The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1853-08-12
Fraudulent Voting.


There is no earthly doubt but that Breckin.
ridge was elected to Congress from the Ash
land District of Kentucky. by the basest
frauds. The evidence is conclusive to every
impartial judgment-aye, and TO every man
who has opened his eyes and ears to the sub
ject. The votes of hundreds of legal voters
were Cancelled by the fraudulent votes Of cor
rupt hirelines, brought from distance and
thrown into that district on the eve OF the
election. The Louisville Journal says the
Wings adopted a completer system OF organ
ization than they ever did before, and they
enumerated with the utmost precision their
own strength and the strength of their oPpo-
nents, and, relying implicitly upon that emu
meralion, they felt that the election of their
candidate was as certain as any event in the
future could possibly be. There was not a
leading Wing in the district, who, if q bet
ting man, would not have risked every dollar
he had in the world upon the result, without
the slightest fear of loss. And the careful
counting done by the Wings was done cor
rectly. In every county the number of votes
they reckoned on for their candidate were
cast for him; and the issue would have been
in precise conformity with their anticipa-
tons if none but persons belonging to the
district had voted for Breckenridge. But,
whilst the Wing electioneerers were busy at
work accomplishing all they could with the
population of the district, some of the DEM
ocratic leaders, finding that without an &C
cession of strength from abroad they had NJ
chance of success, secretly sent off their
agents to make sufficiently heavy importa-
tons of miserable vote-mongers to control
the issue. The arrangement was effected so
secretly that it was not discovered or suspect
ed by the Wings until there was no time for
defeatingi The Wings were prepared for
everything else, but certainly Tot for this.
The Journal very properly adds: "Not
fraud of that kind or of any other kind can
be perpetrated at an election without weak.
ening and impairing to the extent of its in
fuence the value and stability of our insti-
tutions and the political rights of the whole
mass of our citizens"
Tho Democrats of the Ashland District
have disgraced themselves in the eyes Of all
honorable opponents, if they have not in the
opinions of the more honorable Of their own
party, who would scorn to be parties in such
a fraud.
The following statement from the Frank
fort Commonwealth would prove the fraud
if there were not direct evidence Of the fact:
In 1851, Dixon received $3.50 votes in the
district, when a candidate for Governor,
Powell 1904, and c. NJ. Clay 27l-the whole
number of votes being l0.67S. At the same
election Combs, for Congress, received 5,l4l,
and Breckenridge 5.67l-the total number
of votes being l0,8l2. In 1852, Scott, for
President, received in the district $3.50 votes,
Pierce 5,O57-the whole number of votes
being lO,740. This shows the very slight
slight variation of 1874 10 the numbers of
votes cast in these several contests.
But now we find that while Governor
Letcher has received COOS votes, Major
Breckinrijge has received $3.50! Letcher's
vote exceeds Dixon's by 653; Combs by S67;
and SCOTS by 1913. But Breckinridge's vote
exceeds owell's by ,4SS; it exceeds his own
two years ago by SOL; and it exceeds Pierce's
by AIS! The whole vote. instesd of ram
ging from ten to eleven thousand as in the
previous contests just named, now rises to
1883! 1t would be a rare credul;ty that
would believe that the Democratic increase
of nearly 1900 over Pierce's vote was made
up without large proportion Of illegal votes.
And it will be especially difficult to believe it
when it is seen that it could not have been
composed of accessions from the Wings, in
any degree worth noticing. because the
Wigs have given Gov. Letcher more than
three hundred over their vote for Scott
There is only one explains alton of the facts,
and that is the importation of Breckenridge
voters from abroad