The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-11-03

syIIseylIl1 1u5IlggiyY
ter Of ths dspAstaGsnt II presnms ne one
! will presrne 20 question: aftef the over.
wlelmi1g testimony Of Witusssss upon thi,
point. HecogniSins but ono party, which
ID The Radical party, the commissioner
have fortified themselves by appointment
! within It's lines almost exclusively. All
thclt preparations looked 70 q signal party
triumph. ~ ,zs. sl.g -,
The right Of the voters registered In
1866 to vote at the late municipal election
IN the city OF Baltimore led, - Ii well
I known, TO conflicting opinions on the part
OF experienced and eminent jurlsts. The
Attorney. General Of the State took the
ground that a. the Law now stands-ths
new registration not being conplete~-the
registered voters OF this year could not be
recognized. On the other hand, Il was
held by Messfs. Heyerdy johnson, J. II. B.
Latrobe, William Price, and others emil.
nent In their profession, that the registfa'
ton act did not apply to corporations, and
that the city Of Baltimore stood in the
same category and In this opinion ! fully
the Legislature ever designed to disfran.
chise 80 large q number Of the qualified
voters Of the city Of Baltimore upon q
mere technicality, and thus throw its 60
vernment into the hsnds of q small mi
nority Of It's people. The city Of Balti.
more comprises population greatly ex-
ceediDg q quarter Of million Of inhabi-
tants, and her registered vote, just ascer-
tanned under the registration act, gives the
number Of those entitled to vote, including
the old list, at fraction over 1900. This
small aggregate in so large population is
accounted for by the fact that only those
who had taken no active part In the re-
bellion had been recognised by the regis
trars as entitled to vote. OF the aggregate
Of 1893 polledat the late municipal cleo
ton, the Mayor and successful city officers
received less than 5000 votes, In voting
population, duly registered, Of 1900.
The glazing injustice Of this exhibit, and
the determination to exclude the people
from voting at the municipal election,
could not fail to produce . startling i'm
preston upon the citizens Of Baltimore,
the control and management Of whose go
vernment and property were taken out Of
their hands by minority representing less
than one-fourth Of her registered popula-
ton. This state of things, subverting the
whole principle of republican government
under which we have heretofore lived,
could hardly have been expected to re-
ccive the sanction of any but those who
were hoping to hold power at the expense
of the people,. t.T I'll
But the people Of Baltimore, and I say
it to their credit, as law-abiding citizens,
relying upon the faithful execution Of the
law regulating their action by the police
commissioners, which they were slow to
think would be denied them, yielded sub
Randall, in the confident expectation that
the deposit of their votes in the second
ballot-box, required to be provided for
rejected votes, would give them access to
the courts of their State, or to the Legisla-
ture when that body convened in January
next, and they were urged to such course,
in view of the conflicting opinions of coun-
sci, rather than assert what they believed
to be their rights by acts of violence at the
polls. They submitted without single
aggression, that have heard of, upon those
in authority. sv .vTf
On the day of election they were de-
prived not only Of their right to vote by
the action Of the judges and police, but
they were denied also the remedy provided
for in the act Of Assembly, so far as they
could control It, by the absence or non-use
of the boxes for rejected ballots. Surely
the boon asked for was not an unreasonable
one, in voting population Of $4,000, 1900
80 how haIt 20 ha
in their politics, to be permitted to appeal
to the courts for redress as against an oil
garchy of some 5000, many Of whom are
office-holders under the city government,
who claimed, under color of law, to hold
the power of the city. 81 @aoa. ~ -
In so bold and unheard Of q disregard of
the express provisions of the law and the
rights of SO Overwhelming q majority OF
the people of Baltimore, it would hardly
have been imagined that under any pre-
text the police commissioners would have
Ecountenanced such proceeding on the
part of their subordinates without prompt
exercise of the power vested in them to
remove them from their places. But so
they acted. Up to the commencement OF
this investigation no explanation has been
attempted, nor has single judge Of elec-
tion been removed in any part of the city
in any of the precincts where these viola
tons Of the law were reported to have
occurred.
The evidence in the case proves beyond
doubt that the police commissioners have
violated the law and rendered themselves
liable to the charge Of misconduct in of.
fee:
by creating or permitting to grow up
under their eyes, and with their compli-
city, violent partisan organization, treat
ing all as disloyal who do not adopt the
views of the Radical party.
2. By denying the right Of the Governor
to entertain Jurisdiction of the charges OF
official misconduct preferred against said
commissioners.
8. By appointing to office, both as judges
of election, special policemen, and clerks
exclusively from their own party, and in
many instances incompetent, and in some
of the precincts of the most disreputable
characters, and denying appointments to
any other class of our citizens.
4. BY delegating to the marshal and off,
GERS under him the power to appoint special
policemen without themselves inquiring
into the qualifications or moral standing of
said officers, thus attempting to throw the
responsibility of bad appointments, which
they were ready to accept, upon their
subordinates.
S. By suffering the judges of election to
throw aside the boxes for rejected ballots,
and giving them no advice as to their obi
CATION under the law to use them, and re-
fusing to remove them from Office for so