Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-12-24
ADDEs ESS.

! have but waited the tardy movements
Of our public authorities in collecting the
result Of the election held on the Sth ult
in order to discharge the incumbent duty
of calling your attention to the means by
which majority Of 20,OSl votes, (as
now learn from official circles) has been
recorded against US. This majority is
made up from all The votes stated to have
bsen given in the districts at home, nclud
iHg those by proxy, and all thoso given iu
the armles-negro votes and all--in every
form of returns, lawful or otherwise.
There have been at least two palpable
forms of fraud practicsd by the suppor-
ters of Abraham Lincoln, in order to make
up this majority, and thus secure him the
electoral vote OF the State. Fictitious bal
lots have been placed in the ballot boxes,
answering to falss rogiotrios, the same as
has been repeatedly Iroveu to have been
the case in our elections heretofore and
secondly. the suifrag2s Of the volunteer
soldiers have not oply been over awed aud
perverted by corrupt partisan Officials, but
the returns themseIyes,ln many eases have
been tampered with aud transformed. In
reference to fictitious votes, who believes
that the city Of Philadelphia has today, or
even had, 90, 500 voters legally and prop
erIy registered in her ,aruus wards and
preciutsl And yet that number of vote
has been counted as thus resldent-giVing
near 1000 Abolition maj ority in ci'y
that not many years since burnt an Abo-
lition hall in open day, as a public nui
sanrs!
The late attemp' to exercise the right OF
suffrage on the par; of the voluntcer SOL
diers, has proven signal f4iILre-FARcE
| would Call it, but TO- its various melau-
choly conconitaut,' The doubts enterd
tanned by Inaay as to the wisdom and
+ propriety OF this measure, orioG t. it, adop-
ton would seem to have been fully rca.iz-
ed.
1t is impossible ever 10 secu e a fair and
full distribution OF ticGet-, So as 10 allow
free CD oice to the voters in army service
The expenses Of tbs ATTEMPTS made to Dc
so,afe aimo-t beyond b!hef. o. the part
Of State, th3y will reach at least $50 go
aud the two political organ zat ons ex
pended fully as much moro. The system
will Away be liable TO great alb lses, anc
must ever bo uncq AL in It's operation, auc
unfair in its results.
Certain it is, that the privilege Of voting
given 10 the soldier is 4 mockery, whel
the very man against whom perhaps, h
would ike to vote. has the most despotj
control over those who rule that soldiers
every movement, and could send him at
word t. the trout OF battle aud TO death
he refused compliance with their behos's
Until the vo unteer soldery have the pow
er Of choosing their own officers, the rigt
of suffrage for Other purpo,es can never +
properly carried into effect 10 The army =
lad they been fairly and freely left
their own preferences, can any sane ina
doubt, but that there would have bee
about the same propnrtionate division {
sentiment expressed by the soldier in til
ate elections that was mantle ,tod by the
fathers and brothers at home
1t is this army vote, (not to speak of Il
other frauds y which has given our opp
nents their recent be5gar'y triumph
Pennsylvania. B,ggarIy iodeed-whe
il is reccollected that 1t shows falling o
Of from forty or fifty thousand in their ma
jority, within the last four years Such
victory and 80 obtaiucd, betokens speed
downfall as party, to the advocates
negro equality in our staunch old Con
monwealth. RevOiWi0nS neUsr go LHc
,carlis. It is worthy ofrenark here ais
that a change of twenty-five lhou5a
votes properly divided amongst the larg
States, would have defeated Mr.. L,nco
altogether.
1t was our duty, feIlowci' to ba
secured the constitution al the late el'
tions. ii we could, The effort was galaI
ly, but unsuccessiully made. And no
in view of all that must inevitably 'raI
pire within the next four years, l feel he
eMly, more like congratulatDg you as
political party, on having escaped lea
fu responsibility, than Offering. explain
tions aud coincidence over a defeat. All
entailing weight of suffering upon t
country, from which nothing but the mi
radical measures can ever relieve 1t all
having forced into operation hnanc
system, which is but the mask OF ruin
that regard; after so mls,managlng
Ia