The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-10-29
PRESS.
Saturday Morning, October 90, 1870.


who il TO BIamef
The immipence of hostile collision be-
tween the military forces of the United
States. on the one side, and the authorities of |
the State and city of New York, on the other,
has concentrated public attention to consid. |
cradle extent upon the political struggle now
going on in the metropolis of America. There |
Is beginning to be an ominous excitement OH
both sides that is spreading among the parti-
sans of the respective parties throughout the
Union. Fierce passions are aroused that
may seek qualification in deeds that will bring
disgrace and sorrow upon the nation. Both
parties are profuse in declarations of the puri-
ty OF their purposes and the propriety of their
action, while each accuses the other of being
Influenced by the most criminal motives
Who is to blame? On one side the complaint
is that by system Of fraud unparalleled in
magnitude elsewhere, the Democracy of New
York city gave the electoral vote of the State
to Horatio Seymour instead of to ULYSSES S.
Grant who was the choice of clear majority
of the legal voters, and that it is the intention
of these unprincipled men to re-elect Gov.
Hoffman by the use of the same appliances at
the election Of the 9Th of November. On the
other hand it is alleged that United States
troops are to be employed at the ensuing cleo
ton for the purpose of overawing the legal
voters Of New York and preventing a free
and full expression of the wishes of the ma
jority. It is said that the employment OF
troops for such purpose in time of peace is
Unprecedented and is an outrage of such an
uncomfortable nature as to justify resistance
and the use of the State and city forces to OPP
pose the 'hirelings" of the general govern
ment.
But there is no difficulty in determining
who is right. All the facts are on one side
and all the assertions are on the other. We
have never been transnnrtAd ~ --.---.roO'on u
-. x,..-..s.ss<----- No. U--a.siSy. They are
but poor representatives of the party to which
they belong, and it is only too evident that
many of the more prominent of them are in
league with Tammany for the sake of sharing
Tammany's spoils. But with this the general
government has nothing to do. 1t is not act
ing with the Republican pauty but with the
people. 1t interferes for the purpose of en-
abling all citizens, Republicans or Democrats.
to haye their due weight in the coming cleo
ton. The Republicans do not object to this.
Notwithstanding the notorious corruption OF
s)me of their leaders, who are tools of Tam
many, they have never, as party, sought to
gain any advantage by interfering with the
purity of elections. Therefore they rejoice
that Congress has passed law with view to
securing more accurate expression of the
wishes of the legal voters of the city, and that
the executive has sent troops to secure its en-
forcement. HOratio Seymour in late speech
insisted that the charge against the Democra-
cy of illegal practices at elections is unbound
ed, declaring that the proportion of votes to
the number of inhabitants was not larger in
the city in 1868 than in other parts of the
State. In reply to this and other similar eva
sions of the well established fact that frauds
were committed we find the following in the
Tribune, which is Enthusiastically from the pen
of the senior editor:
All must know that very large share of
our population consists of aliens, who are not
entitled 10 vote; OF seafaring men, who are
necessarily absent on voyages when elections
are held OF merchants and mercantile agents,
who are likewise absent, while more women
than men are resident here. Hence our last
State Census, taken in 1866, showed 726.3S6
persons residing in our city, whereof only
l28,975 claimed to be legal voters; whereas.
IN the rural districts, the proportion is much
greater. '-
LII, Messieurs, you say that the 156.O51
votes cast here for President in 1868 were lit
tie more than One-sixth of our population.
and that there is no more than our City ought
to cast-in fact, hardly SO much. What say
you to the polling Of $50 votes in the ia
Ward out OF total population of 1905 p
What to the polling of 5,403 votes in the With
Ward out OF total population of 21,272?-
and even this monstrOus aggregate swelled to
$3.50 (all Democratic but 200) at the Judicial
election last June? Nay: what say you to
the polling of S84 Democratic votes against
90 Republican, in the 10th election district of
that Ward, where the late Census shows but
$40 men, women and children in all? Do
you say the Census may be defective? We
or Hall to unite with him in selecting an emf.
nent Democrat and an eminent Republican to
retake that Census, and the Mayor dare not
accept the proposition.
At our late Judicial ele. ton, which excited
~ popular INTEREST, the "a district OF the
With Ward, with but i 40 inhabitants, poll
ed N2 Democratic votes; the Sd district of
that Ward, with but /, 1884 inhabitants, polled
S33 Democratic votes and SO with MANY
Others Can yoa pretend to believe that this
was honest?
Why is it that this enormous disproportion
OF votes to population occurs uniformly in
the strongest Democratic districts? Why is
nothing like it shown in one of the thirty-one
districts that gave majorities against Hoffman
How comes it that many of your strongholds
pool ole vote for every three persons residing
therein, several more than ore vote to two
persons, and one more Democratic votes than
there are men, women and children residing
in it, while no Republican or nearly balanced
district shows any such result?
:, Messieurs your attempts to foment a rebel
hon against Federal authority and law are
idle. The acts of Congress you stigmatize
We're passed in the interest of honesty and
hDerty. They aim at the protection Of every
legal voters Right of Suffrage, whether be be
Republican or Democrat. No legal voter
fears that his right to vote will be overborne
Dy Federal acknowledgements, with all who
want to vote illegally, and the suborners OF
1alse canvassers, are alone affected.