Year: 1877

DURING the past week we wrote seye-
raj articles upon the crime committed by |
importing from Philadelphia in 1870 a
band of hundred or more gamblers and
roughs, on election day, to cast Illegal
votes for the Radical party. These men
were of the worst character that could be
found about the State House and gam
bling hells of Philadelphia. Marshal
Dunn had been charged with the man
agement of this affair and has never
proved that he was free from it, while his
charge that others were implicated in it is
an admission of participation.


But passing beyond this and looking
deeper for the cause of such crime, we
charged it upon the corrupt party and the
more corrupt party leaders, who have
never denounced the crime in their party
assemblages or on the streets, or through
their party organs. They profitted by it or
hoped to profit by it, and failing in that
did not dare assail and denounce the
crime, as good and honest citizens bent
upon seeing free and fair expression of
the will of the people at the ballot-box
should have done but have ever since
shrouded the crime and condoned with
those who committed it. Charging the
crime of importing 0repeaters" in part
upon such state of party corruption we
said that had either of the applicants for
the Marshalship been marshal at the
time, the repeaters oould have come all
the same.


This remark brought to our Office, on
Saturday, Mr.. H. McMullen, who said his
attention had been drawn to it as an
"inuendo'' at him. We asked him if he
had ever denounced the crime of bring
ing "repeaters," in the newspapers, IN
the party meetings, or on the streets, and
his reply was that as he had no personal
knowledge of it it did not become him to
do so. But that he never committed any
act of fraud at the elections and never
would have been guilty of bringing ire.
peaters" 10 his State. he added that al
such acts were wrong and that the mer
who had manufactured the counterfeit
receipt stamps and circulated false ant
fraudulent receipts to voters to secure II
legal votes ought to be prosecuted an,
punished to the extent of the law. IL
said he was allied with the same wing G
the party that Marshal Dunn was, bu
had never done anything to draw upo
him the censure as some had told hiu
the article might seem to convey.


We of course accepted Mr.. McMullen'
statement. We do not doubt his We
racity. We offered the columns of tn
GAZETTE through which he might de
nounce the crime and proclaim his ali
horrence of it and assert his innocence c
any participation in it, or of the use and Gil
culation Of counterfeit tax receipts. Blu
after considering the matter until the al
ternoon, Mr. McMullen informed us ths
he concluded not to publish anything O
the subject; that he did not wish to sa
ought that might tend to reflect upon


competitor.


Mr.. McMullen is quite right in wisl
ing not to have his name in any mannt
connected with the frauds of which b
party stands charged before the publ


And his conference with us on the sui
jeet afforded us an opportunity to becom


better informed as to his feelings towai
his opponents and his character an
course OF life, which has led us to thin
he would not abuse the responsible tru
should the President conclude to conf
it upon him.