The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-12-07
The Fraud Charge, Dismissed,

The news which this morning reaches
us that the Federal Judge has dismissed
the charges OF fraud in the counting OF
the votes in the Sixth Congressional
District OF Mississippi, preferred against
the Democratic returning officers OF that
district by the friends OF a defeated Re-
publican candidate for Congress, ought
TO make all respectable r publican JOUR
nallsts blush for the headlong indecency
with which not few of their number
have taken up and echoed the menda.
cious ortcry OF papers like the Tribune
over these charges. General Chalmers.
the present member from the district in
question, Is cne of the ablest and most
active Southern members of the House.
He is deservedly popular in and out OF
Mississippi, and no intelligent Republi-
can who knows him or his district can
even for moment have doubted that he
is honestly the choice of a great major.
ity Of its voters. The official truth, as
shown to the returning fflcers whose
conduct has been investigated before
the Federal Julge, is that Mr.. Lynch
ought not to have bad single vote re-
turned for him in his whole District
His ballots were printed and peddled
under his own supervision, and the law
Of the Slate as to the form and execu-
tion OF ballots Has violated in them.-
There was no point made as TO this
however ID any other part OF the Con-
gressiohal district except In Warren
County. Before the Commissioner. OF
Election OF that county II was proved
that the Lynch. ballots did not conform
in essentials to the Mississippi statute
respecting hallrts J. Fnr the people OF
New Yorkst this case has q special inter-
est. Our own electors voted, under a
similar statute at the late election, Both
the Mississippi tnd1he New York stat
utes as to the form and. Typography OF
ballots and as to keeping them absolute
y free from marks or devices were
modelled upon an Ohio statute. The
Mississippi statute is more stringent
than our>own, for it provides (sec,ion
l37 Of Its code that "a ticket different
from that herein described shall not be
receivcd or counted" This expressly WIS.,
its the impeffection upon the candidate
and expressly recognizes pnssihle re.
ception to he followed by possible re.
lection. The Ohio AMI New York stat
utes visit the imperfection expressly
uron the voter, who is 10 be punished
for depositing an imperfect ballot, but
leave open the question as to the legality
of such a ballot when rendered or about
to be counted. There was 70 question
before the Mississippi ju'lges o: election
as to the rejected ballots having been
marked Mr. Lynch's contention was
that the marks on his tickets were inte-
rior and Vt exterior marks. The Elec-
tion Commissioners unanimously deci
ded that the statute permitted no euch
distinction. The contention of Mr.
Lynch really betrayed deliberate in
tent to deceive on the part Of his friends
The marks on the Lynch ballots we're
meant to escape notice bv the Demo-
cratic Supervisors but to be recognize.
BILE by the Republican Supervisors who
managed the election machinery for Mr.
Lynch and who were In the secret OF tht
marks-as gamblers are who use loader
dice or ingeniously prepared cards. !
was even shown before the C 'mmission
ers OF Election that these Supervisor
made minutes as To the voters of lbes,
marked ballots The Mississippi off
cials implyintcrpreted literally the lit
eral provisions OF a.statute invented y,
Republicans. A Washington despatch
which we print elsewhere shows that tb
friends and lawyers Of Mr. Lynch wer
actually driven to admit that il The Re
publican ballots had heen rejected at tn
polls as illegal the rejection would have
been perfectly proper.-NY r. World
25th alt -.