Delaware State journal and statesman., 1864-05-20

militia with guns, bayonets, &C."
Now, there is the testimony Of a witness who
says he was not at the polls, that he did not
know anything which took place there, that he
heard on the streets that A, b, and Q had been
prevented from voting aud that he knew II to
be 80 because he saw soldiers at the door Of the
courthouse. Now, submit to the House that
TINS ia tho sole and entire testimony, the whole
evidence upon which this entire county of Atchi-
son has been disfranchised. 1t is testimony in
regard to single precinct, a precinct at which
the party himself was not personally present,
Out draws MS inferenoes only from statements Of
other men Who said they had heard that A, b,
and @ wero kept away from the polls.
submit to the House if that is testimony
upon which you will exclude these voteh, and
upon which you will disfranchise a brave and
loyal people; upon which you will prevent the
Government, in this trying hour OF her exigency,
from being supported upon this floor by gem
tleman who 10 in favor Of suppressing the rebel
lion say to the House il the evidence rules
out General Loan, rule him out, but do not rule
MN out upon testimony upon which you would
not hang dog.
assume, therefore, that the county Of Atchl-
SOU is wrongfully ruled out; that it shall be in
cluded In the aggregate OF votes which General
Loan has received. Assuming that, then Atchi-
son county puts him ahead and gives him I39
majority.
But do not wholly rely upon the failure Of
proof by Mr.. Pnryear. prefer for myself now
10 institute an investigation, following the order
OF my friend, aud making an analysis of the
votes which were cast in Atohison at the guber-
material election In 1860 and at the election for
judges in 1868, and the congressional election in
1862. AT the gubernatorial election in 1860
there we're cast In the county of Atchison Sl3
yotesi at the congressional election in 1862, 675
votes, but lSS votes less than a full poll OF the
county anterior to the rebellion.
In 1868, at the judicial election, which took
place subsequently to the congressional election
of 1862, and which ia admitted to have been
fair election, there were in the county Of Atchi-
son 683 votes cast, making AZ less than we're
polled in the congressional election. Is there no
inference TO be drawn from this fact of compaaa-
tive analysisS AT the election of 1862 the Legis-
lature and in 1868 judges Of the supreme couvt
were elected, who are now administering the
Laws Of the State and the evidence relied on by
the majority OF the committee in this contest
would sweep from the board the whole State
organization of Missouri. Ia 1t wonderful that,
with rebellion rampant with meu in the Union
Army and men in the rebel army, the vote of
Atchlson county should have been diminished
1888 votes since 1860 without fraud2
Why, sir, consider the condition Of Missouri at
that time. The diminution OF 1888 votes in
Atchlson county is nothing more than ought to
have been looked for Do you expect full polls
in the border States, where one part have gone
into rebeldom, and tne other part into the Union
Army fighting for the preservation OF the UniouY
The county OF Alchison p0lled within 1873 votes
Of its full vote at the congressional election and
az votes more than were polled at the judicial
election of 1868.
Mr.. BRUCE, (contestant) The difference be-
tween the poll in Atohison county, that is, tax
ing the vOtes Of 1860 and 1852, is 266. In tho
presidential election Of 1860 the vote OF Atchison
was 94l. In 1862 it was 675, o difference of
300
Mr.. SMirHRRs. If the contestant had paid
attention to my remarks he would have observed
that compared the vote of 1862 with the vote
at the gubernatorial election Of 1860, when Chi
borne jackson was running for Governor, and
the vote then was Sl3. | assume, then, that so
far as the county OF Atchison is concerhed-one
Of the counties upon alleged Irregularities in
which the majority Of the committee propose to
void the whole eleotion--there was almost O full
vote, and that there is no evidence whatever that
there were Irregularities, even in the precinct of
Rookport, which should even make void the vote
of hOckporf, much less the vote of the whole
county Of Atohison.
ask the House to decide this question upon
the evidence presented, and not upon the vague
speculatons Of gentlemen as to Whnt might or
might not have been the poll if rebellion had not
been rampant in the laud, and thence concluding
that an election could not be held. NV answer
to that is that in this very county the vote cast
was 676, showing that there was full and free
election.
Now, beg the House to remember that the
ground which is assumed in this report is that
the State government did no wrong, lat the
Feaeral Government did no wrong, that the
Judgea conducted the election rigStfully, but
that the mamie vi ot,a 4
from voting. Is that true as regards the couaty
0I Atohison, when the poll.boO shown to the
House demonstrate that there was no intimda-
uon In the county OF Atchison, but that full |
ana even heavy vote under the circumstances
was cast, when men had gone to defend their
country, and others were in arms against it,
come now TO the vote Of the county Of An |
ureW and would not detain the House by ar |
gulng this question If it we're not in the per- |
tormanoe Of an imperative duty. The vote Of |
the county Of Andrew in 1862 was l ,ll2. In
me gubernatoral election of 1860 the vote was |
,oo5. There was difference OF 647 vOtes- |
me vote for General Loan in Andrew county in |
1862 was 9Sa. The radical ticket, at the cleo. |
tion in 1868, received 992 votes, making q diff |
ference in the whole year of in favor of the |
radical ticket ln 1862, Bruce and Branch to- |
gether received l2S votes in that county and in
1868 the vote for what was called the conserya.
tive ticket, which means, suppose, the COnsti-
tuition as it is aud the Union as it was was 244.
making difference OF 1l6 votes.
Now, let us see how this difference came. l
peg TO call the attention of the committee to n
iittle piece Of evidence on page 81, which will
illustrate the fact, and show the reason of the
difference between the vote of 1860 and the vote
OF 1862 and also show how it was that in 1868
the radical vote gained only while the conser-
Vative vote gained 116. Here is the testimonv
of Mr.. Joseph B. Nickel, where he Is cross.
examined in reference to the condition of affairs
IN IN Andrew county, which we are now discussing.
he mas this very pertinent question put to him
Question II. Hns there not since the No
Vember election in 1860, been a great many per.
sons left the county Of Andrew, who are supposed
70 nave Joined the rebel army; mud has there not
oeen large number of men from Andrew county
VINO JOINED the Federal Army; and have not
many persons moved away from Andrew county
since November, l860 and were not the men.
generally speaking, who went to the said armies,
absent from Andrew county on the 4tb day Of
November last? -
'ansper Il. Since the November election in
ioou' think perhaps some four or Eve hundred
men have left the county of Andrew, a part of
whom are reported to have Joined the rebel army.
and part Of whom have Joined the Federal
army, Z ana part OF whom have Joined the State
lorces' anu sui another part of whom have re,
moved from the county with their families. or
lhose who are reported to have Joined the rebel
army, think large majority OF them have re-
turned y to the countyi of those who Joined the
Federal Army, think perhaps half have re-
turned and Of those who Joined the State forces
comparatively few have returned. or those who
eft the county with their families, their places
mostly have been filled by others moving into
Ihis county from other counties and States The
most OF those who moved into this county. re-
errea to above, came here in the fall of 1861"