, 1866-11-28
MICHIGAN.
Letter from Detroit,

swindlc rerpetratcd by the Democratic Board
Of Election Csnvasscrs of the county, How
this swiadle Was achieved your readers al
ready know; but resume Of the facts may
not be altogether unintcresttng.
On receiving the election returns, as made
oct and rublished By the Inspectors OF EIec-
tion Of the several wards md towns OF the
county, It was found that the Republicans
hud elected four of tho five Representatives
in the Legislature from this city, and the
State Senator, Sheriff, Prosecuting ATT /
torncy and Treasurer Of the comfy. |
This result was altogether unexpected by !
both parties. The Democratic party and its
candidates had looked upon success for their
ticket Us sure thing in this county, Ehich Is
overwhelmingly Democratic usually. And |
the officers for which the Republican candi-
dates were successful were, as you will note |
at Elance, the most honorable, the most !
politically important, and the best paying |
offices In the gift Of the county. Pecunia- |
rily, the Offices Of County Sheriff, County |
Wayne County arc the best paying offices in |
the State Of Michigan. Hence there was d
futter Of excitement In the Democratic !
camp over the result. To lose these offices
and their Epolls would be to lose the siuews
Of var and supplies Of capital by which thclr
party lives and moves.
There was week of planning before the
County Board Of Canvas5ers would meet
und declare who was elected to the
several Offices. This week was sharply
improved hy the Democratic leaders.
4 continual caucus was kept up day
and night between the Democratic party
managers, the Democratic defeated clndl-
dates and the Uemocratic members Of the
County Boall Of CauvasscrF, culminating,
Just before the Board met, In u regular party
n In firm m
suit upon the situation and devise some plan
TO prevent the successful Republican candi-
t1ntcs rom obtaining the olilccs to which
they had been fairly elected. a plan Was
devised ,s1s ana agrsca upon, comprising the
mean swindle ever devised BY par
tisau nlaliysn&ty-a plau by which about
ciehteen thousand people of the city Of De-
trtit were entirely distnnch!srd and deprived
Of nll voice or VOTE in the elections The
rlan wns to throw out the vote Of the TWO
largest md most poputous wards in tne city
Which had given heavy Republican ma;urI-
ties. And this plan was ruthlessly carried
out, in spite Of remonstrAnces, In spite Of
treaties. in defiance of public opinion, audiu
contempt Of Justice aud honor.
OF course for such action some ptctcxt
must be found. Wien pretcxt Ia needed
TO excuse dirty act, the culprit Is usually
no. 1ons in looking for one. But, in tnfs
! ticn, so undouttcd md intlisputab1c the rc-
| snlt, that il was not easy TO fad
prctcxt for the contemplated fraud. How
| ever, fl WAS discovered, atter careful study
Of tho returns. that The Fifth aud sixth wards
| Of Detroit had returned more ro:t5 for
Ole OF two state officers than there were
| na1ncs Of yotcrs OF the tally lists. This be-
ing stated, il was instantly replied and
shown thai there were not more 6d'lofs cast
than there were names, thus prori,g that
r,f,
certain State officers was either an error Of
thc tally clerks, Of the Inspectors in count
iu.:, or that some persons had voted twice on
thee ballot for one State officer. lu the
latter case. the law provides that only one
vote shall be couutcd on each ballet for any
strncd 80 as IL throw out all the ballots thus
reported, 1T any such were found, which has
i, never Iteen decidedly it would not
affect the result. Moreover, the
M*, which Democratic com
mEttce counted, contrary to law, to sec ii
they cousd lind any other error, OF prove the
Que a'lrgcd-only affected tho vote OF
certain State ett1cers, and not on county
officers. To illustrate: Suppose there wert
sand names Of voters on the tally list, ant
one thousand ballots in the ballot box
This would show that no one voted twice
that all was fair and legal, so tar Us the yot
ing was concerned. But suppose that th'
Inspectors should return on these one thou
, SAND ballots: one thousand and six votes 10
Governor. This return, IL it. was correc
: one, would chow that six voters had by mis-
take, placed the name Of candidate lor Gov
! crnor twice on their ballots. In splittin
their tickets, voters might write In the Tam
, Of the Democratic candidate, for instance
and forget to eInss the name Of the Repuhl
! can candidate, thus leaving both names on thcl
It ballots. But there was no count mad
: officially, and NJ proof that this return WI
r correct, or that the rote was wrong. Yet o
n this tli,nsy pretcxt, the Dcmocsatic Board {
J., County Eanyasscrs, after sitting four davl
:, deliberately threw out the entire vote Of til
two Republican wnrds, und declared the c1
:. tire Democratic county and lcgtslati1
!. ticket elected.
It What makes this .windlc more glariue1
=, mean aud cohtemrtlblc Is the fuel that Il
~ e me error, precisely, was discovered In tt
a- returns oftwo Democratic townships; bu
&C instead of throwing nut tue vote Of these tW
townships, the Duard Of Csnrasscrs orlere
e. thtir rfturns, which were received aud couu
,e Cd as Corrected.
ae Willie this swindie was being consut
,c mated. unfortunately for us the State )
other district Of the State. It is required |
=, law 10 sit ono term each year ia Detroit At
~ the other each year in Lansing, the Sta
!" !" Capftul. Dispatches were at once sent
LUG Nuule " AIJOUlu Huu EElufu lu DeLEO
w and tssuc mandamus TO compel the Boa
IL ufCanrasscrs 10 canvass the votes Of the tv
rejected wards. But the Democratic spi
4. at Lansing te1egraphed to the Democra.
al leaders IN Detroit that the Supreme Cou
was coming, whcrcupcu the Democrat
he Board Of County Canvussers finished
as their kwtndlc and adjourned sine de befo
m lie Court could arrive. II the Court VIC
mt present, The Board would, no donbt, ha
" been arrested In body and lodged in prise
~, ne Of which they were guilty shall be punish
~ l,y Imprisonment In the Statc Prison. !
nc attempt will be made to enforce this law
ao a. the next term Of the Court but. after I
ne Board adjourned, It's members were no 1ou
m er officers, and II Is a question whether, u
va der that law, a private citizen can be pr
ou ishcd ior an offence committed when he Y
rc- public officer. and not legally complain
,as Of then. The County or 1Ctrc
N. ana.x. Court being %in; pemocFatie m, Of
h. ney being Democrat, aud one Of the par
n. san advisers Of the swindtc, no remedy cor
'as 'us be looked for there So VIC shall have
sa. wait nrtil the Supreme Court, sitting he
ae- has reviewed the proceedings, ousted I
Democrats declared elected, and given /
der Offices Of Sheriff and Prosecuting Attorney
es, the Republican candidates, before We
red swlndlcrs~
lily l hare thus rlvcn you history IN bri
|.
,lc de stood, of this Democratic swindlc. !
e.. papers here, in discussing it, take il
liz granted that the rcnple know both the ia
hat and the law 10 large extent; bat I hi
nv written for you an account dc nor,, #
III WHICH the people of Illinois and other Sta
~ ~ can, II huec written clearly, understand
.ae .a whole case and its principles.
M Msus Under the present State Constitution &
nss Laws, tue five Representatives In the ST.
ara Legislature from this city arc elected ur
md one general ticket. As the city genera
goes Democratic, this law appears expres
I'D designed to override and dlsiranchisc the
The publican wards. Thus Republican wa
of entitled In equity to Republican Reprcs
tative in the Legislature, has Demccra
der Representative imposed upon It by the d.
,ro ccsatic majority In the whole city. Nc
m. over, one " ard may desire some special le!
,.r tive Is chosen by the whole city, its wis
@ @ssn are uverho,nr. unless all the other wards,
.s q majority OF the voters Of the city agree II
tae r ii. tho, gh the special legislation 1t desl
LOT mny affect no ctlcr ward at all. The pcn
one having voted 10 favo5 Of Constitute
exc State ntNt summer, il Is expected that
10 shall ret rid of this ahsurd anomaly in
by cities. mud give city Representative Distr
the the same privilege Of individual choice
ala | jcyed by Representative Districts in
the country. M1cI
rof The pnrfHc RaIlrood-It. ucstinat
ia ia und PoItttr1l-Ksconcnatcal lnlpt
a'o nncc.
"eS OMAHA CuT, November 18th, Is;
Ed,tort Chicago Tribune:
~ The late excursions on tho Pacific Railroad
- drawn the stscrlon Of al men OF intelligence,
a.s many capitalists from tho cities OF New y
.nH ThI,adeiphss, Baltimore aud Chicago, Wit
oae ucwcd Interest 10 that gigantic and rsc-cnilc
N national woik, the Pacific Railroad, and lis sis