Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-11-10
- IFrom the st, Louis Republican, ~ .F
THE ELECTION in ST. LOUIS.
Radical Ontrages and Frauds on the
BnIIOt-BOx-The' Outrage Yester.

II Radical Outrages and Frauds on the
EsaIlOt-BOx-rhe' Outrage Yester.
day.
The grand end and aim Of the Radical
| fhction is to defeat the will Of the people;
and escape a Judgement of condemnation at
the polls, The test oath and registration
law are schemes to disfranchise the major
ity. In the hands of evil men, uDscru-
pulous partisans, destitute of self-reSpect,
sense of Justice, homer and honesty, the
registration law has proved ali Instrument
Of public robbery, whereby the most valued
civil aud political rights of thousands have
been snatched away. By it the people have
been subjected to great ineonveuienc loss
Of time and most vexati0us annoyance,
unnecessary and offensive impediments
being thrown IN, the way of Il rapid
registration, aud all for tile benefit of the
Radical minority. But the people endured
it alhpatienuly, and were finally rewarded
by finding that, in spite of all the misde-
heanors committed by Radical officials,
with the manifest design of cuttihG down
the Number of registered qualified Con-
servative voters,R Il very handsOpe majority
Wet remained in all the principal counties of
the State. 1t now seems that the people
had not yet learned the full capicity of Tie
Radical officials for fraudulent action. In
wards where the Conservative majorties
are very large, and the Radicals in hope
less minority, the grand aim seemed to be
to cast obstacles in the way of the
noll of full vote. Not succeeding in
DISTINGUISHING the Conservative major
ity before the registration boards, they re-
sorted to tactics by which In the heavy
Conservative districts scarcely more
than half of the Conservative vote
could be pOlled. Their first fault
and crime was in the omission to adopt
the facilities provided tor by the law bv
which it would haveibeen possible for all
the votes to be poled. In the Seventh,
Bighth and Ninth Wards-it was apparent
to all before the election commenced that
il would be physically impossible to poll,
the entire vote. But the officials who were
authorized by the law to open as many
polls as they might deem eXpedeht, disre-
garded the eXigeneies of the case. n In the
Eighth Ward, tor example and in the
Ninth there were over two thousand votes
to be cast in each. Allowing eleven hours
as the period during which the polls would
be open, it is quite easy toiseei that more
than three ballots would have to he receiy-
eA and recorded per minute, to secure the
entire vote. Toaccomplish this. the Judges
and their assistants, under the,cumbersome
system adopted, would have to use extra
ordinary diligence, and, too, would need to
BIB very active, quick and expeditions 10
their movements. The Radicals Under
stood this very we'll, aud they committed
the grandest outragesc upon the people of
the, districts named, by the, criminal de-
lays which attended the voting" Some or
tie Judges were old men, slow, and uninl
telligent, with bad eyesight. Others SEEM
led to be 1butimperfectly- familiar with
writing, and1consumed precious moments
in hunting for names, Others were alIiict-
'ed with an absolute incapacity Of rapid
work, and still others most manifestly
lacked the will to dispatch business rapid
-ly. There didinot appear to have, been
any etfortlmade to place in those respon-,
lsible posts, competent; and faithful men.
Delay was wanted, and delay was gained
at the expense Of the rights Of the people.
Sometimes five six, seven and even twelve
minutes. were. expended IN receiving, re-
and ldepositihg a vote.9 An imi
mense amount ofrtime was wasted And
to make matters WORSE lin one case at
least, othe Judges were furnished withl,a
vohmlnOus registration list not ,alphabeti+
lcdly arranged! Such a thing as this was,