Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-10-20


That the Republican party has won
" magnificent victory in Pennsylvania,
a victory which in its splendor has sur
prIsed even the most enthusiastic and
sangulne members of that party, 10
true. But it is with the most painful
feelings, and a shudder at the baseness
Of the crime, that We are compel Ell to
chronicle TIE fact that the lus,er OF that
victory is dimmed by an audacious tor
gerry and that the criminal has been ar
rested and bound over to answer the
charge. 1t may not be surprising that
when the papers Of the Republican par
ty daily publish deliberate and wlful
falsehoods, and TO sustain the lies boldly
and basely faIsify the public records Of
the country, that individuals should
commit forgery. While Republican
''consm'ttees' attempt to impose upon
the people daring misrepresentation,
and publish in defence Of the fraud a
pretended extract from the records, it
Is not strange that individual members
Of that party, when acting as Judges OF
election should forge returns. William
Bycrly, Republican return judge Of the
4th Ward in the city of Philadelphia,
10 whom the returns of that Ward were
handed for safe keeping on the night Of
election, in the morning handed to the
President Of the meeting of judges a
forged return, by which Butler, the Re-
publican candidate for Congress in the
LIST District, was made to receive in the
4th Ward llGO votes, instead Of 1908,
as appears from the trne return filed in
the Prothonotary's office Of the Court OF
Common Pleas, TINS electing Butler in
this District. 1t is often the case that
in the heat OF a violently contested polit-
lcal campaign that journals often care
lessly and thoughtlessly publish state
ments which are not strictly true, and it
has been unfortunately the case that in
this campaign the Republican presses Of
the countr; have been filled to an extent
hitherto unparalleled with the grossest
aud yllest tasehoods. Witness the au-
dacious lies in reference to Mr.. Doug as
action upon the Homestead measure, in
regard to his speech at IIarrsburgh, and
numerous equally false statements.
And again we say that when public
Journals and COMMITTEES" arc SO uttcrl y
lost in the excitement OF a political con
test toj all principles Of morality and
honesty, the people need not be sur
prised that men who, under the solem.
nifty of an oath have pledged them
selves to be honcst and impartial, will
commit high crimes for party purposea
when men daily see that public journals
may with impunitv, 'Jor party pr
poses," publish deliberate and wllfn
talsehoods, and may, to sustain the
falschood, publish false, a forged
record, and that committees" may dc
the same thing without tear Of punish
ment, it cannot be long before they, by
force of the example, will cody anc
deliberately violate the sanctlty Of the
ballot box for party purposes. We cal
upon the Republican organ in this cit,
to denounce the crime, unless it wishe:
to be considered as All accomplice
While it may have published in thi'
campaign false statements, and false
records, and excused the acts, we are
not prepared to believe that it will ex
cuse the deliberate forgery of the re-
turns of elections.