Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-10-22
THE WOOD COUNTY ELECTION.

The contest before the Legislature In.
volving heavy drafts upon the pockets of
the friends of the rival points. cngenderod
bitter feelings, and these were kent nIiye
and intensiiied during the struggle in the
county preceding the election. More thnn
this, the same corrupting influences which
were resorted to for controlling the I,eris.
lature, were revised, enlarged, and improv.
ed in she contest within the county.1Bri-
berry, importation Of voters, and Illegal yo.
ting seem TO have become the rule. and
men who ordinarily would scorn TO do n
dishonest thing, evidently adopted the the.
ory that they were fighting the Devil, and
in using fire.
The people throughout the county wore
wrought up to high degree of excite.
ment prior to election, and in mnnv in.
stances IL seemed to amount almost 10 In.
sanity. In political conventions. men were
prescribed on account of their preferences
upon the county seat question. In the Re-
publican County Convention not friend
OF Perrysburg was nominated for anv of.
hce. We understand that Pe1rysbure Re.
publicans in that convention almost inyar-
lably divided their votes between their
friends and foes on the county seat oues
tion. Prior to the election, the feeling in
some OF the townships friendly to Bowling
Green became so intense that citizens of
Toledo, even where their sympathies were
with Bowling Green were treated shabby.
sOiely because the sympathics of this CITY
were supposed TO be with her up-river
neighbor, and at the election, as we are in
formed by citizen of Bowling Green. Il
Z. BRowS, Republican candidate for Seno-
tor, was badly scratched, solely because he
resided in Toledo and was suspected of en-
tertaining sympathy for Perrysburg in the
county seat contest. A prominent citizen
OF Montgomery township informs MS that
on election day there were about ono bun-
dred illegal voters marched mn TO the nuIls
in that township and voted, and he remark
ed that "the life of a friend of Perrysburg
would not have been worth two cents had
he protested against it," We are told bv
a friend of Bowling Green, well known to
this city, that il would not have been safe
IN his Judgment for any citizen of Perrys.
burg to have attended the polls in either
Freedom and Montgomery township. and
he was IN those townships on the dav pre-
cedlng the election. On Wednesday. after
reelection, County Commissioner PIERCE.
who resilcs at Pcrrysburg, an honorable
AMI most respected citizen OF the county.
started to Bowling Green on business Be
fore reaching that village he was met bv
two respectable citizens Of that place and
ID that it would not be safe for him tc 90
to the villagc-thnt tie feeling Of the peO-
pie was such that his life would be in dan
ger. On declaring his purpose TO 60 at all
hazards. tile Two men turned about and ac-
companied him, saying that they would |
protect HIM as far as possible. lie was
not oaaIy treated, however, save by few
but it is the belief of some who are well
informed that had not Mr.. ptFpcr
visited Bowling Green and thrown oil up-
on the troubled waters, mob would have
been organized for the purpose of forcibly
taking possession of the poll-books and tai
~ sheets at Pcrrysburg on Wednesday
night.
This feeling on the part of the friends of
Bowling Green was largely due. no doubt.
to reports that Perrysburg designed to car
ry the election by frahd-that the DAYTON
" Michigan Railroad would vote large
number oil men, and that vast numbers of
illegal voters would be crowded into Per-
rysburg and other townships friendly to
removal.
Bowling Green citizens are charged with
having brought into the county large num-
hers OF illegal voters and the friends of
Perrysbnrg had, or thought they had facts
TO sustain the charge; and no doubt citi-
zens oil Bowling Green believed that Per
rysburg contemplated polling large ille-
gal vote Each party expected to be de-
leated, II at all, by illegal votes, and the
result shows quite conclusively that each
party proposed to fight it out on that line.
10 show that Bowling Green expected
to he compelled TO overcome such n vote
II ls only necessary to state few facts.
Cltlzens OF that place were sent to Perrys-
ourg on Monday night for the purpose of
being early at the polls on Tuesday morn
ing. We understand that pickets were
stationed at the toll l-bridge between Perrys.
burg and Maumee to discover the expeciod
army of illegal voters as thev marched
from Lucas TO Wood county, and for fear
the toll bridge would be avoided and the
army OF imported voters ford the river at
Bnttonwood Island we are told that n
Bowling Green picket was also stationed
at that point. These pickets NAV have
been Imaginary beings void of Hcsh and
bone, but Perrysburg people believe they
were reality. That detectives were en-
ployed IN this city, and at other points 10
discover the rendezvous of the illegal vo-
ters, there is s.probably no doubt. One of
the parties at the Perrysburg polls took
the seven o'clock train south and reported
along the road that n car load of colored
men had been taken to Perrysburg on Mon
day night and voted on Tuesday moning
before seven O'clock. He returned to the
poll. at hall-past eight, and dispatch was
received nt Perrysburg stating what report
had been circulated and by whom. He
wns asked about it, and while his report
was known not to be true, and WINS believed
TO have been circulated for the purpose Of
wronging ferrysburg he was not molested.
Other parties from Bowling Green were at
the ferrysburg polls during the day, and
Two OF them remained in the room with
ihe Judges and Clerks OF the election dur
ing Tuesday night and Wednesday. Great
anxiety was manifested by parties at Bowl
ing Green to learn the number of votes
boIled at the Perrysburg election. As
Perrysburg thought the object was TO ascor- |
t'lh the number in order to beat them on |
the count, no one, friend or foe. was in |
formed on that point. Afabout midniqlt |
Probate Judge PHELPS, of Bowling Green
entered the room where the Judges were |
counting the votes, and in his official ca
pacity demanded to see the poll hooks
Ills demand was not needed. The Judocs
OF election determined TO make slow prop-
ress with their count, and not make their
returns until such time ms would insure
hem against apprehended danger. We
are not passing judgment upon these sur
misses, but merely stating facts that the
reader may understand the situation.
Now, as to the vote. 1t seems that Per
-ysburg returns about three thousand
votes, being more than double the number
II male citizens over twenty-one years of
lge returned by the assessor last spring.
ln the other hand, the vote for Bowling
ireen, against removal, is said to be about
qual to the aggregate vote of The county
t previous elections. These facts show
that both parties we're en-
aged in fight with illegitimate weapons,
nd II remains TO he seen which one has
cen most skillful in their use.
The Defiance Democrat wonld just as soon
i've the Rag Baby a. kick as not. Al least