The Portland daily press., 1862-11-19
singular Respect for Political Fairness.


The devil was wel-the devil monk was he
We don't say the Argus is devil, or that it
would be monk, but its newborn respect for
the sacred rights of the people, and its pro-
found regard for political fairness, naturally
call to mind the parallel case of him who,
when sick, would be monk, but when well
was content to be only devil. The follow
ing we clip from that paper Of yesterday:
"The Press is very honest, and goes for the
people, of course. 1t sees strict honesty in
the game of fac smile ballots that cheated
some Union men into voting for Rice, when
they thought they were voting for Sleeper.
Also, the Press laughs at the Democratic ma
jority in Wisconsin, and says it is barren
victory, because the State had been so gerry
wandered, that the Aboltionists have the Leg
islature and will have an Abolition United
States Senator. In both these cases the will
of a majority of the people is thwarted by a
cheat-but it is all very pleasant to papers
like the Abolition organ of this city,"
"Fdc simiie ballots p The Argus intends
to convey the impression by this expression,
that the Republicans Of Mr.. Rice's district, in
Ward IL, South Boston, cheated honest DEM
ocrats, who intended TO vote for Mr.. Sleeper,
and really thought they were voting for him,
by getting up ballots precisely in appearance
like the Democratic ballots, except Mr.. Rice's
name was inserted 10 place of Mr.. Sleeper's-
In other words, that Democrats were deceived
by split tickets. Now does that Immaculate
sheet pretend that 10 has never resorted to
split tickets to swell the vote Of party favor
tie, or to lessen that of an adversary? Does
It mean that such lodges are not as old as the
modern Democratic party, to say the least?
Would it intimate, if legble ballots are put
into the ballot-box by a qualified elector, that
the official vote receivers or vote counters
have the slightest right in the world to reject
those votes, to refuse to count them, or to
question their legitimacy? The Argus re-
buking deception of this kind! The Argus,
which, from its infancy, has been ready to en-
dorse any fraud, no matter how infamous, that
would bring grists to its party mill! the
Argus, which never saw the day that it would
not have stood at the door Of ward-room
and placed in the hands of honest but igno-
rant voters, ballots of its own, knowing that
they wished to vote for opposing candidates.
But that was when the Argus was well, and
its party was well, and then "a devil of a
monk was it disposed to be.
But now its party is sick, and the most pro-
found respect is professed for political fairness
and honesty, and hence the paragraph quoted
above. If fac simile ba.ots had been used,
and with view to deceive, the legality of the
election would not be nullifed, though the act
would be infamous, and deserve the reprehen-
sion of all good men. But such was not the
case. When the Argus published the para
graph above it had the means before it of
knowing better. 1t then had before it the
evening Journal containing the plain, honest,
truthful statement of Mr.. Horatio n. Crane,
Warden of Ward IL, in relation to this matter,
In which he says:
at is currently reported that these twenty
eight votes were similar in every respect to
the Peoples and Democratic tickets. excepting
the name of Mr.. Rice substituted for that of
Mr.. Sleeper To this paragraph / reply, these
twenty-eight votes were not similar in any
respect to the Peoples or Democratic tickets,
but were dssimilar in every respect, having
vignette entirely different from any other
ticket circulated at the polls on the day of
election; neither was there any semblance in
SsyASs vim Va Piibb W any OtuCi tiShCl.
FAC smile ballots One word more: does
the piously Inclined Argus remember the vote
for member of Congress In a certain town of
Westbrook, on the 9Th of September last? p
Does 1t remember that a "fac simile ballot"
was then surrep,itiously introduced into that
town, In all respects-form, quality of paper,
style of type, etc.-like the regular Democrat
ic ticket, except that the name of Lorenzo d.
u. Sweat was omitted? Does it remember
that from seventy to ninety of these ballots
were actually got into the ballot box, and
chiefly by honest men who wished to vote for
Mr.. Sweat, and really thought they were doing
so? Does it remember how near that trick
came to defeating Mr.. s.? Has it forgotten
vho-what distinguished Democrats-were
at the bottom of the trick? Has IL erer re-
baked them? Has it even limited at their sin
of attempting to ''thwart the will of MAORI
ty Of the people by a cheat?" Has it erer re-
pented for aiio,cing such ballots to be issued
from its o,cn officer The Argus, the con-
sistent Argus, anonymously whining because
voters were, as it would falsely pretend, misled
by the adversary, and yet itself prvy to a
base attempt to cheat its oun party friends
to slaughter its own household members in the
very sanctuary of political rights. This is the
consistency of the Argus.
That paper, too, affects great horror because
State has been gerrymandered,a las it declares,
so as to give Legislature in opposition to
popular majority. Does that immaculate sheet
pretend there is anything unusual in this or
in the fact that representatives are chosen
by districts to give voice to local majorities
The spirit which would revolt at this result
can be satisfied with nothing short of electing
a Legislature by general State ticket. But
the idea of the Argus revolving against a
gerrymander; that is the climax of absurdi-
ty. Who gerrymandered the State and formed
the "Comet District" of some twenty years
ago, when the Maine fourth district extended
from Penobscot Bay - Owls Head-to the
Canada line, with bridge to connect the
Counties OF Lincoln and Oxford of single
town in Kennebec-the town of Greene?
The will of majority of the people
thwaTted by cheatw That sounds honest,
but how long since the Argus, if it did not OPP
emily justify, at least did not bring SO much as
railing accusation" against the enormous
cheat perpetrated against nine-tenths of the
people of a distant territory, and contended
that swindle, or as Senator Hammond styled
It, "a fraud all reeking with blood" was good
enough to force upon the people of Kansas by