The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1875-12-03
The Attorney Generalship Contest.

disposition of the contested election case be-
tween Messrs. Charles j. NJ. Gwinn and S.
Teackle Wallis 1t is impossible, of course,
to predict what the Governor will do, but
we are confident that his action, whatever it
may be, will be the honest dictate of his con-
science. We concur in the view expressed
by an Annapolis correspondent of the Balti-
more Sun, that as Baltimore is the place
where the fraud in the election is assumed
to have been committed, il is there that those
aggrieved should investigate the whole mat
ter. There they have the courts and the le-
gally constituted machinery to summon and
compel the attendance of witnesses, punish
for delinquencies, pay expenses, sc. This
would certainly seem more just and consist
ent than to transfer their grievances to An
napolis and endeavor to fasen doubtful du-
ties upon the Governor. With legal proof
in his hands that he instead of Mr. Gwinn
was elected, Mr. Wallis might with propriety
appeal to the Governor to decide between
them.
MIR. Wallis in his statement to Governor
Groome cites as supposed parallel case that
OF A. Lingan Jarrett VS.. Purnell which came
before the Legislature in 1860. This case,
in our view, differs from that of Messrs. Wal
lis and Gwinn in most important particulars.
In 1853, the whole Democratic vote of the
city was returned as only 2,792-a number
30 preposterously small as to need no further
proofo of the truth of the current reports of
lawlessness and boodshed by which Demo.
Gratis were driven from the polls and hunted
through the streets The Legislature &C
cordingly threw out the vote of Baltimore
city as illegal, and as Mr.. Jarrett had ma
jority in the counties he was declared entitled
10 the Office of Comptroller.
In 1878, at an election which was never
questioned for fairness, the Democratic vote
was 2S,332 and the Republican vote 1851.
In 1915 Mr.. Gwinn received 1854 votes and
MIR. Wallis, 22,5SG The increase in the
Democratic vote of 1875 over that of 1878
was $500, while the increase in the Republi-
can vote was S,939-a gain of more than so
per cent since 1878. Thus the larger COM
parative increase was on the Republican side
lfthe election of 1878 was fair-as it is ad-
mittcd to have becn-ccrtainly there is moth
ing on the face of the returns of November
I'd, 1875, to show that the Democratic in
crease at that election is too large to have
been fair. This constitutes the difference
between Mr. Jarrett's case in 1869 and Mr..
Wallis's i'll 1875. In the former fraud was
apparent on the very face of the returns In
the latter comparison of the figures does
not show any such frauds as arc alleged to
have taken place. If any frauds were COM
United, there is no reason to believe that they
were sufficiently great to have affected the
election of the entire Democratic State
ticket.
The terrorism of 1869 showed plainly in
the small Democratic vote of 2,792 The al
legged terrorism of 1875 seems to have deyel-
oped an increase in the Republican vote of
over 80 per cent. since the previous election.
Certainly this does not look as if many r e.
publicans were deprived of their votes.
In this connection we commend to the at
tention of those who imagine they see par
allel between the case of jarrett against Pur-
nell with that of Wallis against Gwnn, to the
following article from the Westminster Dem
ocratc Adr0cate. There is no parallel between
the so-called election of 1869 in Baltimore
city, and the election of November ID, 1873.
The Adcocato says:
ELECTION FRAUDS.
81,
speaking OF the late Baltimore election, "un-
paralleled fraud r Let us inquire whether
there is anything in the history of elections
in Baltimore that can be called a parallel tn
the alleged frauds of the Cd of November
In 1859, when this same j. Morrison Harris
was the Plug Ugly candidate for Congress
In Baltimore city, and when it was at The
peril of their lives that Democratic voters Mt.
tempted TO deposit their ballots, the whole
Democratic vote of the city was but 2,702
the goth ward cast but one Democratic vote
the 18th ward 10, the 14th 8, the 18th /. So
1t was In nearly every ward in the CITY,
except the Bloody eighth" where the Irish
residents were strong enough and spirited
enough TO repel all the attacks made upon
them by the Plug Uglies, Blood Tubs and
Blacks Snakes. Did the counting of the hal.
lots on the I'd of November reveal any such
results as these? Were men shot down, and
beat TO lnsensibility with billies, at the late
election, as they were in 1859? No one will
have the hardihood TO assert il. There NAV
have been frauds, but TO assert that but for
these frauds Harris would have been elected
Governor, is to make broad assertion nm.
supported by proof We are no apolopisis
for fraud at any time or under any crcum.
stances. But, admit for the sake of argu.
ment, that these allegations are true, is il
anything more than retributive Justice which
has overtaken this standard bearer of the
political Thugs in 1859? Col. John C, Groome
father of the present Governor, were de.
feated by Governor Thomas Holyday Hicks
by and through the agency of the same Thugs
Col. Gro0me had majority in the counties
but the Thugs OF Baltimore, marshalled by
j. Morrison Harris and Henry Winter Davis
cheated him and the Democratic partv ont
of his election. Unparalleled frauds p in.
deed Why the frauds of the I'd inst, (if we
admit there were such) don't deserve men
ton In comparison with those perpetrated
by the supporters of Harris, in the heyday
of Know Nothingism, when, to shoot men
down IN colo blood, to puncture them with
faces into ajelly with blies, was, according
to The notorious Henry Winter Davis, "but
the Psay OF .treemen's spirits on election day."
Let Radical grumblers about frauds" but
their hands upon their mouths, land their
mouths in the dust for nothing ever perne
trated by Democrats, at their worst and low
est estate, could begin to parallel the enor-
mites enacted by the Harris and Davis
Know, Nothing Thugs, whose political
scoundrelism and highhanded ruffianjsm
may truly be said to be without its parallel
in the history of elections, in the world
We commend to the lips of Mr.. Harris the
chalice which he commended to the lips of
others in the dark days of 1866 to 1850, and
Of 1861 to 1866
-Pinchback of J,ou;a;opo viii l.. T.,