Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-11-02

In this statement Marion county is not
included, tor the reason that her enrolment
is so much in excess of her assessment OF
polls as to justify adoubt of its correctness,
and to excite the suspicion that it was made
with view to an excessive vote, and the
fact that large percentage of the drafted
men cannot be found in the city of Indian
apolis, carries the suspicion almost to aeon
viction. In almost every township we have
heard of there is complaint that the enroll
ment is too large, and yet we here see how
much larger vote can be counted upon an
emergency. u
In the above table we have had time to
make calculations as to but few of the coun-
ties in which the frauds are the most glaring;
but they run, as before said, all along the
railroad lines, and at some other points. AS
to the manner in which they were perpe-
trated, we have the statements of hundreds
of as respectable men as there are in the
State, as to one made, and that is that minors
and non-residents were brought up and
voted without challenge, where the opposite
party had control of the election boards and
not only voted in one place, but carried
| from point to point and caused to vote re-
peatedly in the same and different counties
Our vote in the State was fairly and hon
estly cast and was the largest ever cast by
counted, and met only by a legal vote, would
have carried the State. We could not then,
and cannot now, resort to violence, intimi-
dation or fraud, to overcome such practices
on the part of our political opponents, for
that would be to poison the fountain, to un-
dermine the foundations of our free insti-
tutions, on the preteXt of supporting them
Our reliance must be upon public virtue,
and pure ballot. To restore and preserve
pure ballot is one of the labors to which
we would most earnestly eXhOrt you. Our
laws have placed guards around the ballot
box that in purer and happier times were
found sufficient. But good men are called
upon tomourn that the guards are broken
down now, and corruption testers where
once the jewels of the people were kept
solemn obligation, and imposes the duty o1
seeing that not only the legal votes that are
offered are received, but that all others are
rejected; in other words that none but legal
votes 60 into the box, and that they be hon.
estly counted. 1t Is an obligation of honor
as well as of religion; for the ballots are re-
ceived and held by the election officer in
trust for the people, and it is revolving
debasement that man, for party ends
should take upon his soul the crime of per-
jury, and upon his manhood the shame o1
dishonor. Yet, we know that party has
carried men even so far, and now 1t is for Us
to rescue this high right, which appertains
to our citizenship, from the contamination
of their touch-to guard our ballots, and
for this end advise that you demand rep
resentation on the election board, and for
that post you select firm men--clear-headed
and sharp-sighted-who can detect an effort
at fraud, and possessed of courage to expose
and defeatit ti'o =. -
90 nRo sii oiai Hlod w. III. FRANKLIN, 40
y Acting Chairman Dem. State Cen. Conn.,.
Indianapolis, Oct. q, 1864, .,rl nol Eli