Year: 1876




instruments and legacies of the Democratic
party when necessary to carry an election.


To these it united the shibboleth of fealty
to party, regardless of principles or men,


and in this way controlled the Government
and its patronage for two thirds of our ma
tional existence. In the North it was the
friend of the working man; in the South the
friend ofthe lOrdly STAKEHOLDER, slave driver
and auctIoneer OF human blood and bones,
and of course the friend and patron of all the
social vices and evils which belong to that
state of society. 1t granted all the re-
quests ard obeyed all the behests of the
owners of human chattels.


The law of Congress which made it pos
sible to stop fraudulent voting was a Sc
rious blow to the Democrats in all the
large cities, and, Of course, in the whole
country on general elections, because it
takes from them the power which hitherto
was the means Of success on all doubtful
occasions. Did any one ever hear of a
proposition from that party to prevent lille
gal voting or improper interference with
elections until after its own right arm had
been broken &? Nobody. "Vote early and
vote often" has been their battle cry on
election days. Why has that party reso-
lutely opposed every local registration
law, and every other measure to preserve
the purity of the ballot box if it is now
honest in its spasmodic purity? At one
time that party polled, when occasion re-
quired, in New York city, %, 900 illegal
votes, enough to control the State, and,
under close conditions, the general cleo
tion. At times it has been known to return
more pOteS than there aosre human beings in
the district, (Sxth ward, New York city,
When the facts were shown they only
smiled contemptuously on those who dared
to interfere with their hereditary preroga-
tives. The Democrats have proprietary
right in all such means of promoting the
purity of the ballot and good Democratic
government %


Another trick common to New York
city and ready to be used in every city
when necessary is that of holding the
returns until they get reports from the
rural districts so as to know just how
many votes to manufacture in order to
carry the State. Just now these pseudo
reformers have holy horror of corruption
and waste, and particularly if applied to
unearthing the true character of the leaders,
as well as the rank and file who vote
"early and often" and vote on fraudulent
naturalization papers. Every man who
seeks to compel honest voting is the natural
enemy of the Democratic party. That
party invented bAllOt-boX stufing, has
always been ready and willing to force on
foreigners citizenship unlawfully, that they
might be borne to their political jugger-
naut. Every scoundrel who is willing
to perjure himself for glass of grog or
IS bill is the natural ally of the Democratic
party. Take Kansas as an example. where
the United States troops under james
Buchanan were not only employed to pro-
tect the murderous border ruffiaEs in their
raids on free State men, but were actually
placed near the polls to protect them while
voting ''early and often" What party Was
it that pOlled 800 votes at Kickapoo, when
there were not 2j0 in the district? What
party has ever prOstituted the ballot as it
was on that memorable day, by voting
fraudulenrly, openly, in the presence of the
100 soldiers, in the name of Washington,
Clay, Jefferson, J. r. Giddings, Adams
and host Of the names of the greatest
and best men who have ever lived? Was
ever sacrilege like this?


1t was all right to protect the border ruff
fans in Kansas in their raids on life, prop
erty and the ballot-box. 1t was all right to
drive thousands of free State men from
Kansas that slavery might enlarge its bor-
ders and make broad its phylacteries. 1t
was all right for the Knights of the Golden
Circle to organize treason within the free
States. 1t was all right to Ku-Klux the
whole South in the interest of white rebel
Democrats, but it is all wrong now to use
the power of the General Government to
enforce freedom at the polls. Purity of
the ballot is what we want but we want
it everywhere in the whole country.


Who, but the leaders of the pro-slavery
pseudo Dem ocracy, were compelled to fee
from Kansas to save their lives when de-
tected in their hellish plot to force slavery
upon free soil2 What party gave nation
allty to the simile, There's niger in
the wood pile," by hiding the fraudulent
votes which were to enslaYe the freemen
of Kansas In the Government wood pile at
LecomptonH What Democratic paper
ever protested against this outrageH What
Democratic stump speaker ever screeched
his holy indignation at these acts of in
fanny? What laws are on the statute
books enacted by Democratic Legislatures
to prevent these abusesH They have been
in the majority often enough; then
why is it possible to corrupt elections?
What party now proposes (sfter accept
ing pardon for treason and promising to
obey the laws) to overthrow civil liberty
and again carry the South out of the
Union into the arms of the rebel Democ-
racy by fraud and intimidation, while their
Representatives in Congress are pretending
to pass laws to prevent fraudulent voting
as decoy to decent people in the North?
Does any man in his senses believe that
there is an atom of honesty in this pre-.
tence in the face of the fact that the party
is headed and led by the men of the North
who aided and sbetted the rebellion, aud
men of the South, suchas Wade Hampton,
who headed the rebel armies? And yet BY
such tricks they propose to deceive and
win the control Of the Government and
bring on reaction.


Whatever may be said of the faults and
sins of the Republican party 1t may be
said of the Democratic party-more prop
erly the rebel party-that from the begin
ming it has been living lie, history of
falsehood and fraudulent pretences. And
tits no better today. Who believes that |
these pretenders are patriots, or better than
average men IN the morali.ies Of life2 Look !