Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-10-28
The RaI1imorc ELECTION.

The Baltimore Election.
The Municipal Election in the City
of Baltimore, on the 18th inst, was a
perfect mockery of the elective franchise.
Every ward, save one (the Sth) was in
the hands Of the Know Nothing rowdies
and rufians, who were encouraged in
their acts of violence and bloodshed by
the Mayor and his Police. 1t was at the
risk of his life that any Democrat YEN
tured to the Polls, and when there he
was shamefully maltreated and abused
so much so, that, about the middle of the
day, the independent candidate for May
or, Col. Shut, unwilling to place his
friends in jeopardy of their lives, with
drew from the contest and permitted the
election to so by default. The result
was about $500 votes were cast for him
and some 2 1000 or more for the Know
Nothing Mayor Swami. Speaking of
these outrages, the Baltimore Exchange,
a neutral paper says:
The fact that MIR. Swami has been re-
elected to the Mayoralty by violence
and fraud is less discreditablc to our CT
ty, han the superstition that he has been
retained in office by the voluntary suf-
frages of its people. The truth is, that
there was nc election on Wednesday,
nor even the fbrm or prctence of one
From the opening of the polls in the
morning until their closing in the even.
ing, in nineteen wards of the city, they
were occupied and held by bands of arm
cd bullics who, with comparatively
few exceptions, as he returns will show
permitted nobody to vote who did not
openly show and as openly vote the GA
was so marked on the back with a chcq,
uered diamond shaped pattern, resemb.
hing that upon the back of the ordinary
playing card, that, however folded, il
could be recognized without difficulty il
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 bt
admitted, and whose were to be cxclud
ed Not content, however with exclud
ing legal voters opposed to the election
of Mr.. Swami, an immense Quantity
probably not less than from two third!
to three fourths of the whole number
polled-of purely illegal votes, were cas-
in his favor-not only men but boys
frequently voting-not twice or thrice
but ten or twelve times,-not only ii
different wards but in the same ward
not at different hours of the day merely
but half a dozen times in succession
with scarcely al attempt at conccalmen
or disguise. Other votes were polle'
which were purely fictitious-tickets be
? ing handed to the judges, and received
by them which were falsely Representa-,
to have been rendered by persons in ON
nibusses and carriages, who were n
BILE to get out and walk to the window
In short, every trick and stratager
which fraud could invent, and every ex
tremity to which violence could resort
were successful ly employed for the pur
: posc of ,le,tng Mr.. Swami. The outrage
upon the ballot-box and upon the per
sons of voters, the judges were unabl
and the police were unwilling to prevenr
. The former did not so much as dare t
question an illegal voter, even when, a
/ was frequently the case, they knew it t
be such. The latter habitually refuse
to interfere for the protection of anybo
dy. If appealed to for the purpose
, their almost universal reply was-tha
r sthey had no authority to Interfere, -
chat "they could arrest nobody with
out a swarrant." or that if people want
ed to vote, "the independent candidate
might protect "thcm." We, of cours'
do not mean to say that these outrage
were perpetrated to the same extent i
all the wards in the city, or that ever
> policeman was equally re miss in his dut,
: Some there were doubtless, who endea,
T orcd to do what was right, and other
there might have been, who only rcquii
: ed a little encouragement and supper
: of their comrades to follow the example
We merely mean to assert that the gen
Il eral characteristics of the %elcctio
throughout the city were such as W
have desc ribed, and that these were til
means by which Mr.. Swami has obtain
ed a re-efection.