Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-10-28
THE EVENING STAR.
NEW YORK sOLDIERy VOTE.


From the Baltimore American, Oct. D.
AGRANp sCBEuE OF BALLOT BOX sTuPFINe.
One of the most stupendous and most sacri-
tra,eS n pn tSe sacred rights OF the elective
franchise has been partially and will be soon
fully laid bare in TINS city. We style the fraud
famed the rights of the dead the evider ce Ill
prove. The first intimation that the public in
this city had of the affair-although the facts
were known in official circles for two or three
days past-was the assem- bling at the Eutaw
House of a Military Commission composed of
Major General Abner Doubleday, United states
Francis Fessenden, United States Volunteers:
Colonel r. Butler Price, OF ID Pennsylvania
Cavalry: Lieutenant Colonel T A Barker, of
the lith New Hampshire; Captain J. H. Platt,
York Volunteers; with Colonel john a. Fos-
ter, OF the 175th New York, ap accomplishe
member OF the New York Bar, Us Judge Advo-
cate, TO try the case OF d. ]. Ferry, OF Canton
81. lawrence county. New 1ork, and Edward
Donahue, Jr., OF Albany, on the charge OF con-
duct preJud,ciai to the welfare OF the service,
cy falsely persOnating and frauduientiy sign
ing the names OF officers and soldiers OF the
United States to certain papers purporlng to
lie their ballots as citizens OF New York.
We are happy state that the parties con-
cerned are Identified with the interests of the
nominee OF the Chicago Con vsntion and Ho-
ratio Seymour OF New York, are agents for
securing the soldiers vote Of that State, and
hold commissions from the latter parsonage.
Their Vaccinations rival in extent ali COM
pleteness ytning ever recorded OF any OF
Gov. Seymonr's 'sfriends," not excepting the
dead Rabbits of NewsYork The acts of the
"Plug Uslies' of this city pale before those of
these Commissioners of New York, In the man
ner and style of fraud. We have frequently
heard Cf cases Of pollution of the ballot box in
the living. but this is the first Instance We be-
HeVe, In which the names of the dead have
been used In thousands to perpetrate fraud.
The discovery OF the mOdus 0perGndi OF the
working of the affair, ana the Incoutroyertible
evidence, which we think will lead 10 tue con-
a a wi pya roll 1,,4 a,, tog
According TO the law recently passed by the
Legislature of New York in relation T. the
voting OF soldiers and sailors, any one of either
class who may be in the field on shipOoard, IN
Vote, is nj out Aerb aux a enslosia 10
bis vote, execute power of satrerney--which
and witnessedb by another tOer- and for-H ard
the same to some person At his home, who.
must also be legal voter, who is auth orized
10 deposit the vote In the ballot box ON the daY
OF election. This has afforded a fine ED OF on.
erations for the Immaculate and spotless 'sDan-
ocratlc' party, who are constantly crying out
fraud against their opponents.
"A delay occurring III the receipt of these
proxies or votes III some of the counties of
New York, an ageut of the Union Central
Committee Of Clinton county was dispatched
10 this city 10 look after the m after, and dis
tribute tickets among the soldiers In camp and
hospital This gentleman, whom We w iii call
Jones Tor the time, found that something was
wrong I'D the voting, and thai, among other
innings, The oath necessary TO the power OF at
forney was not being administered. He pro-
ceeded to the office OF Gov. Seymour's Com.
missioner, Al. j. Ferry, No IS West Fay.tta
street, asserting his views, and representing
himself as New Yorker, told him that he
In the way of securing votes. Mr.. Ferry re.
piled that they were doing great deal more
10 an ne (Jonesl was aware of, and desired 10
Know If he had commission from Gov. Sey-
mour. Jones replied that he had not, but that
ne had been appointed as agent on the part of
MS county. He was then Informed that if he
had list OF the soldiers from his county i. was
unnecessary for hum to proceed any fu Their on
ms MISSION, as the yo,e could all be made on.
1T this city. Jones responded that this would
be accompanied with cons siderable trou BILE, aud
was met with the reply that the agency had
"nlgeer who signed all the powers OF attor-
ney.'
The intelligent contaband, laboring earnestly
for the cause Of Mcclellan and Seymour, Val
landigham and Ben Wood, was seen seated at
desk, buslly engaged signing notes i'll the in
tersst Of the peace t-any terms party As the
Governors of the Rebel States now believe the
negro should be placed in their armies, we can.
not be surprised al their friends on this side OF
the Appomattox using Them for their base
ends.
Mr.. Jones' attention was called from the
'nigger" to large blank book, with the re-
mark thai "that record book contains 2UOl
names OF men W no have been in the hospital
once-where they are now, whether dead or
alive, do not know, but they are all good for
q Democratic vOte.'
As Mr.. Jones was about 70 depart from the
office be was urgently requested to "help in
the work by the commissioner. and being fully
impTes sed with the rOttennes, and fraud OF the
entire arrangement, he consented. Mai Genl
Wallace was apprlsed OF the facts Of the case,
and with his usual promptness, at once set to
work TO bring matters to conclusion. Mr.
Jones was assigned by the agent of Gev. Sew
mour TO the work OF filling up blank votes, and
was excused from ''doctOring up'' his own
county on the plea that his writing might De
Known by some OF the supervisors OF the elec-
ton returns when they were opened
The work went brave.y on at No. $ West
filling up blank powers Of attorney in the
names OF deceased soldiers transcribed from
the records OF the hospitals in that city, Wash
ipgton, Annapolis, HarpeIs Ferry, and other
places, 10 which access had been had on the
ground that the names We're to be Published
for The information OF their families. Jones
took the place of one of the clerks, and filled
some OF the blanks, which yet needed the sig
nature OF commissioned office TO the affida-
Wit. He protested gret desire TO forward
several OF them to New York to the Democra-
tic committees to whom they wera to be trans
mittsd, but this was objected to by Ferry, who
stated that he must get Donahue to sign the
officers names. Donahue, il Will be remem.
oereo, is commissioned by Governor Seymour
10 take the soldiers vote. He was telegrapned
Tor 10 Washington TO come imu1e diltely to
Baltimore and sign the affidavits which, was,
OF course, DONE among the names of the
officers forged are several who are dead. many
VINO are in hospitals, ETC., al d number whose
names do not appear on The records OF the Adj
jutant General al The War Department, and
have no existence whatever, except in the
imaginative brain OF Donahue.
Mr.. Jones was kindly informed tha, all the
tickets that We're fOrw arded from here were
all tight" 1t is knoU VII that III great NUMBER
of cases W here votes were collected tue tickets
with the names Of the Union electors on were
distracted from their envelopes and those of
the Democratic persuasion were substituted ia
their stead. In several instances the Uncon-
ditional National ticket aud the Democratic
State ticket We're placed together by soldiers,
but when their ballots, which were found a.
office OF the commissioners, vera opened, tae
Union ticket was gone and that for Mcclellan
in its place. How far this Infamous and afro
cious fraud has been practised, and TO what
extent 1t Will affect the vote of New York, can
not be as eertained at present. Nor can the ex-
act limit 10 " here the operations have been
earned on be determined. A number OF the
envelopes in possession OF the authorities pur-
port TO be the votes of TIE l2Sth New York reg
lmeht, and are superscribed Near Peters,
ourg, "hie the command is known to be in
Sheridan army, and are located near Har-
per's Ferry.
Mr. Ferry, who is an elderly man, appa.
I'm