The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-09-07

~ upon the board. This has come to be retOr-
and the people of the state would submit to no
law that would take from them the right to
cnoose these officers, and their Inherent sense
or justice grants to the minority their plain
right of representation upon these boards
This is not the law in the great city of PhiadcI-
phia. The people there have no right to vote
for election officers. They arc disfranchised
and their power is vested in board of alder
men elected for entirely different purpose
Here the people elect che assessors and they
make out the registry list aud place upon it
the names of the voters T7icre, the board of
aldermen appoint the lnen to make ont the
registry lists and invariably appoint two Re
publcans and one Democrat. Here, the Dem
ocrats elect n Democratic assessor, in u Demo-
cratic district. There, the board appoint two
Republicans and one Democrat in ercry dis
irlct, whether Republican or Democratic, and
corrupt and desperate men this power has
grown to be most fruitful source of impurity
in the elections of Philadelphia. Men are ap-
pointed as canvassers who know law and
recognize no system of morals, hut the success
of their party and the attainment of their Cvn
selfish ends and those of their designing leaders
lhey without hesitation strike from the regis
try lists the names of voters who are duly Quail
hfEe no shadow of right 10 vote
lf1ongS. One member of the Legislature holds
his place because the names OF one hundred
and forty eight legal voters OF his district were
struck from the registry without authority of
law ard for purely partisan purposes.
Here, in Democratic district, you elect the
judge and one OF the inspectors, and the Re
publicans elect the other. There the board of
aldermen select the election officers in ersly
"
the Kidding and suit the purposes of the Re
publican majority of the boards, and i'm the Sc
especial care to choose aStjlte and unscrupu-
lous Republicans who will do the bidding of
lect illterate, weak or corruptiblc men as
Democratic election officers. In many cases,
by appointing Republicans instead of Demo
Gratis. One of the officers of the Republican
State convention was n man who had been aD-
pointed and had acted Us n ssDernocratic'' cleo
uon officer at the last eection BY the election
OF shrcwd and unscrupulous men upon one
slue anu OF incompetent or corruptlble men on
the other the door TO fraud and wrong is wide
j. destroyed such has now come r TO = ba %'tgr fhe
case in the city of Philadelphia and the voice
of her people is stiied by the wiles and machi-
nations OF iawless men, acting under the forms
of an unjust statute. Canvass lists are doc
tored: :: ballot-boxes are stuffed; returns are
altered, forged and manipulated and fraud and
violence in their worst forms are resortcd to
in order to maintain the political supremacy of
desperate ana evil men.
The true remedy of these wrongs consists in
restoring to the people the rights taken from
them and in making the general law applicable
to the city of Philadelphia.
In the recent session of the Legislature we
sought to amend this law by allowing the votes
TO be counted in the presence of the judges of
the courts, by giving the courts the power TO
put on names left off the registry by mistake or
fraud and by giving the minority of the board
of aldermen the right to select their due pro
portion of election officers for each election
district Under the dictation of the men who
are now upon the ticket in Philadelphia this
resentativcS and We now come to the people 10
demand the repeal of this unjust law. Its gross
iican paper in Phiadeiphia has condemned me ut. It,
but it serves their purposes of fraud and false
counting. So reckless and bold have these men
become that they cOntcmn public opinion and
openly proclaim their intention to count them
selres IN. They reckon without their host if SO
daring game be attempted. The Democracy
of Philadelphia are aroused and determined,
and with public sentiment uDon their side they
VIII do what Is necessary to secure Il fair count,
We have the votes and we have the physical
power of the city, as well as its moral support
NJ
than fools to permit gang OF desperate knaves
to count us out. Fraud, false counting, for
all and each in turn, have been pcrpetrated at
the command of the lawIess men who run the
lie patience is at last exhausted and those who
respect order and love law are upon our side
ment in their preservation. In the perform
ance of a Just act or in the prevention of gross
p0yed
To repeal this vile law, ana give those people
first fruits of the victory to which we invite
You To re-endorse this fundamental princi
govern themselves in every locality, will be an
achievement that will reflect. honor upon all
who aid in its accomplishment.
THE CONGRESSIONAL GERRYMANDER.
The struggle of last session for just legisla-
mercilessly treated by our antagonists in the
event of their success, in the matter of Con-
gresSlonal dppOrtiOnment, and to those who
aspire 70 Congressional honors, love fair
play, this adds an additional argument for zeal
Under the famous gerrymander of 1862, we
have been disfranChised and outraged. Its
practical workings during the last four terms,
when reduced 70 an average, demonstrate that
it required 35,S05 votes to elect a Democratic
long o2ngrefSman while I3,sO9 votes were enough 10
parties in the ICiOlc rote Ocd at these eIectiO,ts
these four terms sixty-four Republicans have
been sent 10 Congress whilst but thirty-one
Democrats have filled the place
Can adduce any more potent argument for
the necessity for work than these figures show?
NO NEW DEPARTURE.
oar enemy plumeS himself uyOn our alleged
distractions and divisions and argues hence an
easy victory. Let me tell him to LAY not this
hntter1ng JUNCTION too near his soul" The so
called distractions and divisions of the Democ-
racy are settled in their own ranks and in their
own way. They viii bring neither aid nor com
Tort to the enemy. That which they are pleased
TO call n new departure is n simple recogni-
tiOn OF the doctrine they have ALWAYS maintain
ed: to obey that which has the forms and sane
uon of constituted authorityuntil relieved from
their obig alton to obey by the constitution
al tribunal or the power that enacted the law
In this we differ now, as VIC always.have fifrer-
ed, with our antagonists; lCc obey law then
nullify their obligations and preach a higher
law. We have made no departure from our
universally received and recognized doctrine
that the control of the question OF suffrage
within the States ought to belong to the States
and the people nor does either our practice or
our theory warrant the charge that would
nullify any enactment by fraud violence
The principles we advocate are those upon
which the government grew to greatness and
to power, and which the Dem ocracy has always
enunciated and maintained: obedience to law,
practice of constitutional government, ccOno-
my in public expenditure, and the Just rights
of the states and of the people. The Democ-
racy of Pennsylvania have closed up their
ranks and will come to the polls with unbroken
front, buoyant with hope and inspired with
confidence, proud of their candidates, who be-
long to no ring and have afIiliariOn with
corrupt cliques, whose personal, civil and mill
tary record are above reproach. whose gallant
ry has been tested on many battle fields, where
they were trusted eaedrs in fighting corps
that has been and will be the pride of every
true Pennsylvanian. The Democracy will be
at TIE polls an harmonious, united and deter
mined party. ready to meet an efete, corrupt
ahd degraded organization, whose chief boast
is that they have made the negro their equal,
whose great power is the corrupt of TIE
public moneys whose most trusted leaders are
disgusted and recalcitrant, whose present lead
are mainly federal officials and whose or
ganiZation, in ALMOST every leading Republican
county IN the State, is broken into fragments,
clques and sections. ii is a shell fun OF emp
tineSs and rottenness, and it will collapse and
stink when punctured and broken by the
ried ranks of Il victorious Democracy.
MODENs.-When yotI go to Modena stop at