Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-10-23

STATEMENT Of Mr.. LEHMAN.

I'm philadelphia. :
STATEMENT Of Mr. LEHMAN
Mr.. Lehman has pnt forth the follow
ing statement in reference to the fraud
in the First Congressional District Of
Pepnsy lvanIa:
EellOw Citisens Of the First Con-
gressional District::-An open and most
atrocious frand has been perpetrated on
your rights, demanding the serious con
slderat on OF every good citizen. No
attempt has been made 1t cOncealneDt;
no mutlstion or DETACHMENT Of the Of
fetal returns on file in the proper Of
flee +; no tampering with the ballot box
es; but bolt, defiant fraud, patent to
the world, which can be ascertained by
an examination Of the general returns,
| now on record in the office Of the Pro-
thonotary Of the Court Of Common
Pleas, The fraud is admitted. 1t is
conceded that was elected fairly; but
it was determined to give John NJ. But
might take his seat; aud this was &C
complshed by the presentation OF
forged general return, by MIR. William
Bi'ely, the return Judge of the fourth
ward, III place Of TIE true return, which
had been handed him by the ward
judges. The true return gave me ma
jority of 555 in this ward. The false
return snbstracted 1859 from my vote,
and added 1875 to Mr.. Buffers vote,
whereby my majority was reduced to
229. The fabricated return is forgery
ffem beginning to end. The figures
are mostly false. The signatures OF the
judges are forged.
The other judges who acted with Mr.
B'rely pronounce the paper he produced
forgery, and that it is not the return
which they entrusted him with to hand
10 az the return of his ward. The re-
turn they made out and gave to him
corresponded with the official vote now
on file in the office of the Court of Com
mon Pleas. Mr.. Birely alleges igno-
rance and innocence; that the return
he handed in was forged, and substitu-
ted without his privity. have only to
say that on the evening previous pre-
pared an accurate copy Of the official re-
turns of the district, including his ward,
and that asked him to check off from
this paper the returns as they were read
off by the President of the Board OF
Return Judges, to see that no error o.
CURED. On the morning Of the meet
ing of the Return Judges, few mo-
mcnts before the session commenced, |
rem nded him Of this, and he said that
he would see that all was right. The
return handed in by Mr.. Birely was
false one, an open and admitted forgery,
by which your Representative elect has
been deprived OF the certificate to which
he was justly entitled. Mr.. Birely has
been arrested, and the proper tribunal
will determine the question of his guilt
or innocence. Some bold villain has
done this wrong, and in justice to you
will spare no effort to bring him to pun
'shment. do not SO much complain Of
the minor tools of this stupendous
fraud, but of the bold, bad men who
concocted it; and l further complain of
the Return Judges who sanctioned it
who denied me hearing, and by mo-
ton expelled me from the room.
If Mr.. Blrely was imposed upon by
some designing knave, and he inadver-
tently presented a forged paper, differ
ent from the one he had received, he
had a right to withdraw it, and the
President ought. in common fairness, to
have entertained my protest, and sent
for the official returns to rectity the mis-
take or expose the fraud. Suppose the
paper presented by Mr.. BireIy had been
a play bill or tailor's bill lii might
just as well have been for Mr.. Birely's al
legation is that be was the victim of in
advertarce) had not Mr.. Birely a right
to withdraw it, aud had not right to
ask for correction? The paper pre-
scented by Mr.. Birely was false, fabri-
Gated and forged document, substituted
to deceive and cheat, for the purpose of
giving Mr.. Butler the certificate of cleo
ton, and depriviug you of a representa-
tive elect. To correct mistakes is the
universal privilege of every body Of
men, whether ministerial or judicial,
and the Board of Return Judges had a
right to correct this paper upon the ale
CATION of Mr.. BireIy, that it was not the
paper he intended to present. Mr..
Blrely admitted the paper to be for.
gerry, and averred that he had been i'm
posed upon, and if it was not the paper
that he received from the Judges of his
wad, the President of the Board of
Return Judges was bound to allow q
correction of the error.
This is a plain statement, and an in
telligent public can judge where the
crimlnality rests. l charge that this
great frand on your rights was deliber-
ately projected, and sought to be ac-
complished in the precise way in which
1t was done. | charge that the Board
Of Return Judges gave official sanction
to this fraud, whether inadvertently or
not, by denying me the simple right to
explain and correct an alleged mistake
We IN y be living in free country, but
| question il, in the whole civilized globe,
the request to be heard in Case of open
and paIpable wrong, of gross and de-
cided fraud, would be denied. The
Board of Return Judges imperatively
denied me this right to bring to their
notice q bold and Infamous piece of vii
lainy. This may be party tactics, and
party chivalry-but every honest and