The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-05-20
The Case of Connecticut in Brief.

The Democrats resisted every step
towards an investigation of the doubtful
returns-in their local press, here in New
York, and in the Legislature. The Repub-
licans as steadily courted investigation.
When they secured it, through an order
of the Legislature, their Committee, fairly
chosen, and acting with all the facts and
witnesses before them, found,
1. That in Cheshire the Democratic Reg
istrar directed the subtraction of 90 votes
from the acknowledged number cast and
counted for the Republican candidate, on
the ground that % men whose ballots had
been accepted were not duly qualified
voters. OF the 90 thus specified it was
proved that one did not vote at all, and
there was no proof that the other % voted
the Republican ticket, which had been
therefore unwarantably weakened by the
withdrawal of their number from its aggre-
gate vote. 1t was thereupon decided that
the 90 wrongfully deducted here from
JEWELS vote should be restored.
2. That in Enfield the endorsement on
package of straight Democratic tickets,
numbering IS, was inadvertently read
upside down and counted as SO, thus giving
Governor English 90 more votes than We're
actually cast for him. Both parties agreed
as to this error, it was mooted by the Mod
orator on the face of its original return,
and there has been no dispute about it
since.
3. That in the Fourth ward of New
Haven 100 straight Democratic tickets were
fraudently placed among the ballots during
the counting. Subsequently, the clumsy
cheats discovered that in case of a recount,
this must be detected, by comparison with
the tally, and SO sought to conceal the fraud
by withdrawing 100 Republican tickets
The crime was detected by the gross con-
trast shown between the vote on the State
ticket thus doctored, and that in another
box, for Representatives, which had not
been tempered with. 479 votes were re-
turned for Jewell, and the whole Republi-
can State ticket, while it was not denied
that the Republican candidate for Repre-
sentative received 5S4, and for Board of
Relief 500. The committee then summon
ed the voters before them as witnesses,
and, thanks to the stable character of the
population, and the profound interest
felt in defeating the audacious fraud that
had been attempted, five hundred and forty
four electors came before the committee,
and severally swore to having voted for
Jewell! The fraudulent abstraction of
sxty-fve ballots was proved beyond perad-
venture; and, with this light upon their
path the committee found little difficulty
in securing evidence fully warrantng the
report that precisely an even package of
one hundred had been taken.
The several corrections thus established
being made, the vote of Connecticut for
Governor was proved to have been cast,
AZ, 473 for Jewell, 1873 for English, and
IA scattering, leaving Jewell elected by an
absolute majority of Sc on the popular
vote.
That is the whole story. All honor to
the State that was noble enough to reverse
the current of Democratic victory, and
sagacious enough to defeat secret vllainy
as well as open and manly hostility! And
now let us commend to our late rejoicing
Democratic friends careful study of the
returns from Connecticut!
NeW York Tribune.