The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-10-23

odltlnOte lSsShCcluA OuAi">
ses OF the Know Nothings--The Exam-
pie held up for Imitation in Illinois!
On Wednesday of last week there was an
election for Mayor and other city officers in
Baltimore Two parties had made nomna-
tlons-the Democrats and the Know Moth
ings At the election the Know Nothings
succeeded by large maioritics, which is GER
tanly not strange when We take into account
the means by which the result was brought
about. The Baltimore Exchange, an indie
pendent paper, thus describes the scene on
election day:
The truth is, that there was no election on
Wednesday, nor even the form or pretcnce
of one. From the opening of the polls III
the morning until their closing in the
evening in nineteen Of the wards in the city,
they were occupied and held by bands of
armed bullies who, with comparatively few
exceptions, as the returns will show, per-
United nobody to vote who did not openly
show and as openly vote the "American'
ticket That ticket, moreover. was 50
marked upon the back with a blue chequrcd
or diamond shaped pattern, resembling that
upon the back of an ordinary playing card.
that. however folded. it coa,d be recognized
without difficulty in the hand of the VOTER
Bv this means, the secrecy of the ballot was
effectually DESTROYED, and the ruffians who
guarded every avenue to the pools were
! enabled to tell at z ance whose votes might
| be admitted, and whose were to be excluded.
! Not content, however, with excluding le-
! gal. voters opposed to the election OF Mr..
Swan, an immense quantity-probably not
/ less than from two. thirds to three -fourths OF
the whole number pOlled-of pure illegal
! votes, were cast IN his fayor--not only men
but boys frequently voting-not twice OF
thrice, but ten or twelve tirnes-not only in
different wards but iE the same ward-noi
at different hours Of the day merely, but
half a dozen times in Succession, with scarce.
| " an attempt at concelement or Disguise
Other votes were polled which were purely
fictcous-tickets being handed to the jud.
( ges, and received by them which were false
I " represented to have been rendered by
/ persons in omnibusses and carriages, who
were unable to get out and walk to the win
dow. In short, every trick and stratagenl
which fraud could invent, and every ex,rem-
| tv to which violence could resort, were sue
/ cessfuly employed for the purpose Of cleo
/ ting 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 much as dare TO question an Illegal vote,
even when, as was frequently the case, they
knew it to be such. The latter habitually
refused to interfere for the protection ol
anybody. II appeared to for the purpose
their almost universal reply was-that they
had no authority to interfere, that "they
could arrest nobody without a warrent,' OF
that "if people wanted to vote the indepen
dent ticket the independent candidates nigh
protect them"
Now here is Know Nothingism acted out
Can the reader imagine anything more dia
bolical and outrageous than all this?
Yet tie Chicago Press, the Organ Of tn
Republican party Of Illinois COMMEND.
the course IF these Baltimore rufians-
EELOGISES them Il, the "PEACEtCI
And CONSERVATIVE LEN OF BAL
7INORE. "(God save the mark y an
threatens to re enact the s1me scenes an Il'
noi., Here is part of the comment Of III
Chicago Press on the above article:
There is lesson n this Baltimore busl
ness which Democratic partisans in lliinol
WEI 90 wen 10 heeu lit dic to-uol III
. vi,ing tie kind Of warfare 10 which the citi
zeus OF Baltimore have been compelled
They arc importing and coionizing voter
in half dozen of the interior counties
G They are planting sounds on the South Sid'
in this city, where they hope to make
I ihess 81 men Win M
e and poor whskey, to point where on tn
e day Of voting they will he ready for any v
8 oience and boodsbed which their bad caus
may demand In word, they are manr
featuring the excuses behind which me
now conservative and peaceful will take re
uge when they are forced to do as the peace
. full and conservative men of Baltimore hav
done We warn them-these deIuded lrisi
l men, the priests of their churches VIII
must know if they do not wink at the Den
ocratic policy, and the leading Dtmocra
l.. themselyes-ti.at their frauds and illegal
: ties. their violence and disorder, will not a
: ways be submitted as they have been her
,ofore. Their rights as citizens under II
law. no one is disposed TO wrest from then
S that they may vote, that they may use
n honorable and fair end.avors for the 'canC
4 dates of their choice, is not questioned b
come what may, there must be no more l
citing and intimidation, the double vutlr
s and perjury by which our elections ha'
r been marked There is an crd Of hum;
endurance, and that, if we mistake not,
= approaching.
II "The end Of human endurancc'-thati
0 the repetition CT these same scenes in Il
= nois, says this republican journal, us a
preaching" We ask our citizens OF 10
egn birth to mark this threat. Under 4
J. ~; cd and most basrlv false prctcnce tn
the Democrats arc importing lrishmen
o vote at the election on Tuesday wee
is the republican party is preparing to
}. enact the ou,rages Of Baltimore in lilino
Here is an open avowal Of such purPo:
Let the Democracy be prepared for it !!
Eorwarned forearmed.
Is The Last Resort.
E. 0. C. Gray, the leader of the republic