Evening star., 1901-10-31
FRAUD IN POLITICS
PARTISAN BITTERNESS IN PRESI-
DENTAL CAMPAIGN OF 1914.
Bits of History of the Contest Between
Henry Clay and James
IA. Polk.
From the Nashville American.

methods We're clean and honest and cam
paigns were conducted on a high plane.
AS a matter of fact the political methods
and campaigns of the past do not materi-
ally differ from those of the present. Po-
litical contests in the earlier days were
characterized by more bitterness and by
as much misrepresentation as those of tie
present, as history as recorded in the files
of the newspapers of the time clearly shows.
In 1874, when Henry Clay was the whig
and James X. Polk was the democratic
nominee for President, the annexation of
Texas was one of the questions which fig
ured in the campaign. The wings were for
the most part opposed to annexation, and
the democratic candidate was violently as
sailed. The National Intellgencer, the whig
organ at Washington referring to a letter
written by Mr.. Polk, from his Columbia
home, in favor of the requirement of Tex
as, chara acterized it as the great south
ern argument in favor of the unprincipled
act of encroachment and spoliation. In an
editorial on the subject of Mexico the Intelli-
gencer said: During the last fifteen years
this noble policy has been lost sight of.
Now, however. Polkism would have us
adopt one precisely the reverse. We are
now to turn a ber-commonwealth and to
begin career on the highway by taking
sister republic by the throat We had
anti-expansionists in those days, and they
which have been warmed over and repeated
in these latter days in which they have
had no more effect in preventing expansion
than they did when they were first used
by ADLER men than those who are today re-
peatlng them secondhand, many of them
chiefly because ambitious young poll
tleian from Nebraska became seized with
the foolish notion that they would serve
as effective campaign material.
"Bawings' of LocOfocos.
The democrats, who were termed Loco
focos by the wings, are thus referred to in
one of the Intelligencer's editorials: Their
Rawlings, their abuse, their wretched cal
unnies, will be to the people but proofs of
their bad cause. While they sander they
do not convince" When Polk was nominated
the whig papers and speakers delighted to
Inquire, who in the thunder is Polk?'' He
was ridiculed as weak and unknown man
and was the subject of many a joke and
diatribe.
Betting on elections was common prac-
tice. The Winchester Va) Republican
contained this announcement: I'VE are
authorized by a gentleman of Fauquier to
offer his mill property in Warren county,
which has just been completed, with six
pairs of burrS and other machinery, at a
cost of 10000 as stake against $4,000 in
money, or the same amount of property,
upon the general result-namely. that
Henry Clay will be elected President of
the United States against James X. Polk"
The same paper made this announcement:
Mr.. Bushrod Taylor's bet of $1,000 to
5000 on the general result is yet untouch-
ed, and, with all their boasting about Polk
anticipated success, no one has yet ven
tured to meet it,
Taylor was lucky if nobody finally ac-
cepted his bet. They had crooked voters
in those good old days, also, and charges
of fraud were not infrequent. After the
election the papers were filled with such
items as this from Baltimore paper:
John Bassett was arrested for illegal
voting in the fourth ward Men were
also arrested for illegal voting in the sew
enth and ninth wards. The election man
ayers were acquainted with tricks that
have been handed down to their successors.
Witness this from the Baltimore Christian
Watchman:
We have the fact from collector of rents
who had occasion to make frequent calls
upon the widow of a deceased foreigner, oc-
cupylng small house under his charge,
and receive his rent in small inStallments
A day or two however, after the late cleo
ton he made her a call and was surprised
to find her fully prepared and honestly will
ing to pay up all arrearageS. Upon inquir-
ing how she became possessed of the ample
means. she replied, with complacent
smile, perfectly conscious, doubt. of the
impropriety of the act. that she had loan
ed out the paper of her dear old man-peace
to his ashes-for a dollar each time. to sew
enteen persons, and by that means was able
to pay her rent"
Fraud in Louisiana.
The New Orleans Bee charged that in
Plaquemines parish, with voting popula-
tion of less than 800 a locofoco majority
of 1000 was returned. The Bee declared
that a "stupendous system of fraud, per-
jury and scoundrelism were carried out"
The Philadelphia Forum contained this
item: Yesterday afternoon Mr.. Isaac TuS-
tin, the locofoco assessor of the unincor-
porated Northern Liberties, was arrested
on a charge of adding thirty-four names
to the extra assessment list, after the
board of assessors and inspectors had
closed their duties and finally adjourned"
OF the result of the election the New
York American said: THE President of
the United States of America has been
chosen by foreigners, naturalZed for the
occasion, men ignorant of our laws, of our
institutions, of our public men-having no
state tie or feeling of kith or kin-and
who have received their naturalization
papers within the last six months-have
decided the choice of Mr.. Polk: and thus
have determined the policy of the country
for years-it may be for all time
Immediately after the election Daniel
Webster, in a speech in Faneuil Hall, Bos-
ton, said: Gentlemen, there is not a soli-
tary doubt that If the elections have gone
against us, it has been through false and
fraudulent votes. Pennsylvania If as they
say, has given six thousand votes for our
adversaries, has done SO through the basest
fraud. Is it not SO? And look at New
York. In the city there We're thrown sixty
thousand votes, one for every five in
habitants. You know that fairly and hon
estly there can be no such thing on earth.
And the great remedy is for us to go di-
rectly to the course of true popular power,
and to purify the elections
The tariff, as well Texas was an is
sue in this contest. Here is a familiar
plaint from the National Intelligencer:
The result of the presidential election is
producing already a paralyzing effect on
the public confidence and moneyed affairs
of the country. Some instances of this
were quoted by us from New York papers
day or two ago. We now learn by the
Baltimore papers that Maryland securities
have since the election declined per cent.
Such is the panic which pervades the bus-
ness classes at the triumph of party sup
ported and brought into power princi-
pies subversive of the public prosperity and
dangerous to the public peace.
The Philadelphia Gazette also saw ruin
abroad 1t said:
We have heard of several enterprises be-
ing abandoned on account of the result of
the election and some of our manufacture
ing establishments have thought it prudent
to contract their operations. We are in
formed that manufacturers who had order
ed machinery, to be constructed in this
city, have in some cases countermanded
their orders. Many wOrkmen will be neceS-