Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-08-04
JN0. a. SMULL, for
a. w. BENEDICT,

Hat your committee having been duly or
ganized aud chosen, visited Bedford, and
i heard the testimony of several Witnesses,
and received suHdFy copies Of papers and
! documents, duly certified, all of which evi-
dence Is returned herewith, The trip to
/ Bedford was made on Thursday, Friday and
Saturday, the Goth, 9th and 2Sth DAYS of
/ January, 1860.
Your committee held several meetings at
/ Harrisburg, and received in evidence nu-
merous papers and documents, all of which
are also returned herewith, as part Of the
! testimony taken by the committee
| On the 10th and 18th days of February,
/ \. d. 1860, your committee visited Gettys-
/ burg, in the county of Adams, and then and
/ there examined sundry witnesses, and re-
ceived in evidence certain papers, duly GER
4 tilted, all Of which are returned as part of
/ the evidence.
/ Different requests were made of your COM
mittse to visit the counties Of Westmoreland
/ Fayette and Lyc0ming and examine into the
action of the prothonotaries and return
I judges Of those counties, in rejecting returns
! Of votes from persons In actual military SER
/ vice. Hour committee did not comply with
/ these requests, but at the urgent desire of
i persons in W Westmoreland county, they agreed
+ to summon witnesses aud receive testimo-
ny and certain papers from that county,
which are herewith submitted, and to which
/ reference will be made in a subsequent part
4 OF this report
4 Your committee declined to visit those
counties for the reason that they could not
spare the time without allowing an improp-
! er encroachment upon their other legislative
! duties, aud for the further reason (and more
4 particularly the latter, that your committee
1 discovered abundantly sufficient reason in
/ their investigations of the conduct Of pro-
1 thonetaries and judges in the Sixteenth Con-
4 gressicnal district, the Sixteenth Judicial
/ district. and in the Legislative district com
I posed of the counties of Somerset, Bedford
( and Fulton, tojustify the action ofthe House
/ 10 adopting the preamble and resolution by
! virtue Of which the committee was appoin-
1 ted, ard to compel them to find and report,
as thep now do, that there is great and pres
1 sing need Of other and further legislation to
provide civil remedies for any like conduct
/ in the future, and also TO punish as criminals
/ Of high grade and dangerous character,
4 any pr0thonOtaries or return Judges who
/ may be so base, in the future, as to perpe-
/ trate crimes similar to those which have
I been brought to the notice of your con1initte
/ during the progress Of its Investigations
/ Your committee has prepared, and reports,
/ herewith, bill intended to secure these oh
! iects. 1t is entitled An Act to compel pro-
| thonotaTies and return judges to perform
! their respective duties under the act of Au-
| gust ., A. d. 1864, regulating elections by
/ soldiers in actual military service giving Ju-
/ risdiction TO the courts Of the Common
wealth, for that purpose, and providing pen
nalties for the neglect or violation of such
duties.
| 1t is submitted to the superior Judgment
! of the House for such amendments. and
! such action as may be deemed advisable :
1 but the committee cannot refrain from re-
marking. that. in their opinion, some such
legislation is absolutely indispensable at the
present session Of the Legislature, in order
/ TO prevent the perpetTation Of gross wrongs
and garing frauds upon the soldiers who
may exercise the right of suffrage in future,
while in the actual service OF their coun-
try.
Ii appears, from the evidence, that soon
after the election of October II, 1864, the
result for member Of Congress, in the Six
teenth district, appeared to be doubtful. -
After the vote, usually styled the home
! vote, had been counted and while the ar
my vote was yet being received, it became
evident that to save. the candidate having a
/ majority of the home vote it would be-
come necessary to Withhold, omit or reject a
/ portion, at least, of the army or soldiers
vote. The design to do this appears to have
/ been formed in advance Of the second meet
/ ing of return judges. Accordingly, and in
| pursuance of that design, it was found that
at such second meeting of the return judges
( for the county of Adams, eight returns of
soldiers votes, numbering two hundred and
eight votes, and giving one hundred and