The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-11-19

his reference to the election IN this county,
puts forth the following insnuations Of fraud
and importations OF votes:' He says, "A
curious phenomenon is the extremely large
vote brought out at this election. Van Buren,
County has about $1,000 population according
TO the census OF Juns LIST. According to the
commonly accepted idea, the voting population
is about one-ifth Of the whole in this country.
This would make the total OF voters in this
county about $500. or course it could not be
one election. But the vote polled in this coun-
ty on Tuesday, according to returns, exceeds
seoen thousand. Perhaps this may throw some
light on the notceatly large votes in Maine and
Indiana. OF which so much has been said. 1t
would be much more agreeable to be able to
| attribute those large votes to an error in the
basis Of calculation, rather than to fraud and
importation OF voters, il the explanation is
possible or probable"
What does he mean by this, except to IN
sinuats that this county has been carried by
''fraud and importation Of voters" and to have
his readers draw the inference that Maine and
Indiana have been carried in the same way?
AS to those states, 1 will leave the question to
be settled by the proper judges; but as to this
County, he ought IN honor, to produce some
support for his cowardIy insinuation, or, if he
cannot do that. he should take il back; for to
~ at n "a mr. ha nffi
Gals Of the county, with no other basis to sup
port it than he has given, and to so word it that
he can if put to the test, back down and say
he has made no charge, is the most cowardly
and contemplate SANDER.
In this state we have a registry law, which
provides the means OF detecting and proving
the fraud, consequently makes it very difficult
TO import voters. They have no such law in
Indiana, although ii l mistake not, the Repub-
Leans have tried to get one, and the Democrats
have prevented 1t.
Allowing that one voter TO every five OF the
population is common estimate, it does not
follow that il is even a correct average, and If
as near correct as any round number, it Is we'll
known that there is considerable variation in
different localities.
Taking his own fgures-3l 900 population
the 1000 votes cast gives one voter to every
four and three-sevenths persons, or little less
than four and one half, instead Of five; and it
will be found that in some places there is one
voter to every four OF the population.
To test this matter, let us bring it right home !
TO Paw Paw Town ship. The census returns of
this township show the population to be 2707,
and the number Of voters at the last election
was $685. which gives proportion Of one voter
to little less than four Of the population,
while in the whole county it is one voter to !
nearly four and one-ha!f. If this last ratio is
evidence OF 'fraud' and imported votes in the
county. the first ratio fixes q good portion OF |
the crime on this township. Now the question
arises, "Who are the perpetrators OF this
fraud >" The natural inference would be that
the Board of Inspectors ought to know some.
thing abou. It. Five of them were republicans
Are they the guilty ones But the Clerk who
kept the list OF names, and who had more to do
with the registration than anyone else, was not |
a republican, but candidate for an important
county Office IN opposition to the republicans
and was interested to detect any fraud of the
republican members, and the Assistant Clerk
was democrat. Furthermore, the names are
all there and the editor, or some OF his able
political associates who are ready to reterate
the cry Of fraud" should feel in duty bound to
investigate the matter and show up the crime
in their own township.
II they cannot do this, and are satisfied that
the election in this town was honest and fair,
the editor OF the Free Press and Courier should
be ashamed for publishing so slanderous an