Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-07-26

sion OF government powers nav he illustrated
established and made good against any possible
contradiction.
MILITARY INrIgFEREScE Win ELECTIONS.
This has taken place in two wsys.
lst By the selection OF soldiers OF the army to
be sent home temporarily 70 participate 10 State
elections
This practice, Ia competition with sending home
on such occasions large numbers OF Govern merIt
officials aud employees IN the civil service, has
changed the result OF fnanv State elections and
given 10 tue party IN power au unjust advantage.
With the isrge powers possed by the Administer
ton foT the purposes OF war; with the large in
creased appointments 10 civil office, and the EN-
plOyment OF vast numbers OF persons ia all parts
OF the country Ia the business OF Government
the Adminstsation..a and its party nave been ena
bel u Influence elections to an alarming extent
The powers conferred by the whole people upon
the government, and the revenues derived by
taxation from the whole people or derived from
loans which become charged upon the whole
mass of individual property, have been used in an
indefinite number of WAYS for party purposes. and
TO secure to the Republican interests in the Fed
eral and State Governments the continuous pos
session of power. The injustice and corrupt
tendency of this system cannot be denied, and
alone should be held sufficient TO condemn the
party OF the Administration. IL is notorious
that time after time, on the eve of doubtful cleo
tons thousands of voters have been sent home
from the army to turn the scales between parties
and to secure an Administration triumph And
this has been done, not npon the principle of
sending home citizen soldiers Unfortunately
and without reference to their political opinions
and attachments which would have been just but
upon the principle Of selecting Republican SOL
diers, or OF granting Burroughs upon the condition
OF promise from the person favored that they
would support the Administration candidates.
We mention elections ia New Hampshire, Con
necticut and PeDusy lyania as instances Of such
most base and unjust proceedings by which un-
scrdpulous power has defeated the true express
ion of popular opinion and obtained political adj
vantsses which were shameful to il and deeply
injurious to the country. viii "a free people
consent to have their system OF elections thus
perverted and corrupted. and expect to enjoy in
spite thereof the Deaceable fruits Of good govern
ment and honest rule!
% A still more grave ofiense against the pu
rity and Independence Of elections has been COM
mitted by the Administration in the States of
Missouri. Kentucky, Maryland aud Delaware.
The particular circumstance OF Government in
reference were somewhat different in each OF
those State but the substantial facts IN all were
these:
/ J. That the military power of the general gov
ernment Was directly applied to control the cleo
tons; and that officers and soldiers of the United
States openly used for The purpose.
2. That the States in question were at the
lime IN Il state OF profound peace and quiet, and
that with the exception Oi single congressional
district in kentucky, no rebel raid or invasion
into them WAS then in progress expected.
3. That inseach of them there existed an ad-
herring State government, exercising complete
and unquestioned jurisdiction under Governors
and other State officials whose devotion and ide!
| ity TO the government OF the United States we're
/ unquestionabe.
| 1. That there was no official call upon the
! Federal government BY the Executive or Legis-
a,ure of any one of those States for protection
=! against domestic violence under the particular
! provision OF the Constitution >Df the United
States authorizing such CALI but that the inter
ference in most cases was against the desire. anC
notably in the case of Maryland against the pro-
! test OF State authorities.
1 j. That thousands of qualified persons were
prevented from voting at those elections, aud il
most of those States the result OF the election
was charged from what i; would have been with
/ out military interference. The aged and timiC
were deferred from attending the elections; many
/ who attended were kept from approaching The
/ polls and, IN many cases, actual outrage pre-
! vented the legal voter from exercising his right
! The full proof of all this appears in a number o
/ contested election cases in Congress, in officia
papexs from the Governors OF tue States il
ques1ion IN reports of the committees of th,
State Legislatures and from other reliable sour
ces; and we recommend the whole subject, a!
one of fearful importance, to the examination
and judgment OF our countrymen.
CREATION OF BOGUS STATES.
The steps taken toward establishing system
of false and unjust representation in the govern
ment of the United States should also be care
fully considered.
In the first place let Us consider what has takeI
place in regard to the State of Virginia. Ii
] 1850, Virginia had population Including slaves
of .596,3lo; Pennsylvania a population of q
goo ,2l5; New York a population of 3.3S0'735
! While the two States last named adhered faith
/ fully to the government of the United States
and have since borne on its behalf their props
share of the burdens of the war, Virginia revolt
ed, and two thirds of her population was thrown
into the scale of the enemy. What result fol-
lowed as TO the representation OF that State in th
Congress of the Union? The Comparatively
small part of the State which adhered to tn,
Union was recognized as constituting, for politca
purposes, the State of Virginia; improvise,
Legislature of this adherng fragment of tn
4 State elected two Senators, who were admitte,
TO the Senate of the United States. and Repre-
sertatives from the same territory were admitted
into the Federal House of Representatives. Th,
liberal principles of construction upon which thi
| was done may stand justified by the peculiar cir
cumstances of the case But there was iurthe
| proceeding for which no warrant of power pre-
tence of necessity can be shown. A part of tn,
adhering Virginia territory was permitted to form
itself into a new State, admitted into TIA,
| Union under the name of West Virginia, (al
| though the Constitution of the United States de-
clares that State shall be divided for the forma
ton of a new one without the express assent O
the Legislature Thereof and Senators thereiron
were admtteirfito the United States Senate A
very small part OF the old State, not included
/ within tie boundaries oi the new one, remained
/ within our military lines. To he, well a. th,
new State. represented by two members in I'll,
senate Thus. under Republican manipulate
one third OF the ancient State OF Virginia ha.
four votes in the Senate of the United States
aud NAV neutralize the votes of both New
York aud Pennsylvania in that body The" An
Client Dominion" with population a little ex
ceeding one-half that of Pennsylvania, is repre-
sented by tour Senators in the Congress OF th,
United States. aud by two in the Confederat,
Congress, AT Richmond. Pennsylvania, with bel
three millions of people, remains true TO the
| Union, and retains her former vote in the Senate
! Virginia turns traitor. s~nds twO-thirds OF her
! population under the Confederate flag, aud Tor Ia
! with hiss her representation doubled il the Senate
Ol the United States. end that. too. IN defiance
+ OF A constitutional provision loibl jdIn: Il. and
avoided only upon strained construction or IN
plicatOn totally AZ variance with the plain fact
: Against the plain truth OF the case. and without
necessity. il assumed that the Legislature Oi
a fragment of a State represented the whole ioi