The daily republic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1853-1853, 1853-07-09

worthy of Fouche or VtdOcq. W4en by means ,
Of thia inquisiton the sascto1' fortnes were laid
bare, then the power hseams known by which nj
could be worked upon, and ~ which he could II
made TO give u dishonest vote. When. aboa4
eight years ago, motion was made upon this
subject, the extent and machinery Of the election
screw was demonstrated; but he would mention
10 the House two instances which he had
culled from the canvassng hooks of electoneer-
ing agenis--books containing the electors names,
printed or in manuscript, with margin in which
the experienced agent wrote his remarks against
each name. AS specimen, he would take one
entry, which was, Thomas -, publican,
votes against Mem.-Write to Mr.. So-and-
SO, a spirit merchant, to whom he is in arrears.
That was the description of notice, and he knew
of other practices connected with the application
Of the election which many honorable
members would deem incredible. Intimidation
was more Objectionable than bribery for an
other reason; for every of direct bri-
berry there were at least five thousand cases
of intimidation. Throughout every grade of
society people were brought to exercise intimi-
dation upon their neighbors. He had before
stated that the committees of the House of Com
mons in their inquiries pursued course which, if
lous and ridiculous, as they had no power to de-
clare election void account of intimidation
unless it was of a physical character. He would
take the report of the Clitheroe Election Com
mittee. That report SET forth that Matthew
Wilson, esq, was, by his agents, guilty of bri-
berry and treating at the last election for the
borough of Clitheroe; but that act of bribery
or treating was proved to have been committed
rrl,l,- &c ~
thew Wilson; that it had been proved to the COM
mittee that Henry Taylor was bribed with the
sum of 3Ot.; that extreme and systematic treat
ing, together with other corrupt and illegal pro-
ceedings prevailed at the last election for the said
borough; that violent and tumultuous proceed
ings appear to have taken place ut the said cleo
ton; and that hired bands of men armed with
sticks and bludgeons introduced into the said
borough for purposes Of undue influence and in
tmidation.' There not in this report word
about that most dangerous of all kinds of intimi-
dation which assailed the elector at his freside,
which turned him out of his farm or his house,
which ruined the tradesman, and which put the
debtor in prison.. -
Under this system, we are told that stem
ants are just as well satisfied to pay their
votes to the landlord as their rents, and con-
slider it much the same thing" Tenants at
will 'smay entertain political opinions" but
''dare not express them" And correspond
ence between tenant and landlord is given in
| which the law agent of HENRY DEBuReH,
esq, informs recusant elector, JOHN MUIR
| PLY, ''that he has been instructed by Mr.. De-
BURGH to call on him for all rent and arrears
Of rent up to May, 1852, or to take the ne
cessary means to recover it." JOHN MURPHY
writes Mr.. DEBURGH to beg "that he will not
at this unusual season press for rent'-states
that payment at that time will be attended
with much loss to him-begs a short indul-
gence, and reminds him that his rent had been
paid up to May, 1851. In reply, Mr.. De
BURGH applies the screw in the following short
and brutal letter:
"ST. DoULoUGH's, RAnENY, Aug. 16, 1852
"SR: Yours of the 10th was forwarded here
Mr.. Johnson has acted strictly according to his
| instructions. tFfgtt
| "You refused yomr landlord the compliment Of
your rofe. BE it so. Let there be no compliments
between us. Vote you please; but PAY up your
rents 10 The day they usually payable, or shall
make ysn No doubt hut your political support
ers will grant yon the favor that refuse, and en-
able you to pay your years rent due on the LIST
day Of May 1852" [Onr italics.l
The anticipated effect of the ballot will, it
is thought, enable Mr.. MURPHY to bestow his
vote as he may choose without exposing him
self to the vengeance of tyrannical landlord
1t seems, however, that in English elections
third method Of canvassing is sometimes re-
| sorted to. We are told that "when right
good agent of the Derby or ST. Adams breed
! undertook to return candidate for any bo
rough, the first thing he did was to try the eff
icacy of the screw-bribery and corruption; if
those aids failed, he then hired and disciplined
a mob TO thrash the electors as they went to or
returned from the poll, and to upset their car
riages."
We cannot of course boast an entire exemp-
ton from the vice of corruption amongst le-
gislators and politicians. Nor can we deny but
that an imitation of the English ultimat,un is
sometimes got up at city precinct, where
some drunken ruffians undertake "to thrash
the electors" but as this is round game. not
necessarily limited to any particular number of
players, it generally follows that the wrong
doors are cudgelled black and blue by the po-
lice and the people, or experience other conse-
quehces in the chronic form Of indictments
and fines; perhaps they take lessons in ele-
mentary sculpture by dressing granite for
few months. In any case, however, the evil
is not of sufficient magnitude to be dreaded. 1t
is possibly useful as an example.
But the avowals which we have quoted
have been made in the Parliament of Great
Britain. They have been made the basis of
adequate means of Legislative prevention. They
show that the evils complained of are not topi-