The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1868-10-23
frauds I'm the Nlntb DI,triC,

tFfom the Cleveland Leader.I
vestigations since the elect a have
b>-l 1t to light the fact tbe' the most
baI1 IS 4 aud wholesal ,ld has been
used he Denss s of tn Ninth
Congrt sie9al 7 20 carry It against
General e. I'd the Developments
so clearly imp ate the successful Dem
ocratic candidate, Dickinson, in the
frauds, that warrant has been issued
for his arrest, and he will be brought
to this city to-day in the custody Of a
United States officers Not wishing TO
prgudge the case, we propose to state
the facts in regard to these frauds
briefly and clearly.
E. F. Dickinson, member Of Congress
elect from the Ninth Congressional
District is also Probate Junge of San
-duskY kYseounty, and in that capacity has
charge of the issuing Of naturalization
papers to those entitled to receive them.
It is susceptible of proof that from his
court there have been issued during the
last three weeks scores and hundreds oi
fraudulent naturalization papers. These
papers have been used in voting not
only in Sandusky county, but in every
county of the Ninth District, and even
outside the district It is said that
eighteen were used in voting in Olmsted
Of this county. The total number is
sued cannot be estimated, but some
three hundred have already been dis
covered, and active committees are at
work searching for other cases. It is
susceptible of proof that these papers
were issued to men who had not been
il the escountry three years, and who
had not taken out their first papers,
whereas the swdeclares that no eertif-
cate Of naturalization shall be issued un-
less the applicant shall have been in the
country five years, and shall either pr
duce his first papers or proYe,tbatsthey
have been lost It is also susceptible
of proof that no record of these bogus
certificates has been kept BY the Pro
bate Judge. This is bad enough, /, i
this is by no means the worst. N is
susceptible Of proof that those bogus Ger
tiitfcdte$ Of naturalization oOere signed an
blank By the hundred, and sent to leading
Democrats IN every county IN the District
to be FILED out By them and giUea to any
foreigner whO mould vote for Dickinson :
This is most glaring, wholesale and
outrageous fraud, and it demands the
promptest action in investigation and
Furnishing II.
1t is sought to shield Judge Dickin-
son from prosecution by claiming that
]. H. McArdIe, clerk of the court, was
the guilty party. Most of the bogus
papers are signed by Dickinson @per-J.
H, McArdle, deputy clerk" But we
learn that some ofthe bogus certificates
bear Dickinson's signature in his own
handwriting. Even if this were not so,
is it conceivable that deputy clerk
would send hundreds of papers of this
sort over the district without any con
sultation with Dickinson himself3 No,
McArdle is but tool in the hands of
other men, who are the really guilty
parties in the matter,
The law of the case is as follows
(Dunlop's laws of the United States.
I1s9-ls6O. p, 495.)
SIC. 10 That if any person shall falsely
make, forge or eou, terfeit, or cause or pro-
cure 10 be falsely made, forged or counter
feited, any certificate or evidence of citizen
ship referred to in this act; or shall pass,
utter. or use as true any false certificate of |
or shall make sale or dispose of |
any such certificate to any person other than
the person to whom it was originally issued |
and to whom it may Of right belong, every |
such person shall be deemed and sdjudged |
guilty of felony; and on beibg convicted |
thereof by due course of law shall be SEN
fenced 10 be imprisoned and be kept at hard |
than FIVE years, or be fined in a sum not less |
than $500, nor more than $1,000.
1t is under this section that Judge |
Dickinson has been arrested, and viii |
be tried.* If convicted, he will pass the |
next two years at Columbus instead of |
Washington. Even if he escapes i'm
prisonment, it will be for Congress to
,ay whether a man connected with |
such frauds as this is fit to legislate for
.he country. We do not desire to pre-
iudice or PREJUDICE the decision. We
rust that Judge Dickinson may be able
70 establish his innocence. But we
know that a gross and infamous fraud
has been perpetrsted, and in the name
Of justice we demand that the guilty
persons; whoever they may be, meet
,he full penalty of the law. These
'rauds are the great and crying evil Of
BUR institutions. They must be pun
shed. Let every good citizen of the
Ninth District relax no effort in investi-
eating this matter, and bringing every
vote to light
#Judge Dickinson was not arrested. |