The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-03-29
AuHGfal
THE WOOD COUNTY ELECTION
FRAUDS.
A Republican Returning Board
Throws Out the Entire Vote
of Township.
And Is Sustained by the Supreme Court
OF the State.

Caliban, the INDUSTRIOUS anu sa6"|iouS
correspondent Of the Cincinnati En-
0ntysy, has discovered the "true inward
hess" of the Wood county election frauds
of 1875, and places the blame where it
belongs in the following graphic ac-
count
Everybody who is at all familiar with
the political events of the last few years
in Ohio will remember the Wood county
election frauds of 1875, by which the
votes of Perrysburg and Bowling Green,
and other portions of that unhappy prin-
cipality were brought into so much proml'
nence. You will recall the famous tele-
gram from Dodd to John G, Thompson,
and the virtuous indignation that Wikoff
andComley and Others. the Republican
ranks manifested thereat. There was
fine flourish of honest denunciation in
the talk of these latter-named gentle.
men. who were so intimately associated
with Hayes, that was really charming to
the uninitiated. But the truth was, their
burrowings in the same soil were still
deeper than Dodds had been, and, ii the
truth could have been brought to light,
thew would have been forced to hunt
their holes instead of being engaged in
irving to drive others to theirs.
Take Perrysburg as an example, At
that election there was a large increase
of the vote over that cast in previous
wears, an increase by no means war
ranted by the growth of population. This
increase of vote was brought about by
the question Of the removal of the county
seat. Both political parties sought to
carry the county seat to Perrysburg by
the colonization of voters, and neither
party could charge a monopoly OF the
fraud upon the other. In the choice of
Senators-for the Toledo district has two
Senators-it was thought the contest
would be close, and feared that the Per-
rysburg vote might settle the thing. This
responsibility the people of Perrysburg
didn't care to assume. They dldn want
to elect both Republican candidates, be-
cause they thought the Democratic ones
would bring the matter into the courts
and defeat the object of the election to
them-namely, the removal OF the county
seat to their town. They didn't want to
elect both Democratic candidates fearing
the same results from the Republican
side.
1t will be apparent to the most casual
observer that these worthy villains didn't
have any political principles to speak of,
but were determined to get the court
house at all hazards. So they agreed
upon divide on the mutual safety prin-
ciple. They decided to support 7. P.
Brown, Republican, and Clark W. Nc,
Donald, Democrat, for Senators, and
these two candidates received more than
one thousand majority in Perrysburg,
and defeated D. J. Brown, Democrat,
and Ghas. Swami, Republican. who were
running against them. News OF the'elec-
ton of T. P. Brown, and Mcdonald was
telegraphed at once to the Republican
State Central Committee. This intorma-
ton made it apparent that the Senate
would be very close politically, and prob
ABLY Democratic by one or two votes. 1t
was not known that Republican had
been chosen in the Ross. Highland dis
trict. This alarmed Wikoff and the 9TH
ers at the Republican committee rooms,
and kilograms were sent to the front
with great alacrity. 1t was soon ascer.
tanned that if the PerrYsburg vote could
be thrown out it would elect Swami, the
other Republican candidate for Senator,
and thus save the Senate and give Hayes
the power to overturn all the appoint
ments made by Governor Allen. AT mid
night dispatch was sent from the State
Republican headquarters to McCune. the
chairman of the Republican committee
at Toledo, informing him of the situa-
ton, and the necessity Of throwing out
enough votes in the district to secure both
Republican Senators. McCune got out of
bed, dressed himself and hunted up some
of his political cronies, and they decided
the point to attack was Perysburg. Mes
sengers were dispatched to Bowling
Green, the county seat of Wood county
then, and still, with assurances that any
action necessary to secure two Repub-
lican Senators would be endorsed by the
State Executive Committee, and sustained
by the Supreme Court. Thus fortified,
and changed into a Returning Board,
counted all the rest of the vote of the
county, but threw out that of Perrysburg.
The vote was still some thousands more
than ever before or since polled in Wood
county; but that didn't make any differ
ence to them. His action defeated Nc
Donald, the Democratic Senator, and
elected Swami, his Republican opponent.
After making out the return thus he
jumped in buggy and drove across the
country to Toledo, reaching there at five
o'clock in the morning. The arrange
ments had evidently been carefully made
beforehand, for even at that early hour
he found the clerk of Lucas county in
his Office, and by six o'clock the final
footing was made up, and Swami and
Brown, both Republicans, had their GER
tihcates of election made out.
Then the case was taken into the courts
by the candidates for, county offices,
and shortly after reached the Supreme
Tribunal of the State. This Tribunal, in
effect, decided that the clerk of a court
in any county in the State may, where
there is, in his judgment, strong pre-
sumption of fraud, throw out the vote of
any township, and compel the voters of
such township to establish the fact that
they did vote, and were entitled to vote
at the election so condemned by him.
In other words, the Supreme Court held
substantially that where fraud is sus-
pected the parties suspected must be
considered guilty until they establish
their innocence. This decision set aside,
or rather sustained the setting aside of
the entire vote of township without
testimony being taken to show who voted
legally and who Illegally. twas practi-
cally the Endorsement of the Returning
Board system" "
M Gamhetta'a late Snndax sraaob i,