The Evansville daily journal., 1856-08-12
FILLMORR ELECTORAL TICKET
Iockharts Election in 1851 How it was secured
The Catholic vote.

The Catholic vote.
Lockhart was elected to Congress from this
District in 1851, by 326 majority. 1t is well
known, that the vote of the Catholic laborers
on the canal, secured his election at that time
It was supposed that this vote would go for
De Bruler, inasmuch as the prominent charge
made against Lockhart during the canvass was
his opposition to River and Harbor Improve
ments, and his sustaining Polk in his veto of
the River and Harbor bill, the prominent doc
trine of which veto was that Congress had no
constitutional power to improve the navigation
of any river, whether it be the Mississippi or
Ohio, or any other stream, whether it be con-
nected with one or dozen States and that if
it should ever be deemed necessary for the
general Government to engage in any such
improvement, an amendment of the Constl-
tuition must first be obtained-and that Lock-
hart declared he would not have voted for this
bill which gave over million dollars to the
West and Northwest which would have been
scattered among our laborers, mechanics, &c
This position of Lockhart's and the Use made Of
it by his opponents, had wrought marked ef-
feet among the laboring classes, and De Bruer's
friends had every right TO believe he would re-
ceive heavy vote among the laborers along
the line Of the canal. But Lockhart, backed
by strong Catholic influence, was among
these labnrers but a day or two before the cleo
tion, and he received the vote Of probably
every Catholic at work on the canal, and
enough to elect him.
How was this sudden change produced?-
We shall give our readers little information
on this subject, so that they may know pre-
cisely the manner In which Lockhart was
elected, the character of the man himself and
present the question to all good citizens, more
especially to any disafected Americans, wheth-
er they can sustain the man who by such
means once got into Congress- and over the
head of as good and capable Whig as there
was in the District. Our information has been
received from a citizen whose af1nities are
with the Catholics and who supports the Old
Line ticket. IF there be errors in our state
ment, they are trivial ones, and do not affect
the whole charge. The facts were not mar
memory may be at fault in the minor details.
When the election of Lockhart was matter
OF uncertainty, and the carefulest calculations
exhibited the fact, that unless through some
extraordinary change he was beaten, a sub
scription was being taken up for Catholic
church in this city. A citizen and public Off
Ger was appealed to subscribe for the object,
no doubt most praiseworthy one. He said
Judge Lockhart owed him one hundred dollars
borrowed money-that he had asked Lockhart
for the money repeatedly, and he had denied
the debt, thinking the lender at the time of
loaning the sum too much intoxicated probably
to recollect the debt-and he, the lender, Of
fered to place this one hundred dollars on the
subscription list, to be collected off of Lock-
hart if possible. The holder of the list,
Catholic and leading Democrat, accepted the
offer, knowing he had hold on the Demo-
cratic candidate for Congress- in view Of tho
Catholic vote, which would wiring the sum
from him. A short time before the election,
and when things were in a most uncertain
condition as to the success of the Democratic
met Judge Lockhart on the street, took him
into store, and asked him for this money,
telling him he could not expect the Catholic
vote unless it was paid. Lockhart knew his
election depended on his decsion-that with
out this vote. he had no prospects of success
that in fact, if the canal vote went against him,
he was defeated. He settled the matter by
giving the holder of the list his note for three
months endorsed by responsible "Lockhart
Whig." The Wings were soon after some
what astonished to find the canal vote had
gone in a mass for Lockhart, and that it had
elected him!
We leave readers to draw their own concIu-
sions. What borrowed money or other in
debtedness may be collected in the same man.
ner previous to this election from Judge Lock
hart, we are not prepared to say. But we
hope votes enough may be cast against him to
prevent debts owing by Lockhart, if he does
owe any, from securing his election this time.
We have probably commeced with the small
est charge first, yet our citizens need no en-
Gghtenment as TO the character of the man
now opposed to a good and true man as can
didate to represent this District in Congress.
Through the Catholic vote obtained in the
above manner, and the support of "Lock art
Wings" he was once permitted to msrepresent
this District in Congress Shall he again be
selected to that high position? That is the
question nsW before this people.