Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1858-10-22
The Late baltimore EIection.

tne NdttOHU IHteutgencef) OF Qcfeateu
parties in political struggles as to the
fairness of elections by which they were
overthrow, it is very unusual to hear
such complaints on the part of the VIC
tors, who generally quietly appropriate
the honors of success without evincing
much scrupulousness as to the means by
which they were obtained A portion
of the dominant party in Baltimore,
however, form an exception to this gen
eral rule. The returns of the municipal
election held in that city on the 18th
instant continue to attract notice there
and elsewhere, and to elicit the animal
version of the press of both parties -
But in no quarter have we seen a more
emphatic expression of disapprobation of
the management of this election than is
contained in the Baltimore american of
Saturday. This judgment is called
forth by correspondent of that paper,
who states that he has always supported
the American ticket" and who alludes
as follows to some of the features of the
late election:
Z" ! felt mortified to be compelled to
hand in a ticket evidently so marked on
the outside that all those who surrounded
the window motley group of youths,
rocking with liquor-should know who l
was voting for. | was shocked to see
some of my old neighbors and friends,
who approached the window with tickets
not marhed like mine, elbowed off the
curbstone, and that, whatever arrange
ments were made by the Mayor, through
the police, to protect the purity of the
ballot-box and the rights of voters, they
appeared to have been wholly neglected. ;"
To this complaint the American replies
in terms which, under the circumstances,
are creditable to its candor and indepen-
dence. 1t says that it regards "the
printing of election tickets on checkered
paper as eminently improper and practi-
cally violation of the right of secret
ballot-an open confession of dishonesty
and intended violent interference with
the elective fronchise-a practice carry
ing disgraceful completely to candidates
and voters" 1t then adds:
-" Indeed, as for the whole election on
Wednesday, no one can feel deeper
disgust and condemnation of the scenes
and incidents and outrages by which it
was attended and consummated than our
selves, nor can we draw any satisfaction
from the evidence that the disposition to
act uniustly and unfairly was evinced on
both sides, wherever they had the power
to coerce and intimidate the voters
That, had all who were disposed to vote
been permitted to quietly approach the
polls and deposit their ballots, Mr.. Swami
would have been fairly and legally re-
elected, We have not a single doubt, and
of the legal votes polled he had unques-
tionably large majority. But that the
result, as it stands recorded in the re-
turns of the judges, is in any other re-
spect the voice of the legal voters of
Baltimore, we cannot believe and will not
for moment attempt to assert. Those
returns, indeed, bear on their faces the
so palpable impress of fraud and violence
that any dispute on the subject among
fair-minded and intelligent men is i'm
possible. We should have welcomed
defeat as preferable to triumph so i'm
properly won.