Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1869-02-27
Remarks of Senator Cameron.


carry out our contemplated Improvements.
e->-
Remarks of Senator Cameron.
In the Senate, on Wednesday of last week,
Mr.. Buckalew, while discussing the ques-
,ion of changing the mode of choosing
| Presidential electors, charged that half a
million of dollars had been poured out ir
| Pennsylvania to control the last Pres:den-
tial election. When lie had concluded his
speech, Mr.. Stewart, of Nevada, moved that
the Senate recede from it's amendments to
the Constitutional amendments and concur
in the House proposition. Senator Came
ron then took the floor, and we copy his re-
marks from the Daily Globe.
| Mr.. Cameron. l shall vote in favor Of
| the motion now made by the Senator from
| Nevada. | had no intention to say word
on this subject, and should not have done
go but for q remark which fell from my col
| league which think was disrespectful to
the State from which he and / come, in
which we were both born, and to which we
owe not only allegiance but love. was sorry
| to hear him say that money had been brought
! into PENNSYLVANIA to influence aud corrupt
the elections there, and to produce result
which the people did not desire. In 1854,
my colleague and l separated in politics.
| The first election of any consequences after
! that was the election for President in 1856,
when 3Ir. Buchanan and Colonel Fremont
were the opposing candidates. In reply to
the remark of my colleague think l may
say with confidence that there is hardly
| man in Pennsylvania now living who was
acquainted with that contest who does not
believe that Colonel Fremont was cheated
| out Of the vote of Pennsylvania by tie &C
tivity and dishonesty of the men who sup.
ported Mr.. Buchanan. Large sums of
money were brought into Pennsylvania to
use as corruption fund, and they were SO
used. Sir, had General Fremont received
the vote of Pennsylvania then, as he was
entitled to do, we should have been saved
! the evils which grew out of Mr.. Buchanan's
administration, including the great rebel
lion which has cost this country so much
bl ood and treasure and all its consequences
But Colonel Fremont lost the vote of Penn
! sylvania by the management of the chair
man of the State Democratic Central Com
mittee Of that year, who through the use of
money from other States changed the result
of the election.
Sir, such things have often happened in
| Pennsylvania; but my remembrance is that
they have always been done iu the interests
Of the Democratic party. At the recent
election we lost the city Of Philadelphia
and the Democratic party nomnally elected
three Congressman there but all men who
are acquainted with the contest in the dis.
tricts of Mr.. Myers and Mr.. Taylor know
that those gentlemen are entitled to their
seats, and were only defeated by great frauds.
They intend to claim them, and have no
doubt they will receive them. l remember
the other day, in a contest for seat in the
Legislature from the city Of Philadelphia,
three men were brought up and swore that
they had voted at every precinct in the city,
and at each place they had given different
names to the amount of eight or ten each.--
They voted early and often. as my friend
from New Jersey Mr.. FreliDghuysenl sug.
gests.
only rose for the purpose os defending
my State, and especially the Republican
party, against this charge of fraud. The
election in Pennsylvania occurs earlier than
in many of the other States. 1t is very
important State and, of course, the election
is contested with great activity.
Now, let me say one word in regard ia
the proposition of my colleague. l know
ti.at l ought to have studied the question
before / attempted to speak upon il. My
} colleague says that of all the people in the
world he despises most stupid people.
, agree with him in that. A stupid man is
rot to be admired by anybody; but We
sometimes differ as to where the stupidity
is to be found. Sometimes we think pco
pie are laughing with us, when they are
laughing at US; and so it may he in regard
, to stupidity. / think it wsuld be very stu
= pid indeed for the party in power now tc
give to any future Congress tue right o
t gerrymandering Pennsylvania, Indiana
g New York and Ohio, so as to control those
States for think half dozen shrewd mer
frA
pass bill in Congress by which they could
control the destinies of this country. am
in favor, therefore, of leaving this powe
in the hands of the States. Lot the mer
who know the local interests, the local feel
ings and the local strength and weakness
of the States settle it themselves at the
own homes. To be sure, by carrying sucl
. an amendment as my colleague proposes the
county of Berks in our State would vote oil
the one side and the county of Dauphin ol
r the other; and under such a proposition
! the candidates of my colleague last yea
, might have secured four or five electora
votes in Pennsylvania, and a few in some o
the other States, but / greatly prefer tha
: each State shall show its whole strength
t Whatever the power of the State may be
/ let it be given by single vote in favor o
State rights as some men who have bee
here. learned during the war for the sup
preston of the rebellion that we needed
y stronger Government than we ever had be
9 fore. The great trouble at the bcginnin
of the war was that there was no power a
Washington, under the laws, that could no
Il only arm the forces that were offered, bu
6 that could WELD them as they coul
$ have done if there had been nobody in th
# States to interfere with them.
| believe this is all have a desire TO sa
} on this subject. think have shown, O
$, at least have tried to do so, that Pennsy
n vania is not worse than the other States
r. and il she has done wrong, it has been til
Democrats who have done the wrong.
h The New York Election Eraud,
D, WASHINGTON, Feb, %, 1869.
j. Judge Lawrence has prepared a volumil
N Gus report upon the New York electio
- frauds of last November. Judge LawrenC