Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-06-11
Election Frauds.

Good men and true have long lcareu ioi 'io
perpetuity of the American Union. NOT SO
much, perhaps, from any particular events
indicating it, as from the fact that all human
history shows a perpetual succession OF gov
ernments, all exhibiting revolutionary ori-
gin, steady, rapid rise to greatness, and
then a display of wanton corruption, ending
with an inevitable decline and decay. Histo-
ry shows that the elimination of every dy-
nasty has been marked by the most bold,
omen. and shameless exhibition of corruption
in the highest official positions. And with
the universal testimony of this perpetual TACT
before us, It is no wonder the truest and best
of the people fear for our Government, when
they witness its course, and its rapid culmi-
nation of a course of corruption that puts all
semblance Of shame to blush.
But the people of the descendants of old
Plymouth are true at heart; and from the
| moral power of New England, and its wide
spreading posterity, in all the Northern ana
| Western States, we have an abiding faith
will come the salt that shall preserve the spir-
it of our institutions from utter decay-an
abiding faith in their power of recuperatlon,
| and that their free schools and educated con-
science will yet prove stronger than all the
corruption of Government officials
Conservatism has always feared an elective
| Government. Its fear has been based on
doubt of popular capacity to select wisely
from the candidates before them. But our
successful experience thus far has shown that
there is no real cause for this fear-that the
popular intelligence has been always sufti'
cient, in the main, to discern the true from
the false, and to discard those who have be-
trayed them. And this same successful ex
pertinent has also taught that the real danger
to an elective system lies not in the want o
the peoples capacity to choose good men, but ii
their want of alertness in protecting them
selves against false returns, and the palmine
off for an election that which is not one.-
The history of the last few years shows tha
the people choose wisely enough, but the
real choice is defeated by false returns made
by Government officials.
Only a little while ago, the Board Of Can
vasscrs of Wisconsin gave certificate o
election of Governor to Mr.. WILLIAM a. BAR
STOW, in the face of such published return:
from the several Counties, that the mora
sense of the whole people was shocked. Al
appeal from their award to the Supreme
Court showed course of fraud, the magni
tudc of which was only paralleled by its bold
ness. An examination of papers showed re
turns from new election precincts, in which
the poll-list the oaths of Office, the names o
clerks, names of inspectors, and names OF no
taries and justices who witnessed the oath
were all in the same handwriting, and all Oh
paper which had the color, size, and maker
stamp, or imprint, of the paper bought TO
and used in the State Offices at the Capitol
This was in itself morally conclusive of fraud
but special messengers sent to examine tn
precincts reported, made oath that they hat
been to the townships named, that not
white inhabitant, nor a house nor shanty, no
any evidence of the least presence of civiiza
ton could be found therein, and that nowher
could they find any of the men whose name
purported to be on the pol-lists, or on tn
) lists OF sworn officers attached. In the fac
OF such palpable frand, the Court was oblig
eel to reverse the award of the canvassin.
board, and declare Mr.. BAsHroRn to be Gov
ernor instevd Of Mr.. BARsTow..
The public has been well advised of thu
frauds perpetrated in Kansas-frauds 81
great and shameless that their very audacity
astounded people-frauds of such a maeni