Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-01-15


neen the employment Of violence and lrauu
10 CORY elections, and thus to substitute,
in nloce of voice Of the citizens, the basis
nnpn which all despotisms rest. Such was
the case in Rome, and such has been the
co Sc in every republic that ever eN'Steu-
The choice Of the people thus set ASIDE all
the ouiet and tmid, who form ID all com
,onnitics very numerous body, terrified at
these annual scenes OF VIOLENCE and tumult, !
soon become ready to aid in abolishing the !
whole system of popular elections. They re-
card not altogether without reason q usur-
nation once for all as far better than usur-
patton occurring annually and attended
with scenes Of violence aud uproar danger
Gus to life, aud, what they dread still more,
dangerous to- property. They think 1t bet
ter to be under the surveillance Of mill
tarv force which the interest OF its head
requires to be subjected to a certain degree
of discipline, than to be exposed to the un-
restrained violence of a set OF rowdieS, Ike
those who are beginning to play so consplc-
nous part in some Of our American cleo
tions, against whom there is neither protec"
tion or redress since, even in the plalnest
cases. partisan Judges, placed on the bench
by the employment of this same machinery,
are certain either to acquit them altogether
or to let them off with merely nominal
pnnishmeut The decent citizens, from
the moment this system of violence and III
timdation is introduced, rapidly withdraw
themselves from the polls. so far from
riskiug their lives and limbs in effort to get
at the ballot-boxes, they are unwilling TO
risk even their coats. Aud why should
they Even if they succeed in polling
majority of votes, it does not avail them
| Cheating Inspectors, fraudulent Judges ei
/ elections INSCRIPTIONS boards Of Canvas
sers stand ready, when force has failed, to
supply the deficiency by fraud, and thus TO
render unavailing the courage and perSe-
yerance of the decent and patriotic maJorl-
ty. In this state of things, 1t is not TO be
wondered at that the great body OF the
industrious and productive citizens, more
intent upon order and security than on lib
crty, should husten to surrender up the
dangerous and now unavailing privilege OF
voting, and should look with complacency
on the assumption. Of all political authori-
ty by some small self-cOnstituted association
! like our pammany Society, to be superse
ded in due time bya single despot like
Louis Napoleon.
Our people are possessed Of very AFRO
! giant seIf-confdeuce in their exclusive ca
pacty to maintain their own libertieS.--
But, however true that might have been OF
the original Anglo-Saxon stock by which
this country was settled, bringing with 1t,
as it did, the English habits OF respect Tor
constituted authorities and submission tc
the laws, we have had very large iniluN
into this country of populations who hay'
no other instrument. of freedom except VIC
lence, who, in fact, know nothing of free
dom, confounding it with the idea OF hay
ing everything their own way, irrespective
of the wishes interests and rights OF 9th
ers Pride, says high authority, goe
before fall, and there are but too eViden
indications that unless this nation arouse
itself to desperate exertion to reeStabliSf
the purity of its institutions, our fall is neal
at hand. Violence at the polls, and, wher
that will not serve, palpable fraud in de
claring the result of the elections have be
come regular part Of the tactics employ
ed bv the pseudo Democratic party to keeI
itself in power These, barcfaced and afro
cions, are not confined to any particular
section Of the country. We see them now
in Minnesota, as means of controlling The
State elections and securing TO the party
, two United States Senators now in Kan
sas, employed with a like object in view
now in st. Louis, with intent to deprIv
the troublesome Mr. Blair of his seat
the House of Representatives now i
Maine, in hopes Of gaining Democratl
representative and now in the CITY G
=, New ork, employed to exclude Repub
lcan Common Councilmen from their seats
and to keep the city little while longe
. un der the control OF thieves aud plunde
: erS.
y Nor does this system of cheating conliI
). itself merely to the original elections by Il
people, nor is it limited to the returnin
officers of those elections. 1t has bee
= adopted by those very bodies in which alor
Il lies the power of applying an adeqna'
n remedy to these frightful outrages. IhI
+ we see the pseudo Democratic members
the Legislature of Indiana combining t
A gether to give false certificates as Senator
y Of the United States to a couple Of impo
tors, and that very Senate of the Unite
States, whose first great duty it is to guar
= our republican system against such attemp
e to destroy it, making itself party to Il
fraud, and welcoming these impudent chea
i to seat in their own body. Indeed, wh
else could be expected of a Senate whiC
had already disgaced itself in the eyes
the nation and the world by giving its al
countenance and support to the Bord
Rullian ntruders from Missouri, who hi
driven the people of Kansas from the poi
and returned Legislature to suit theI
selvss.
But this horrible corruption, this {
Of tempt to substitute fraud, false voting al
ID false returns in place of the freedom
- choice on the part of the people, has a
re cended even higher than the United Stat
Senate The Federal Executive Admi
istration has fully come into this scheme
y keeping itself aud its party in power
nr the use of these Infamous means. T
lg whole project of the Border Rufian usl
patton in Kansas, if it did not originate
President Pierce's Cabinet was fully indo
Ell ed and supported by it while Preside
Ie Buchanan, intent upon forcing upon III
- sas the bogus LecomptOn document, viii
as pretended TO be the draft of a State o.
r. 4 4. = l. =