The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-10-15

ballots which were deposited in his favor through
out the rest of the city. To our citizens these
facts and figures are quite ineligible enough by
themselves. They only tell all too plainly the
story of our shame and humiliation So, too
with the details and particulars of the various
outrages that were committed by the rufIians
who held undisturbed possession of the polls.
Ihey are IN everybody's mouth-and have been
repeated and discussed by every iresde, and IN
every counting-room, shop, and tavern in the
city. They have been retailed from house to
mouse, and from man to man, until there is
scarcely an individual in this community who
mas not heard, or does not know of some neigh
Dor, friend or acquaintance who, on Wednesday
last, was driven and beaten from the polls or was
threatened, insuted, and intimidated, in the vain
attempt to exercise the 'snestmable'' RIGHT of
suffrage. What opinion our readers at a distance
may form of these things, we cannot tell
That in any event, it must be unfavorable TO orr
city 1t is but safe TO presume Possiblv-in ipnor-
ance of the facts, and of the means by which If
was obtained,--they may imagine Mr.. SwANN's
majority to have been an endorsement and
''vindication' of his administration, as we have
been told, he himself asserted it to be. in the
speech which he delivered last night to the drunk
en- rowdles who surrounded his house. and with
whom he exchanged Fluctuations upon the sue
cess which had attended their mutual efforts in
common cause. This impression, in Justice to
ourselves, we must endeavor to remove The fact
that Mr.. SWAMI has been reelected to the MAYOR
Atty by violence and fraud is less discreditabe to
our city, than the supposition that he has been
retained in office by the voluntary sufraees of its
people. The truth is, that there was no Election
on Wednesday, nor even the form or pretense
of one From the opening of the polls in the
morning until their closing in the evening, in
nineteen wards Of the city, they were occu-
pied and held by bands of armed buies who.
with comparatively few exceptions as the returns
will show, permitted nobody to vote who did not
openly show and as openly vote the "American''
ticket That ticket, moreover, was so marked
upon the back with blue chequered or diamond
shaped pattern, resembling that upon the back of
an ordinary playing-card, that however folded, it
could be recognized without difficulty in the hand
OF the voter. BY this means, the secrecy of the
ballot was effectually destroyed, and the rufians
who guarded every avenue TO the polls were
enabled to tell at a glance whose votes might
be admitted, and whose were to be excluded Not
content, however, with excluding legal voters
opposed to the election of Mr. SWAMI, an immense
quantlty,-probably not less than from two thirds
to three fourths of the whole number poled-of
purely illegal votes, were cast in his favor-not
only men but boys, frequently votng-not twice
or thrice, but ten or twelve t:mes,-not only
in different wards but in the same ward-not
at different hours of the day merely, but half do
zen times in succession, with scarcely an attempt
at concealment or disguise Other votes were poll
ed which were purely fctitious-tickets being
handed to the judges, and received by them which
were falsely represented to have been rendered bv
persons in omnibusses and carriages. who were
unable to get out and walk to the window. In
short, every trick and stratagem which fraud
could invent and every extremity to which
violence could resort, were successfully en-
ployed for the purpose of electing Mr..
SWAMI. These outrages upon the ballot
box and upon the persons of voters, the Judges
were unable and the police were unwilling to
prevent. The former did not so mnch as dare
10 question an illegal vote, even when as was fire.
quently the case, they knew it to be such. The
latter habitualy refused to interfere for the protec
ton OF anybody. If appealed to for the purpose
their almost universal reply was-that 'they had
mo authority to interfere, that 'hey could ar
rest nobody without warrant" or that eff peo-
'ple wanted to vote the independent ticket the in
dependent candidates mightprotect them' We,
OF course, do not mean to say that these outrages
were perpetrated TO the same extent in all the
wards in the city, or that every policeman was
equally remiss in his duty. Some there were,
doubtless, who endeavored to do what was right.
andothers there might have been who only re-
CURED little encouragement and the support of
their comrades to follow the example We mere
y mean to assert that the general characteristics of
the election throughout the city were such as we
have described, and that these were the means by
which Mr.. SWAMI has obtained reelection.