Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-11-09
GREELEY ON ELECTION FRAUDS


Hon Horace Greeley, in his speech
at Cooper Institute few evenings
since, spoke as follows in regard to
election frauds:
With regard to tie elections, the
first question is, shall there be elect ons
here after? SO long as you have
ballot-bex in which one throws a hand
full Of votes, and another, not to be out
done, puts in hatful, [laugbter] it is
not an election-it Is an auction.
[i.aughter.l Suppose in my place
forty miles away, where | have farm,
put vote in the baliot-b box. | GO
home; | feel happy; but that happi-
ness is dispelled when | know that
man who don't think as do puts 10
whole handful eff votes against nay one,
and 10 that way obtains power over
me. Why, then, even | am disposed
TO rebel. Laughter The only vail
dlty the whole virtue of an election
lies 10 the conviction that ballots put
III the bailot-box are counted as they
went IN, and thata man only polls one
vote. Men will not vote when they
know that there will be no honest,
faithful voting, but what Oakley Hall
calls good counting" There are no
such deadly enemies to Republican
liberty on earth as the ballot box stuf-
lers. The rebel who stands with the
musket IN his hand, though you may
desplse him, Is manly and honest fell
low beside person who stuits ballot
boxes. The voting in this State in The
last election was of such character
that though it was known majority
OF the voters were for Grant, traudu-
lent votes were SO cast that Grant had
a majority OF votes against him.
This sort OF thing must be stopped, or
Republican liberty will be overthrown
There is no man on earth who has such
an Immediate and fearful interest n the
purity Of the ballot box as the poor
man " hen his richer neighbor can
hire ballot box suffers to do this work,
the poor mans vote comes to naught
The poor man cannot hire these stuff
ers; he is poor, and these ballot box
suffers expect to be and are paid.
The game must be stopped. or it will
become question of money against
money-who can hire the most suffers.
GU know that IN many wards more
votes have been recently polled than
there were men, women and children in
them. This was proved by the census.
Mr.. Oakley Hall saw fit to challenge the
census, and though he was IN turn chal-
lenged by Gen Sharpe, refused to ac-
company Mr.. jackson, S. Shutz and
Mr.. Samuel j Iilden in order to test
the accuracy OF the census In those
wards Dir. Hall dare not accept it.
II he undertook to count a census he
would take 1t he same way as he coun-
ted an election. (Laughtet.) This
must be stopped, or one side will stuff
and the other size will stuff, and the
stability OF free government will there
by be impaired. The evils of ballot
box stuihns are apparent, and you feel
them. 1t curses you and stamps you
under foot, aud you do not see any way
10 get rid Of it. These evils must be
stopped aud must not be recommended.
Al this bowling about the United States
officers comes from the party who rule
the city. There is DO voter In this city
whose right OF suffrage will be affected
by what the United States does at this
election; he only knows that what is
done is to retain the purity of the ballot
how