The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-11-04
STEALING THE SOLDIERS, BAL.
LOTS.

Democratic stripe, have had an infamous
reputation for rascality ever since th,
days that Cogswell inaugurated the AL
bany Regency. Gov. Seymour and hi
associates graduated in that school of po
litical fraud and chicanery, and have fal
outstripped their teachers in the boldnesl
and extent of the frauds and corruption
which have marked their political career
and given them control of the State o1
New York. They subsidize corporations,
they buy up the banking interest, they
appoint as their leader, Belmont, the agent
of the Rothschilds, and thus enlist the
capitalists of Europe in their election
schemes. But not content with all this,
and feeling that more was needed TO carry
New York for Mcclellan, Seymour and
bis political associates organized an im-
mense system OF fraud and forgery TO
rob the soldiers of their ballots cast for
Lincoln and to inscrt in their stead bal
iots for Mcclellan. Aud thus these scoun
drels conspired to aid their Southern
brethren in arms TO overthrow our Re-
publican Government and destroy our free
institutions by fraud and violence.
The nature of the frauds perpetrated,
and the general character OF the scheme,
is set forth in the following statement of
the Judge Advocate in the trial of two
of Gov. Seymour's agents who were con
victed and sentenced 10 the penitentiary
for life.
The Judge Advocate said, and his
statements are fully confirmed by the eyi-
dence, thati
1t appears in this case that the defend.
ant, Donohue, jr., young man connect
ed with the New York Central Railroad,
a road to th,sb who live ia the City of
New York almost synonymous with trea
son, has for the past two or three years
been engaged in one OF The most gigantic
frauds ever attempted tn be perpetrate5
on this nation-a fraud which, if it should
have been successful, would in my opin-
ion have produced a disruption of our en.
tire country, and our war for tie preser-
vation Of the Union would be practically
at an end aud futile. 1t appears from
the evidence Of the two witnesses pro-
duced before you that on one occasion a
Republican happened TO hear something
that was said BY one Of the State Agents
of the State Of New York, that frauds
were being perpetrated; BIO went to the
Office OF the State Agent in this city, and
found higl willing and ready to make false
votes. prudently representing himself as
one of the party they were working for,
he gained their confidence, and was al
lowed to see the working of their plan.
1t appears that the regular blanks for sol
diers are forged. The names of the Off
GERS purporting to swear the soldiers are
written out By one party, and the name
Of the soldier who is represented as cas-
ing his vote by another, aud third fills
up the blanks. These are then put up,
either sealed or unseaied, with the elee-
torial ticket Of the party which they rep
resent; and, as The first witness testified
to you, several dry goods boxes full o
suoh votes have already left the city o
Washington. At that time, it will b,
borne in mind, that Edward Donohu,
was in Washington. He comes 20 thi
city. How is this statement as compared
with that Of his accomplice, Ward New
comb. and Of the first witness, Mr.. Wood
Was it they who induced him to commi
this fraud, or did he them2 Does New
comb say that Wood asked him, or was
Donohue who asked him to write thes
letters? He finds Donohue 10 full blast
writing as fast as he could, sometime
the name of soldier and sometimes nam
of an officer; tanetimes giving one ran
and sometimes another; the other ou
filing up their names; and still thir
one the full blank. Thus the person
around this table in the course Of Sunds
afternoon, filled up the number of nearl
hundred; aud it three persons could
one afternoon manufacture 100 or 2C
such fraudulent votes, what could n,
tHeutl iifeo sibfttat'y cmpipyeu IoT w
weeks effect? The enormity Of the frau
IL appalling. Here is fraud that ms
we'll call for the infiction of the severe
penalty known of the court. The mo
sacred rights of the brave men who a
absent from their homes perilling the
lives in the face of the enemy to upho
our Liberties, are imperiled, and fraud
lent votes are sought to be given again
the cause for which they al Q periing tn,
lives. While they are absent in I
field, these plotters at home seek to CT
the ballots of these brave men witho
their consent, and while they cannos
present to speak fer themselves or de'e
their rights. This prisoner, vino, thou
one of numerous family of childn
cannot show that he has even one brotl
in the field upholding the flag Of |
country, is here proven to have conspir
with others to defraud our brave {
diers of the exercise of the sacl
elective franchise. A crime 10 en-
NOUS as this calls for vigorous pupi
ment, and do not hesitate to saw. =
its the extreme penalty of death.