Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-10-24

10 imputations upon you personally, but
merely to call your attention to matte
whose tendency is detrimental to the pres
ervation of the peace, and to express our
belief that you have far more power than
we have, to secure the object we all
desire "a fair and quiet = election
Whatever influence we can exert, Will b. |
cXerted to attain that object, and We CONT |
IDENTIFY hope that you. taking candid, un-
impaSsioned and practical view of the mat |
Ger will work far the same purpose.
We will now prccee to answer your spe
elf. propositions: .
First You ask Us To gree with You in
| declaration that: ''It is the right OF every
person belieuinq himself q UOter, 20 present
his claim to the judges, AMI to have it de-
cided by them, without threats. m 'lestati' n
or jury" This presents plrely legal
quest or, and we are rot aware that dec
laratinn of our opinion npon it would add
any force to the law or be attended with
any practical effect. the most OF us are
not lawyers and cDnscqu n'ly. not per-
sons to whom the people are accustomed
t look f,riegal advie But il our opin-
ion is OF any value. it St ems to ms that your
proposition is ONE What too broad. 1t makes
the right nt person To demand Il de ciSin'
by the judges, wholly drprna upon hi
own belief in his right to vote. II this b
so, disqualified persons, whl can work
themselves up into such n belief. may oc
cupy the time of the judges. to the delayo
legal voters. and perhaps to their exclu
sion, for want of time, before th'
| closing of the polls, in which to cas-
their votes. Suppose, for instance
| that; confessed minors, manifest ne
groes an women should app ar and CLAIM
snch right. would you have the r, ceipt q
| legal votes stopped for the judges to decid,
upon each individual claim of this sort
| upon the claim OF every person ?' AND
vet a minor ho had faithfully served his
| country in the war, might, perhaps, be-
| lirve that h,..was thereby entitled to vote
| And as to negroes. it is perhaps true thas
nine out of zen of the negro meu in TIL,
State believe they have tie risat to vote,
whether they have drop OF white blood
in their veins or not. They have beei
taught that the right is conferred
upon or secured to them by the Drciara
tion of Independence, the 18th amendm n.
of the Constitution, and the Civil Right:
bill. Aud judges of election have beer
found to permit hundreds of such persons
| . v tie, who were manifest negroes, upoi
| ,ome one or all of these grounds. And as
the women, we know that in some parts
| If the United States not few of them an
/ lually present themselves at the elections
| and claim the right to vote, firmly brliev
ing that they possess it under a law higher
than the Constitution.
The true proposition would seem TO be
| That euery person entitled to unte has righ
| ~ preSf1u is claim to Tie Judges aud hare il
tecited Jy Them.
No onc bpt Il qualified person has righr
o vote, and it would seem to follow that
| no other person has right to take up tht
ime OF the judges and delay legal voters
| y Offering to vote. Your PROPOSE
ion implicitly admits that a dis
| qualified person who knows himsrl
be disqualified has no suc
light, and, as before said, you make til
ishJ to depend wholly upon the belief o
-.I- Individual. This is foundation for !
| gal right that We have never, in our OBJ
ervatiin, met with before; and although II
5 doubtless true that i'll all cases of such b..
ief. aud where the vote is offered in goo
Iith, and time permits, it would be better
II the Judges to decide upon the claim
:eG we cannot say "a matter OF strict Il"
hat the disqualified individual has an ab
,,lute right to demand such a deci,io.
BUT while such is our opinion, do not I'M
!ersUand us us asserting that it is eithel
awful or proper for such an individual tG
re m4ltreated while pcaceab!y conducting
imselt We couIitenance no breach of th'
'eace bv any p 'rson or per,ons whomSo
Yer. While every peaceable Assem- 5lag'
t the people, and especially an assembling
II the polls has the right to project itsef
Igainst unlawful disturb nlcc, it i
'ssential to the purity and quiet o
lectiOns, that this right should be law
lllv. aud; not un.awfuily exercised.
We will conclude our observations OIL
5his point by remarking that we are nc
ware that at the late election any lega
voter was deprived OF his right to vor
the CON plants of violence relate ch' fl }
t not altogether, to the r ghth and NinJl
Yards, and yet in the former the Repnbli
ans cast %, and in the latter Is votes nor
han they did in 1867. This fact of itsei
would seem to demonstrate that every on
t that party who was entitled to vote, eX
.rcised that privilege. SecOndly, As TO you
proposition about the Judges of Election
ce admit its fairness, and when tie Con
,titutiou shall be revised we hope it vii
ontain provisions for the choice OF Judge
u Election in such manner as 10 secure t
-tch of the two great parties at least on
nudge in each election pre'inct. But W
nave no authority TO make the agreemei'
you propose. To the electors in each war
,elohgs the right to choose ;he third judy
an it j. not probable that they would b
Influenced by any arrangement that Com
.mIttres might make. By the elector
therrfore. your propo<ition must be con
sdered aud d. ciled upon. Thu dig. as
nall, ngerS and rally ing committees. tn
Democrats in each ward appoint their ow
,hallengcrs and committees. We hav
nothing TO do with either, and there seem
| % W. no iltCtSSily 10 llldkC
with respect to them. There is no rea>ol
TO osuppnse that either chaIengers or com
mitteem will be inttrtered with in til
dischi irge ot their duties. But ii you thin
an arrau gem mt important, we refer you t
ihe respective Ward Clubs.
These are our views upon the propOsi
tions you have submitted, and we hiV
only to repeat that whatt v=r Influence W
possess will lie eXerted to secure
| fuir ul nIapnal la tlc Tho
,cratic party has rs much intereS
, IS the Republican party in the pres
rrvatiOn OF the peace, the purity O
elections. and the welfare and fame of tn
city, aud will be f und in the future as
iIas been in ne past, Obedient to the COnsti
tuition ard the laws, and we see no reason
o apprehend the least difficulty at the ap
Droaching election, unless apersistent Q If lr
be male to force into the ballot box tin
votes of men whom the people of Ohin
only last year. by a majority of $4,000. II,
| fused t. eutrust with the franchise. Tha
Su men have bcen permitted to vote else
where in viol of the Constitution, ant
that this Congressional District was carriet
tor the Republican candidate at the lat
election by such ille.al votes is the firm
belief of the Democratic party, and unde
such circumstances you cannot think
strange that an attempt to cast large nun
b,r OF such illegal votes in this city shoult
;reate excitement and Indignation w
will do what We can to ailay eXcitemeu
and secure peaceabler election. You ca
10 what we tannot-prevent the existenc
lf any cause tor excitement. H" " ~ g.
We are, gentlemen, .y'l98
| ss Very respectfully yours,
JOHN G. TH'MPseN, Chm'n,
,boHN GEARY, %
6 EoRGE p. SARGENT, e. -
j JAMES G. BULL,
-H- JOHN NJ. PUGH,