Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-09-16
"sPLIT TICKETS,

Inc hgures OF this County show a rarnsrL
able inequality in the ~footings of the vo..
for the several names upon the regular p.
publican ticket We think that tbars
been no such extensive splitting Of the tick..
for the last seven years. The county r.
flooded with split tickets. There were s,r;..
on each of the more important Offices on -bs
County ticket, and splits to counteract spE
These tickets were, in SOM cases. circula,.l
by men of respectabllity and high in -l.
confidence of the party In some towns r.
we are correctly informed, regular candida.
of the party ~conspired ior the defeat Of -bs-
co-nominees, by such irregular proceedins.
In one case, at least, tie regular tickets ws-s
suppressed
In view of such a notifying record. if
proper for rs to state that the regular did. =.
and only the regular tickets, were printed q,
this Office, and were duly delivered fr dis
tribution to parties supposed to be -rus.-v.r.
thy. We have the names Of the men Pm
whom the various packets were delivered
and we are inclined to think it would Be d-.
ing a service to the party and the Community
if the tickets, in each case of suprres>.17
were traced to the hands which last race.v-f
them, and the names of the parties cJacer-,l
put on record for the instruction Of the ruI--,
The pressure of other duties, however. Will
not allow us the requisite time for such an
Investigation, and we content ourselves
day with some general remarks.
In the present condition of society. a party
organization of the good and wise men. isa
necessity. Without it our rulers and rerrs
sentatives will inevitably be selected by
banded knavery and corruption. No party
can stand without respect for its nomination.
on the part Of its individual members. II the
good mel and true will attend The prinq-5
meetings., nominations which will command
respect will be secured. If nomination in
Convention is unfairly made, the Convention
is the place in which 70 enter the protest
against 1t. If the voters have not been rer-
resented, and cannot c-onscientiousIv suppor-
a nomination, they can always, in this free
country, call a new Convention. and openly
announce their Independent ticket. Such a
proceeding is az least aboye-board, and can
be engaged in without dishonor. But as for
the concoctIon and circulation Of the .' SpIf
ticket proper-a ticket bearing q title which
does not belong to it, initiating in shape and
style the regular ticket while differing from
it, and designed 10 be showed into the aandof
the -unsuspecting voter, who IS thus cheated
into voting as he did not mean to, we look
upon it in much the same light a. the circu-
of counterfeit money, and we should
De glad to have it made 4 penal offence ~
aw.
That the deception, in which consists the
wrong Of the operation, was practised
" all who distributed split tickets last week
tuesday, we are far from stating. In many
asses, to our knowledge. the split ticket was
oted, with a full knowledge IN the voters
art; In many other cases, the cheat was
xactly what we have here described-a de
cit as mean as it proved in the general result
o be futile, and ~justifable only by the detest-
maxim, that " any thing IS far in poll
les "a maxim which belongs Of right to
he creed of our democratic opponents, and
which We are sorry to find in practice among
republicans.