Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-08-12
- D. P. Blair is Defeated.

have good time together.
ra--.s p. P. Blair is Defeated.
The news of the defe4t of Hon. FRANCIS
p. BLAIR, of the st. Louis Congressional
District, has been received by every one
with astonishment, and by many with sus-
picion. Fl is well to inquire into few par
ticuiars relative to this election. An in
vestigasion of this kind will show how
earnest the ADMINISTRATION are in their
warfare, and 10 wha, extremes they are put
to carry their day. There is not a reason
a5le doubt, but that BLAIR had the highest
number of legal votes cast for any one man.
snd is in reality the choice of the people
sf his District. To establish the fact that
fraud was the power that gained the victory.
it is first necessary to show the motive
Under ordinary circumstances. the desire to
defeat political opponent is sufficient TO
call out ali honorable means, but when we
the fact that ne is feared by the Admins
tration, that his name is peculiarly often
sive 20 Mr. BUcHANAE, and above all that
he has planted the standard of freedom
right in the midst of its enemies, and raised
the contest of liberty or slavery upon the
slave-cursed soil of Missouri BLAIR has
been champion. He has fearlessly fought
atAe lion in his PEN" Now one will see at
glance that the pride of the slave power
was wounded. that their safety was threaten
ed, and whether bv fair or foul means he
must be beaten, or, as BUCHANAN says, the
Administration would be rebukec. And
now for the foul means used. The ballot
boxes were stuffed, poor paupers from the
slafrmafy were bribed to vote, many who
.~ere not citizens were brought in to vote,
many went from ward to ward voting in
each as they went, and through just this
means is thissgr eat victory to the Slave
Democracy won. Two years ago BLAIR
had good minority, was elected with two
candidates, just as he had this time, against
him. His vote this time 10 some five hun
dred more than. i was two years ago. The
increase is gradual, natural one in the
various wards and precincts, but how with
the Democratic candidate. The whole vote
of 1856 was l3,763. This year it has in :
creased to the Enormous vote of 1878, a
gain of 5000 TO that power which is known
to be wanting in Missouri. Here we have
more votes than the district can raise. The
Democracy are weaker than ever before,
BLAIR had increased in popularity, yet by
pre-arrangement by the great party which
holds the purse-strings Of our nation this is
all overcome, and the will of the people is
iru:tless and unsyaA:ng. After presenting
some glaring evidence OF unlimited fraud
The Missouri Democrat concludes as fol-
lows:
Will aby one dispute such evidence of
fia d,coIplcd as 1T il. directly with a seizure
of the polls, running in of their ticket TO
the exclusion of all other tickets, and the
suppression Of every fair challenge at the
polls, or scrutiny BY the judges OF election.
! Other instances too, might be enumerat-
ed such rs the frauds at Carondelet, in the
service Of Mr.. Hackney, the polling of near
TWO hundred votes at the Gravois precinct,
,h
carting of numberless wagon loads of Don-
residents over from the Marine Hospital by
government officials, and the compulsion
exercised upon the inmates of the county
Farm to get their suffrage for Judge Of the
county Court And all these things are
on ly salient points that start up from the
vast underground Of gross corruption effect
ed by federal monies lavished with n free
and fsul hand Two weeks ago the Pre-
sident Of iAe United States rubbed his hands
in presence of q citizen of St. Louis. and
stated that he had it .'all fired for the defeat
of BIair''-iwo weeks ago the notorious
Able Rath5one Corbn, correspondent OF
The Republican and implicated by the in
vestigating committee of Congress, aB-
nounced it as a matter beyond peradventure
that .sthe thing was arranged IN St. Louis"
Two weeks ago Tie Republican gave
inkIing of what was prepared for the eighth,
ninth and tenth wards, showing thereby
that the treble voting and ballot stuffing had
: been even then prearrangea. And now,
forsooth, when the public mind of our whole |
commonly is revOlted at what has SO pal
pably been perpetrated, the organ of the ad-
ministratiOn attempts to sooth indignation
by apologizing for Mr.. Barret's vote. 1t
won't do. VigiIant eyes were upon the
maneucers Of that day, aud men have not
felt it right to keep silence concerning the
sights seen. The very newsboys and the
nursery maids talk iaently of the Irish
frauds, and the voting from poll to poll,
multiplying suffrages and peruries. As
matters in reality stand, Mr.. Blair has