Year: 1863




letter. In Cedar Creek Hundred the soldiers
were entirely removed from the polls and the
Tory Judge Of the election testified that they
. did not Interfere with the election at all Such
are some of the facts we get from the teStimo-
my before this Committee, most Of it being from
members Of the Tory party.


Many instances are particularly referred to
IN this report of the gross interference by the
troops i'll some Of the Hundreds but bv whom
is it substantated? Are men from the Union
party summoned to account for the diSturban-
ceS! Is no testimony taken from them with
regard to it, ask men with surprise? None
scarcely. The few Union men who were sum-
moned, and who did appear before the Com
mlttee were examined upon an entirely differ
ent thing, as to who were instrumentalin bring
ing the troops to the State Had they been
summoned in equal number with the Tories,
and had their examination been of the same
nature as theirs (the TOrieS), We have no doubt
that at least two thirds of the instances cited
OF the soldiers in any way interfering with the
election would have been di>proved, and the
responsibility thrown upon members of the
Tory party. Among the cases cited of per
sons who were deprived of voting at the cleo
ton is that Of VIM. Mahle, who, if his own
statement is to be believed, was arrested early
i'll the morning and retained in custody till the
polls We're closed in the evening. BY his state
ment Hon. n. b. Smthcrs is made response
ble for his being sent in custody to the camp
of the first Del Cavalry. This is a case in
which a responsible man is implicated. Why
was not Mr.. Smithers summoned, and if the
statement 50 far as it concerned him was true,
asked his reason for such action in the pre-
misses? 1t would have been. not only an act
of justice to him, but satisfactory to the Union
party, and We have no doubt some mem bers of
the Tory party.


Other men it is alleged did not vote because
of intimidation incident to the presence of the
| troops From the evidence of several upon
this We are inclined to think that these were
men who had failed to pay their taxes or were
not assessed, or had not resided in the State or
county of sufficient length Of time to entitle
them to vote at the election in question, and
are strengthened in our tbelief from the nature
of the questions asked them by the Chairman
of the Committee, who doubtless understood
every man that appeared before him.


Another important subject of inquiry, as they
say, to which the attention of the Committee
was specially directed was through whose in
StrWmentallty thr troops We're brought into the
State, aud after much testimony Hon. Gco. p.
Fisher and Gov William Cannon are the gen
tlemcn settled upon by the Committee as the
persons to whom the responsibility must be at
! tachCd. Gov Cannon was peculiarly favored
| by them, being summoned to testify and
therefore able to tell the people of Delaware
through this report his honest motives for re-
questmg the presence of troops here upon the
day OF the election. We believe this is about
the only instance in which the antidotc went
forth with the banc, in an individual case. but
! the people of Delaware needed nothing Of the
KIND to convince them OF the uprightncss of
Coy. Cannon motives Why Gov Cannon
and Mr. Fisher are compelled to shoulder the
whole responsibility for bringing troops in the
State the day named, we cannot tell. without
1t was because of their being candidates upon
the Union ticket for high offices, and the Com
mtee wished to show that it was from motive
OfSelflntereSt alone that the request oithrSc gen
tlenen to the War Department and Col Wallace
was made to have the polls properly guarded
on that day. We say if this is not the reason
tor the whole responsibility being thrown upon
them we c;nnont tell why it is for other gen
tlemen throughout the State are by the cvi-
dence made equally responsible with those
named. And now arises the question, why
Were they not summoned before the Commit
tee. From certain class of the witnesses they
appeared very anxious to know if any good
reason existed why troops should be present at
the polls. but it is just possible that Gov. Can
non testimony went too far that way to suit
their purposes. Had they enquired little
farther, had they summoned several citizens
We might maine throughout the State, respon-
slbie men too, they might have learned much
TO their dlScredit what good reasons existed for
bringing troops here on that day They doubt
less would have learned that it was because of
the pcrhdiOus scheme of the Tory, alias peace
party, the mcfuberS Of which had been con-
verted into walking, magaziges, to seize the
| polls on that Gay in those Hundreds where they
had numerical superiority and by their threat
ening mannertorce the timid portion ofthe union
party home without voting Mr. Salisbury
wishes to know OfOnc witness iihc thought there
We're men depraved enough i'll his (the witness
i Hundred to eOnsplre to commit personal Vo-
lenOe upon each other in consideration of mere
party differences We would answer yes, VIC
know there is among the members of the Tory
party when iii an adjoining Hundred We find
them so sunken in infamy as to surround the
house OF one OF the best citizens in their com
munlty and fire into it sufficient shots to kill
dozen men, and this III the dead of night, and
no one near. l. it possible to conceive anv
one deeper sunk in depravity than those guilty
OF this These are the men that would have
I, seized the polls on election day This Is the
way election after election has been carried in
this and Sussex county for the Tory ticket
The men Of that party have SO sold themselves
to its demands that all feelings of justice and
respect for the princip pies of their neighbors
have hecn torn from their bosOms 1t is this
feeling of injustice that influenced this invest-
, eating Committee from the first, and which is
seen in all their subsequent proceedings They
have given to the State report which no man
can credit that understands the manner in
which the testimony was taken upon which the
report is based, and are which no one can fail
to see is intended only to work upon those ig-
norant of the character ofthe personsn aking it.
| .,t.. ,---


FATAL AcCIDENr.-On Monday morning
last young man named John Cummins, aged
j about 20 years, in the employ of Geo. w.
!, Cummins Esq, came to q very sudden end.
under the following circumstances: