Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-10-10
To The Freemen of Chelsea:

To the Ereemen of Chelsea
That gross fraud upon your political rights
vas go hlnied by some person OF persons, on
he first Tuesday IF September last, is manifest.
o.! The 7th ot the same month meeting OF the
treemen was holden tor h. purpose of adopting
measures 10 ferret out the fraud and prevent sun
liar occurrences in tnnc.
With the action Of the trnemen upon thBt sub
Jet we would have been satisfied. had not cir.
cuar from L. B. Villas been addrt Ysed you. con
talnIng charges or nslnuatlons against he friends
of Mr.. Hyde. Of having committed the fraud.
which the facts IN the case do MT warrant. and
which weiear, il ST ent on the subject might b"
construed into an admission by us that they were
true.
We agree with Mr.. Villas that the great body
OF the ircemen are honest ana opposed to any
fraud upon their rghts-neirher de- we wish to
charge tie friends OF Mr.. Villas with h VIM. com.
nlIttrd the fraud, but to state the facts, and
leave every person toadfaw his own c.nc,u-
sion.
On the first ba lot there was counted 70" Mr..
Hyde 22;1 votes, ga ,otes Tor Mr.. Villas, and
scattering these amounted to Al more than
names on the poll list Ha.
On the second ballot there were counted for
Mr.. Hyde % votes, 26l votes for Mr.. Villas, and
two scatterng--being 81 mole votes than we're
names IN the poll list.
The excess OF votes over the names on the pnl
list, we agree with Mr. Villas in considering
fraudulent.
Bv whom was the fraud committed?
AR. Villas assumes thai it was done by the
friends OF Mr.. HYDE, and says " it might we'll be
regarded as cunning device to defeat an e,ec
tlon and ruake the fraud appear to be IN my votes
by putting in Tor me 80 votes 10 addition to The
Al Tor Nj. Hyde, which had been put IN on the
hlsl ballot"
We certainly cannot perceive the cunniug so
manifest to Mr.. Villas on the ground he assumes.
Ii Mr.. Hyde had Al fraudulent votes. the add-
ton of 80 fraudulent votes for Mr. Villas could
not have defeated Mr.. Villas election; for il Is
matter easily susceptible OF proof for whom the
treemen cast their votes Mr.. Vllas to the con-
trary Notwithstanding aud It proved that Mr..
Hyde had al fraudulent votes, and Mr.. Villas 30
addulou, al cast by the friends OF Mr. Hyde;
it would oniy redouble the infamy To be teHprd
upon the patty who committed the fir .ud-but
cuu'd Ia no event defeat an election o prevent
Mr.. Was from taking bis seat IN the Lcgisla-
tufe.
But what ground had Mr.. Villas for charging
81 lrsinuating that the Al fraudulent votes were
cast for Mr.. Hyde? II cast for Mr.. HYDE Oh the
first ballot. it must have been for the purpose of
eeciing him.
Now hear Mr.. Villas: " 1t seems to me that
no man in his senses could suppose that he could
nake an election by such vote. or that he could
do me or the patty to which belong, ia, or by
such Il course"
Bat Mr.. Villas says that the Democratic Town
Committee had represented 10 hun the number of
voters who would vote for hun at 223, and heIe-
lore he was conf ent the fraud was IN the votes
of Mr.. Hyde. but he also says that he was M
formed that the Wing Town Committee claim
ed an equal or greater number OF Votes for Mr..
Hyde.
The Wing Town Committee never had any
doubt latter Il canvass OF the town. If the cleo
ZION Of Mr.. Hyde BY from &c to 40 ma nity-
w here, then, we ask, Is the ground OF Mr.. Vi.
las assumption that the Al votes were traudu-
lentIy cast tnr Mr.. Hyde Taking Mr. Villas own
reasoning, (f reasoning it can be cailed) Mr..
Hyde had as good ground to suppose that the
fraudulent votes were cast for Mr.. Villas, as
Nlr. Villas had to suppose they were cast for Mr..
Hyde
But lurther-Mr. Villas says, had hoped
thai the state OF The votes upon the other tickets
might throw some hight upon the subject. gave
the cunt as lepoIeA by The authory-for Gov
efnor, l.. B. Peck 800. c. X. Williams 1876: for
Congress, J. ?. kldder 2U7, William Hebard
ZOO showing "a small majority on the side Of
The democracy"
Mr.. Villas well knew at the time of making the
above statement that Is votes were Counted for
lohn Roberts Tor Governor, who, it was under
stood IN TINS town. was the candidate for the de-
nocracy, Inch vote added to that for WiIhams.
would make majority OF seven against lie Free
Democracy candidate. l.. B. Peck. Thus f any
lignneht can be drawn from the rauye Of the |
State tickets, 1t must by taken against MIR Villas
showing.
1t was also known to Mr.. Villas, or should have |
'een, for he ought to have k1own the facts be-
ore making his coamunlcationl that some tun
II these tledslngs 0r small woes were faund in
pile IN the Congress box for ]. p Kidder the
'Fee ID 'lnncracy Candidate Tor CongI es4-whlch,
rom their size and appearance, although print.
d. were evidently fraudulent. Probably some
wicked wing deposited them for the purpose of
eeat'ng Judge Hebdrd, and lnlurlng Mr.. Kid
Ter !!
Mr.. VIlns further says, " II both (tnwnl com
nttees acted IN good faith. then pr ion vt the
oters betrayed one side or the other No one
ouId rey on what they should now say as t. The
question for whom they voted
The chmge tnat from 80 to 40 voters of the
own Of Chelsea who voted for Hyde. are Ut so
'ase a character that theIr statements are not to
re believed. e. en under the sanction of an oath.
$ so evidently malicious, as moi to require Sc
lous euiation and did we believe tive would
AXE he course of Mr.. Villas, and seek lodge
u some vast wilderness"
Further: Mr. Villas says. g desired that the
reemen night be represented BY the one who
vas really elected by the legal yoters, and nc
ordngy proposed to Mr.. Hyde this forenoon,
the morning alter the election) that meeting
# the freenen should be called, to BE- held on
he MONDAY preceding tn, session ofthe legis
lturc. and that wouldfhen submit 10 the whole
reencn assembled, whether, under the circutn-
tances, either Of It's should take the sent as Rep
osemalpe; aad il they should deci le in the af-
rmatye. then they should decide which of us,
ar. Hyde or myself; and that would abide the
esult, and have the matter put in writing aud
lgned by os both" u