Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-05-06

saC - III
A meeting of the City Democratic Central
Committee was held. pursuant to previous notice.
on Thursday. April 80, 1863.
James b Ryan, Chairman, called the meeting
to order, whereupon Mr.. North was appointed
Secretary.
A Seidensticker presented the following com
munication from the candidates on the Demo.
cratic city ticket, viz:
That the Democratic candidates on the CITY
and Ward tickets reported that they unanimously
agreed to withdraw from the canvass.
On motion. Mr.. Betticher and ] Null were
appointed a to act with the candidates
committee to draft an address to be laid before
the people of the CITY and State.
The said committee reported the following 40.
dress which was unanimously adopted.
JAS. B RYAN,
Chm Dem. City Elk. Com.
M. NORTH, Secretary.
To the Citizens of Indianapolis and The State at
large:
The undersigned, being the Democratic candi-
dates nominated for the respective CITY and Ward
offices, To be filled at the city election ensuing on
the 9th day OF May, 1863, respectfully announce
to their Democratic friends and the citizens pene
rally, that, with the concurrence of the Demo
cratic Executive Committee, we have unanimous
~ resolved to withdraw from the canvass and 10
advise our friends to abstain from any participa-
ton in said election.
In taking a step, which is so unusual and so
much at variance with the trusts assumed by us
in the acceptance of our respective nominations.
we feel that it is due to ourselves, our party and
the community generally. to publicly assign the
reasons which have forced us, reluctantly, to
adopt this course.
Within this city it is we'll known. but outside
Of il, perhaps, but little understood. that the Dem
ocrats of our city and township have for years
been excluded from a fair representation in Elec
ton Boards. Such a thing had not been heard
Of before the Republican party got into power.
For more than thirty years. Wings, Democrats
and other party denominations. succeeded each
in power, but at No time was the minority exclu-
ded from a fair representation on the Boards of
Election. Does it, indeed. need any argumeDt to
show the vital Importance of this practice to the
permanency of republican institutions? Alas,
that in our midst. it does! How can a republican
government exist except by general acquiescence
in the will of the majority? And now can such
acquiescence be expected, or obtained. unless the
elections ordered to ascertain the decision of the
majority. are SO conducted as to impress all with
reasonable certainty that a fair majority decision
will and can be Obtained2 And how can there be
such confidence. if the minority party is systemati
cally excluded from all supervision of the ballot
boxesI What does such exclusiOn-not for
once, or twice NOT in consequence of accident, or
passion, but persisted in for years-practised
Systematically, in violation of numberless pledges
and promises-what does such exclusion argue,
but that the party in power means to maintain its
supremacy by means fair or foul: nav, more, that
it is necessary for them. and that they will and
do tamper with the purity OF the ballot box. to
attain this object.
The Democrats of the city and township have
not failed to use all the efforts at their command
to remedy this dangerous abuse and outrage upon
the rights of the people. They have remonstra-
ted. argued and duplicated; they have appealed,
privately and publicly. To obtain a representation
uLon the Election Boards. and to put down the
impression that the ballot boxes were polluted for
partisan purposes; but every effort to that end
has been frustrated toy the party in power. When
we appointed committees to confer with and ar
range for this purpose with Republican commit.
tees, and an arrangement was effected. il was
broken under the pretence that the Inspectors of
Election had TO arrange this matter under the
law When our candidates. or representatives,
appealed to the Inspectors, and obtained their
promises and pledges for a minority representa-
ton, they were broken. because party committees,
or party friends. had objected TO the carrying out
of the promise. If we attempted to insist npon.
or enforce our rights. we were told they would
not yield to dictation, or menncSs; when we sup
plicated and spoke mildly, we were haughtily in
formed that the community was satisfied with the
arrangements, as they were. We cannot repeat
the numerous. various and shifting pretexts and
pretences By which our efforts we're foiled, but
the result was the same; no Democras in whose
vigilance and firmueSS his party iriend- confided,
was allowed a place on the Election Boards; aud
in the latter years. NIL but such as acted with The
party IN power. were excluded therefrom. These
are the facts. and we ask again. what deduction
can be drawn from them, unless that corruption
was necessary, and has been freely usedi in all our
late contests, to maintain the present party in
power?
The contest in which we were engaged, was
unequal and unfair; but still we carried it on.
We hoped for a return of reason. or at least ofhon-
esty; and the shameless partisans in power seemed
to fear what we hoped; for. not satisfied with all
the appliances Of corruption in their hands. they
fostered. and called out mob violence to maintain
their power.
At the April Township Election, the violence
of an armed mob reigned supreme. Before noon,
narlv every Democrat who distributed Democratic
tickets, had been driven of the ground Demo
critic candidates and voters were hunted through
the streets rs though they were wild beasts. Men
either had to flee for their lives. or to be abused,
beaten and kicked nv a mercileSs mob, aided,
ahetted and melted by the entire police force of
the citv. The Military Commandant of the
State found it necessary to cover the election
ground with bayonets, to prevent murder and
other crimes, by the Infatuated mob.
Only one thing was necessary to complete the
similarity of the scenes in our city with those ell
acted by the infamous Know Nothing mob, on
the memorably blue Monday " in Liuisville, or
with the election riots in Baltimore. under the
auspices of ''plug ugly" and "blood tubs'-and
that WAS the resistance on the part of the victims!
Does any one suppose, that if anything like re
~Sistance had been shown. the virulance of the
mob here would have stopped short of the out
RACES in Louisville or Balumore2 And if resist
ance had been made, another point of comparison
would have arisen, as in the cities named. the or
gans of the party responsible for the mob outrages
attempted to show, that the prosecuted and muir
dered Germans and Irish had been conspiring to
drive their ASSISTANTS from the polls; so in our
case. Long editorials, full of shameless ssser-
tons. and columns of afidavits of ~puriured wit
nesses, would no doubt have established the fact
that the beaten and oppressed Democrats were
solely responsible for ell Disturbances.
Fortunately for our city tins climax was not
reached. Democrats did not offer any resistancel
Their rights were outraged. their persons abused
and attacked; everything done to justify, perhaps
provoke resistance; but they abStained. and thus
our city was saved from greater shame. Yet it
was great enough to set public opinion against n
repetition The men of respectability among the
ruling party saw and declared the doings of the
april Monday to be a great wrong. They assur-
ed, that it should not be repeated, and that fair
ness should rule at the ensuing city election.
If The Township election result was anything
like a test of the strength of parties, they could
indeed afford not only to be just but generous.
They claimed to have received a majority exceed
ing the entire Democratic vote. Could they not
with such a majority, with the entire municipal
County aud State Government in their hands,