves to to this thing, and not to trust
its management to aspirnnts for office.
1 The wings, of course, they had right to do,
availcd themselves of the advantages which the dis
traction of the democrats in the sixth district offered
them, and their candidate consequently elected
: But have evidence that they did not stop at the
point Indicated Foul play, and that of the dis
reputable, if not criminal character was resorted to-
An instance of this is furnished us by friend at
Bloomfield, in the shape of handbl purporting to
be Of democratic origin, and circulated the Of
the election in the hope Of still further dividing and
disrachng the democratic party 1t is supposed that
the wing candidate himself aided in the circulation of
the fagitious document Other wings known to
have done so, by wholesale. as late the Saturday
night aud Sunday preceding the day of election, and
while doing passed themselves off as democrats.
We do not hesitate to express opinion that the
villain who concocted the document and his coadlu-
tors who aided in circulating it, knowing its fraudu-
: lent chaHcters ought every one Of them TO occupy
cells in the pententiary. They fit companions
only for thieves, robbers and murderers. We believe
that the author Of the fraud be discovered if the
E people of the district themselves work in fer
. reting him out. They owe this duty not only to
themselves and their party. but to the general
Of public honesty To permit acts Of this base char
acter to pass without signal evidence of repro
t bation is but to invite repetition and multiplication
y of them. We publish the copy sent to US below
and will only add that do not coyet the seat in