Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-08-18

To Samuel J. IIiden, Chairman Democratic
State COMMITTEE.
SlR-You and | are growing old. We
came here young from the country, and have
lived and struggled side by side for nearly
forty -ears. We have participated ardently
in many political struggles, always on differ
ent sides On one very important
point. however, your bitterness as partisan
has impelled YOU to ignore and come short OF
yonr duties as citizen and professed up
holder of Government BY the people, and
for this derelction | here arraign you. | al
lude to the preservation of the purity OF the
ballot-box.
| can imagine how man can shut his
eyes to many things which he deems It con-
yenient not 10 know but | must speak oil
what YOU do know, however you may wish
or seek to be ignorant of it. The matter
10 which call your attention Is vital 10 the
yerv existence Of free popular govern
ment. Whenever it shall be generally I'M
derstood that the results of elections are not
determined by the ballots oflegal voters, but
by frauds in voting or frauds in counting,
then the event of ayowed, unequiyocal des-
potism must be near at hand. Between the
rule of an emperor and the rule of a clique
Of ballot box suffers every intelligent man
must prefer the former as less rapaciOus and
more responsible. When honest citizens
shall avoid the polls, asking, "What IS the
use Of voting? the result Is already fixed,
the DAYS Of the Republic will be numbered.
Between a ruler who prohibits voting alto
gether and the gang who make II sham
by filling the ballot boxes with illegal votes,
/ or miscoun,ing those actually cast, the sway
I Of the former Is every way preferable.
You hold most responsible and iniuen-
tal position in the counsels of great party
You could make that party content itself
with polling legal votes if you only would. In
! our late constitutional Convention | tried to
erect some fresh barriers against election
frauds. Did You ? The very little that |
was enabled to effect in this direction ! shall
try To have ratified by the people at our en-
( suing election. VIII You? Mr.. Tilden
{ you cannot escape responsibility by saying
with the guilty Macbeth
Thou carst rot say DID it never shake
Those CORY locks al me-
1 for vou were at least passive accomplish
( in the giant frauds Of last November.
/ Your name was used, without public pro-
/ test on your part, in circulars sowed broad
/ cast over the State, whereof the manifest
/ intent was TO make assurance doubly
sure that the frauds here perpetrated
/ should not be be overcome by the honest
vote of the rural districts. And you, not
merely by silence, but by positive assump-
! tiou. have covered those frauds with the
I mantle OF YOUR respectabllIty.
On the principle that " the receiver is as
| bad as the thief, " YOU are as deeply iupd-
Gated in them to-day, As though your name
WAS Tweed, O 'Brien or Oakley Hall.
Mr. TIden, You and were ardent parti-
cipants in the struggle Of 1870, wherein
4 Martin Van Buren, was ousted from the
Presidency by General Jackson. You know
how thoroughly oar city was absorbed IN
that contest, wherein every man, woman
and child took deep and lively interest.
Our elections were then held throughout
three days. There was a registration fresh
/ " enacted which blacklegs had not yet
/ learned to circumvent, the right OF suffrage
was as widely diffused as il now Is, and no
one ever complained that q single legal voter
was unable to poll MS vote. And though
J our city has largely increased its population,
the lower wards were quite as populous
then as they are to-day-seyeral Of them
pore so. They were full of boarding honses,
crowded with clerks and mechanics many
of these covered sites since given up to great
warehouses and manufactures their den
liens have since moved up town, over to
| Brooklyn. or out on some Of the railroads
that lead into the open country. Practical
| ", the lower wards are being given up to
commerce, and no longer shelter by night
the multitudes who throng their streets by
( day. Now look a. the vote Of four Of these
wards in 1870 and 1865 respectively