Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-11-03
ELECTION FRAUDS.


pic of remark and of just denuncation Journals
which have had nothing to ssy in condemnation of
the wholesale frauds known to have been commit,
ted In Indiana, or of the disfranehisenent Of the
people OF Tennessee by an edict of the Prpsijeats
Military Governor and political associate on the
Republican ticket, are fluent and eloquent in de-
fence of the purity of the bslot-boy az assasd By
the frauds of Ferry at Baltimore. We concur with
all that can be said in condemnation OF such out.
RACES, and we again invoke upon their guilty au-
thors the most condign punishment Of the laws as
enforced by tribunals having legitimate jurisdic-
tion of such offences
! We are aware that an impression widely prevails
to the effect that this Ferry, like Pardon Worsely
the licensed blockade-runuer and trader with the
enemy under the direction of the War Department.,
was decoy, acting in the service Of the Govern
ment, for the purpose Of inveiging others into the
commission of crime which would afford the basis
of damaging accusation against all the agents of
Gov. Seymour, by creating the suspicion that they
were equally implicated in such foul transactions,
and thus procuring pretext under which I'll the
New York State agencies might be closed until af-
honestly given might be intercepted by the Ad.
ministration's agents.
After the course pursued by the Government
in regard to the merchants whom its agent be.
trayed into furnishing goods which he carried to
the enemy under its direction, there is of course
no presumption to be raised that any considera-
tions of public or private morality would prevent
tbn of ~
same kind of use it has been making of Worse
ly since the lst of April last, but as yet we have
seen no direct evidence which warrants this public
suspicion We are glad that the system of fraud
devised by Ferry and his coad tutors has been dis
covered in time to admit of measures being taken
to counteract its effects BY the exercise of vig-
lance at the polls the fraudulent ballots can be de-
tected, and, if presented will be refused by the
judges of election. 1t is more than probable, now
that the scheme has been exploded, that none such
will be presented, as the persons to whom Ferry
has sent his forged ballots will be on their guard
against Offering them unless assured Of their genu
ineness from other sources of information.
But now that the Administration presses show
such proper sonse of the enornity of the offence
committed by these New York Democrats against
the purity of the elective franchise We hope they
will join US in demanding an Investigation into the
notorious frauds perpetrated by the Republicans
in Indiana through the agency of fraudulent SOL
ders' votes. The frauds in this cas-, were not me-
d:ated, in the case of Ferry, but have been ac-
tualy committed, and, unless punished, will, we
may presume, be repeated. As a sample of these
frauds, we may adduce the testimony of William
W Pennimsn, soldier at Camp Burnside Indi-
annapolis, who, in a letter under date Of the 18th
Instant designed to be private doubtless, but which
has been subsequently published, writes follows:
Ye,terdsy WAS the State election here ana mos, of
our regiment doon to tho city and 1o'ed Some
BOYS voted INVENT FIVE TIMES each You could aud
vote many times you pleased and then after the boys
had voted in the city, some of the Indiana wanted
them to go about thirty miles aud vots again SO they
took an rsn of and rode the next township
and voted there The Indiana paid their fare u and
back again and gave them all they wanted eat aud
drink did not know any thing about it until 1t
late, and so Gid not 60. Gov. Morton the Republican
candidate elected by large msjorty. So the Mas.
saehusetts men helped elect him."
To this letter, authenticated as it is by the pro.
per signature of the writer we may add the fol-
lowing public certificate of another soldier:
PITTSBURGH, OCTOBER Ia, 1864
l. George Stunpf member Of the Seventh Pennsylvania
cavalry aud attached to the music corps do hereby certify
that although formerly resident of Pittsburgh, route
from Atlanta Pittsburgh, requested, together with
about thousand other soldiers by the officers Iudi.
annapolis which place arrived at four o'clock On the
morning Of election day to the Republican State tick
et great part Of the soldiers Germans At the
depo. carriages which took to the polls and many
IT the soldiers voted twice and three times We handed
our votes into window aud nobody asked whether
bad right to vote whether formerly resided IN The
state Afterwsrd treated with ale and all other
things might eat and drink. convinced that every
solder of the two thousand voted aud many
three times although belonged to Penn ana, Ohio
Michigan, Mari land. and other States Besides ia In
also voted about two thousand invads belong
ing other States At $50 p NJ started the soldiers Of
the Pennsyvans regiments to Cresne aud the soldiers
| of other States to other places.
| GEORGE STuNPF,
Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry.
| We are sure that all honest readers will agree
with us that such abuses Of the elective franchise
as we have disclosed should not be b.iDked by the
Administration and its presses merely because they
were committed in its interest. Yet the Admin
istration has done nothing in The premises, and
its presses ale utterly silent on the subject Com
ment on such inequalities are unnecessary, And
it is in this view that We have to express our con-
/, currence with the New York Commercial Adver-
tiser when, in reference to the Baltimore exposure
it says: