The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-02-28

SotSteeo' AHtfTStE. T ,DyG5tytOiG'
carroll ..................tz 40 ,t- As
Calhoun. Is ~
Ue!aWAte. 542 3ZS
Dubuque. .........,.... 1859 2,469 p
UIeeH 1850. q, 80 Ia NJ
Johnson. ............. l 472 56S
iowa. ~. ~ i29 sea IL
sac 40 ~
b oq,a Z. 49i ~
Total. ......,..,..,...6,l4S 3,s93
This shows the CONTESTANTS aggregate vote to
be :, $50 less than the number cast tor Merritt
in the same counties. In these counties the
Republican candidate for Governor received
6,4l6 votes, which being added to Merritt,s vote
gives an aggregate of 1889 votes, while the
CONTESTANT received but $3.50. The people
would not vote tor the gentleman; bis own party
associates would not vote for tim, notwithstand.
ing the secret circular advising them so to do
This was the result of several cause.-the people
did not believe vacancy existed; it was not
gen. rally known that any person was in the field
as candidate for Congress, and the geEtleman's
political principles were SO odious that but few
who we're apprised OF his candidacy would vote
for him. as viii show presently. i
Mr. BYINGT0N. VIII the gentleman permit
me to ask him one question? I am not permit
ted to reply, and DESIRE therefore, that he viii
pemit me TO interrupt him.
Mr. WILSON. yield. l.2A 141 $50 .,
Mr. BYINGTON, I ask if the papers in this
case do not show that the canvassns officers in
these counties steadily refused TO return any
votes for member OF Consress?,2 Sh' ~ l#"
Mr. WILSON. I can give g few facts ia re-
gard 20 that, think, from the papers presented
by the gentleman to the Committee of Elections,
The gentleman started cut il search of lost
votes, alleging that e large number lhad been
east tor him which were not returned by the
local officers; that they refused to forward these
votes to the State canvassing officers In order
| to obtain information as to the votes cast but
not returned, the gentleman addressed letters to
various friends, making inquiries in relation
| thereto, and he placed before the Committee of
Elections some OF the answers received BY him.
Here is one Of them :9f ~ gai&s bsssai
LIE CLAIRE, Iowa, Feb, s, 1882.
DEAR Sir: have been quite i'll since the
receipt OF your letter in. relation to votes being
polled for you at the October election at Prince.
ton As soon as get able to travel v i'll 60
there and gee about it, if it will in any way as
estycu. The extraordinary course Of the Dem>
ocratahd News, at Davenport, after Judge Ma.
con declined, threw everything connected with
the election in this county into confusion, or
large votewouid have been given for YOU in all
the to ~nships. Here We had meeting On Sat.
urday evening before the election, and ordered
tickets printed 10 suit ourselves, ard saw to it
that the Judges of. election made return of
your vote. "A few Of Our tickets, understand,
got TO Princeton anG were voted there; bet gen.
orally the ballots went, in without anv name for
Congress. j A, BuYchard, in Pleasant Valley
township, got tickets printed for; that township
with the names OF Saniueis and Williams on, but
regretted that he knew nothing about your run
ning Ter Congress Still you got some votes
there. Please write again on this subject
| Truly yours, &C., LAUREL SUMMERS.
hon, l. BYIAGToE. 1svo g4a a.saJ IDS 15.
Now, sir, in order to make this letter of Mr..
Summers more significant, will call the at
tention Of the House to the letter addressed to
him by the contestant, which is also given in
the evidence. tits as follows: ri aGo;3Ga
-saN I6o Washington, January %, 1862
/ MY DEAR SIR: BY certified abstract, this
day received from MIR. Clifford, the clerk of
your district court, through Judge Grant,
ind that NO votes we're returned for me for
Congress in October last by any township
board Of your county, except from LIE Claire.
1t being within my personal knowledge that
large numbers of votes were given for me at
Princeton. Pleasant Valley, Blue Grass, and
perhaps other townships in your county, re.
quest tn .. Sou will do me the favor to obtain
from Il township election officers of Prince.
ton, which is nearest you, a certified abstract
OF the vote of said township for Congress, and
to send the same, together with charges, to me
at this place Immediately. 1896
%. ? ssy . Il LEGkAND BYINGToN.
Hon. LAUREL SUMMERS, LIE Claire, Iowa.
The gentleman claimed to know that large
numbers of votes were given to him in the pre-.
cincts of Pleasant Valley, Princeton, and Blue
Grass, but is informed by MIR Summers, in bis
reply, that very few votes were cast for him
That is the success with which the gentleman
met IN his hunt after lost votes. He common.
ced his search more than year ago, bu,
finding he could make nothing out Of It, gave
Il 1t up and presented to the committee two on
three letters from different parties, with the
remark that he only presented enough to show
that some votes cast for him had not been re-
turned, and asked the committee to conclude
that o very large number must have been cas-,
for him in all the counties from which no re.
turns were made That such was the fact,
however, there is no proof, nor do believe
there were any more votes cast for the gentle.
man than he has presented to the committee
He has bestowed too much labor on this case
to have failed to ascertain and present to the
committee every vote cast for him. .!A p
Mr.. Speaker, the facts which have stated
must convince every mind that the electors o,
the second Congressional district Of Iowa did
not believe that q legal election for Represen.
ltatives in Congress Gould be held by them ia
1851. They knew there was no vacancy in
the represen alton, and that the, election held
IN October, 1860, was legal and complete
Had this not been their belief in the premi-
ses, they would have settled the question In
such manner as to have precluded the posi-.
bliity of contest in this body The electors
Of that district never let an election 90 by de.
fault For many years they have steadily