Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1858-11-05
Frra the Baltimore Sun.
The Baltimore Election.

lic," by Mr.. L. E. Ballard, one of The
judges appointed for the eighteenth ward
There is perhaps no view 81 affairs exhib-
Ting the generalization of our political
condition more wildly than in the fact
that al! the enormities of fraud at the
baIlota S6S9See place under the obserya-
ton OF men sworn to prevent it. This
fact properly appreciated is most start-
ling one . We re unwilIing 10 accept it
AS a theme of public comment. for i must
necessarily lead every rational mind to
conclusions really too. tsarfar for conte n
pla,ion. We are therefore disposed to
seek excuses and palliation for the con.
duct, OF men exposed to such Influences
As prevailed at the polls on that day, ra.
Their than to accept the alternative which
would be forced upon" US. The, oath Of
officer Of Judges Of election is sufficiently
comprehensive to. have prevented all the
wong that was done, and to have vita.
ted the election by universal protest
against it. It as follows: - "'' '.'
II, A. b., do swear or affirm that 1
will premit all persons to vote who shall
offer 10 poll at the election now to be
held. for city or country,) Who in
my Judgment shall, according to the di
rectionS contained in this law, and the
constitution and form OF government. be
entitled to poll at the same election; and
that | viii not permit any person to poll
at the sama election who is not in my
judgment, qualified to vote as aforesaid
and in all these things execute the Office
of Judge of the said election according to
the best of my knowledge, without fa-
vor or Partially. so help me God"
TO contemplate the proceedings of the
late election, in view of this sworn obi
CATION, is. as We. have said, too unwel-
come task to be pursued. In the case
of Mr.. Ballard, we have one solitary iE-
stance of public protest against personal
identification with the character Of the
transactions which he exposes. His card
which we publish below, was called out
by some. structures in other journals, than
The Sun, butt addressed to the public
as an exhibit of fact. over his own sigma
ture, voluntarily made, is worthy of con.
sideralion und, entitled to .credibility. We
have erased from the copy furnished a
few sentences which refer to the action
of the associate judges. and lay before
the readers of, The Sun the statement of
Mr.. Ballard as it refers to his own obser-
walton and his exclusive action.
To tile Public.-Messrs. Editors-Hay-
ing Witnessed so many of the outrages
committed on the rights of our citizens,
and having repeatedly spoken of them to
NO avail, had determined to let those
which were committed at the last NUM-
cipRl election pass unnoticed. so far as l
was concerned. This determination
should still govern me. but for the fact
that large portion OF the community
look upon the persons who oficiated as
judges at that election as guilty of the
terrible crime of perjury. :. Not being
willing to be thus classed, justice to my
selfinduces me to state publicly my course
on that day, giving my reasons therefor.
will proceed to state some Of the acts
occurred to which l could not give my
sanction. Before the hour for opening
the polls there was congregated about
the window a crowd Of men and boys,
openly asserting that no one should vote
who did not vote the Swami ticket, and
several gentlemen, Of known respectable.
ity and standing, who were suspected OF
an Intention, to vote differently, were
pushed out and driven off. The time for
opening the polls arrived, aud the voting
cOmmenced,-(and l am compelled to
say never before witnessed such scenes
at an election )-men and boys voting as
often as they pleased, both seen and I'M
seen by the judges, who took their bal
lots. -. ~. ... .,.....
streuuously protested against such
proceedings, bnt to no avail. This sort
81 vnfi1,1 far ahOHk holf
when there was added to it another mode
viz: that OF voting from hacks and omni-
buses-a means by which smore gross
outrages are perpetrated on the elective
franchise than probably any other that
could be adopted for in nearly every case
two to three times as many ballots were
taken as there were persons in the hacks,
and there can be no doubt of the illegali~
ty of almost the entire number of those
that were in them, TO say nothing of the
repetition of voting. This mode Of voting
was carried on to an extent incredulous
to state. While those who wished to
vote ticket other than those marked on
the back, except few instance, were
not allowed to vote at all, saw in more
than dozen instances person come to
the fence in the front Of the window holds
ing ticket in either hand. both of which
were taken and put in the box. the per.
son giving some names, no doubt assu>
med, as they voted. Men from other
wards, known to the judges. came up and
had no difficulty in voting. determin-
ed to leave the window and have nothing
more to do with the election as Judge.
I took seat in the back part of the
room and witnessed continued repeli.
ton of voting by the same persons until
their faces, which had never seen be-