The Washington union., 1857-06-05
THE RIOTS AND BLooDSHED AT OUR CITY EIEc
TIONS


TIONS.
The elective franchise is precious to freemen and od.
ous TO tyrants only. No force nor menace should be
permitted to disturb It, In all ages Of republic hon
orablc citizens of every party have freely asserted and
vndicated this inestimable franchise The will Of the
people can never be collected without IT, The blessings
of good government dependent upon IT, Strike down
this sacred right extrpate it from among us, and the
political institutions of country will perish with it.
We should speedily witness confusion of Justice, dis
solution Of the government, the spoation Of property
and all the direful calamities Of civil war.
Consequences so full OF terror and mischief every pa
triot should determine avert And the question is
whether the elective franchise that great and sacred
principle Of feedombc entitled 10 safety and respect
but who are guilty Of the daring infamous assault that
was made upon it
gang of lawless distbers Of the public peace
from Baltimore to this city on Monday last and at
early hour marched to the polls, with ruan aspect and
with weapons drawn. How came they here Who EN-
poyed them to Gomez What useful honorable purpose
had they to effect Not of them voted pre-
tended that he had right to vote. The question re-
curs then Who induced the reckless miscrcans to nest
our polls
In the absence Of direct proof must form judy
ment and deduce conclusions from notorious and uns
puted facts This awess gang Of bullics and assassns
reached the city the morning of the election rushed
to the polls and attempted prevent the democrats from
voting They cursed the foreigners and fred upon them
they attacked the police and threatened the mayor they
frightened the tirnid and they crushed the weak.
The polbooks show that the foreigners voted the dem
ocrac ticket throughout the city II because they
supported the democratic party that they wrongd
and insulted Now, would democrats come from Balt
prevent democratic triumph here, and to insult
and destroy another? No such idea is irrational
and absurd The motive which brought them among
is obvious enough The plug uglies travel, bully, and
murder for wages That starved, pennyless, and Christ
less gang paid for serving political factions and ior
subectng themselves to the penalties OF Justice and the
perils of death That is their vocation They live by
and would perish without it,
In the present their assaults made upon the
democratic voersa settled fact that carry thor
ough and resistess conviction to every candid mind that
the democrats never invited the hirelings here.
This infamous band had long before, made successful
offers of their prowes and services to control elections in
other cities and they have crcey and steadily wancd
upon the democratic party Urged by the success of their
isgraceful conduct in other quarters, they to the
federal city and boldly aronted the dignity Of justice at
the citadel of power
To check their base career and to protect the freedom
of election every effort which prudence could devise was
freely cxerted by the civil authorities and It was not
off that the mayor applied superior powers for mix
tlry support Of the public law Then and not till thc
did the order the company of marines to at
tend the civil magistrate and preserve the order de-
mandcd by the crisis.
Before the marines could be marched from the Navy
Yard to the of violence and boodshed the brazn
miscreants planted their at the market-house
close to the polls and aimed to discharge its murdeos
contents upon the officers and marines while coming on
In that crisis Of the conflict Captain Tyler with the sense
and spirit which denote able officer marched with
bayoncts fixed upon the cannon and took possession q
it, STILL the scattered fragments Of this iniuated gang
fired their pistols at the Captain and his troops and
wounded several gallant soldiers of the Marine Corps 1t
not till then that the marines fired, offered the
slightest threat On the contrary the act read
and the given by the mayor that the public
troops had not to create but to prevent, disturb
But the turbulent wretches presumed upon this
construed it into fear and brought upon themselves
condign punishment of their own procuring.
That the single fire of the marines took effect upon
some worthy citizens, well upon the ruans who de
death, is deeply amencd by everybody. But how
the mischief which the rufians doing could be
checked except by returning their wanton fire il is not
easy to determine.
camor has been raised against the government for
political effect But had the government acted in spirit
OF hesitation or alans ana withheld force, there "ou
have fallen the national councils disgrace which
might have reached the President himself But the gov
ernment acted with prompttudc efficiency and wisdom
and may well defy the efforts of faction and defeat to ~
ten meiitcd censure upon it,
The Toronto Times states that last year onecighth o.
the gross population Of that city arrested for drunk
enness and that at recent feast the cost of the liquors
exceeded the contributions of the city for year 70 an
the public charities. There nearly hye hundieu
licensed and unlicensed groggeries in the city.