Saturday, October 11, 2014

A WATERLOO FOR TRUXTON--BALLOT BOX STUFFING



The Cortland Democrat, March 2, 1888.
“A WATERLOO FOR TRUXTON”
WAS IT A WATERLOO OR A BULL RUN?
   Editor of the Cortland Democrat:—Having seen a copy of last week's Cortland Standard, I was surprised to see that some crank had seen fit to cause to be printed, so article headed as above [sic].
   I say I was surprised for the reason that since Town meeting, I have not met a single republican who could mention the subject without dropping his eyes and sneaking off apparently as proud of the performance as a dog, when he has succeeded in killing a large flock of sheep. The crank who signs himself "One who was there" says that "the Democratic ticket was crammed down the throats of the Democratic party at their caucus."
   Let me inform that individual that the honest republicans reserved their cramming time and cramming ammunition until the end of Town meeting, and instead of cramming tickets down a party's throat, as asserted by the "crank," they tried it on the ballot box and a shamefully awkward job they made of it. 1st, because they overdone the job, and 2nd, because they failed to shake the box after the job was done, for they left 36 straight republican votes on the top of the box, and this I suppose is the "nauseating morsel" mentioned by the "crank," as having been thrown up on the eve of Town meeting.    
   Is this what constitutes your "Waterloo?" In my opinion you might have improved the name by calling it a Bullrun. The run was made with the ballot box before the votes were counted, and the bull was made by the unsuspecting democrats, by letting you take it. "A Waterloo for Truxton." O, you poor silly ass! Why do you thus exhibit your long ears and bray in this foolish manner? Don't you know that every decent republican in this vicinity is crying shame upon you and upon the performance throughout? Ninety-six straight republican votes and over forty splits. You poor ignoramous! Are you not aware of the fact that if each republican in this town should take from his [cornfield] a scarecrow and pawn him off upon your credulous, solid republican board, as a straight republican and add to their list the infant you shipped from Cortland, and the two Cuyler boys that you voted, and you will fail to swell your army to more than half the number you claim.
   And by the way, while you were talking of cheap democratic whiskey, and cheap beer, you forget to mention "the little brown jug" which was down street, under the control of your solid republican board. Perhaps the reason you omitted to mention this was, that you were finding fault only with cheap stuff and that having a contribution toward the price, or sampled at, you know it to be "good", and should say, judging from your language that you must have taken a "smile" about the time you made your delivery. Now hadn't you better crowd into a little hole and if the hole is large enough, take in the little brown jug with you and forever hold your peace.
                                                                                            A DEMOCRAT.

   TRUXTON, Feb. 26th, 1888.
   Editor of the Cortland Democrat:
   DEAR SIR:—I hope you will pardon one who differs from you politically, when he makes so bold as to request that you will give him a little space in the columns of your paper to reply to an article which appeared in last week’s issue of the Cortland Standard entitled "a Waterloo for Truxton "
   Having for 40 years voted the republican ticket and done some hard work at the polls, I feel that I am competent to express an opinion as to what constitutes fair dealing and fair representation and to distinguish between this and chicanery and fraud, and having been present most of the day at the town meeting held at Truxton on the 2lst inst., I regret to say that the less my republican brethren have to say relative to our so called victory the better it is for the party.
   Never having attended a democratic caucus, I am incompetent to say what may have transpired there, but I will say that in my opinion the candidates nominated on both tickets were, with but few exceptions, men well worthy of the support of the respective parties, and men, who, if elected, (and I have good reason to believe most of the candidates on the democratic ticket were) they would have honestly and ably discharged their respective duties.
   The article above referred to states that "the town has been democratic for years." If this be true how comes it that there was a solid republican board? Now, that there was not a single democrat on the board is a fact which cannot be denied, and this being the case, I feel that it was the plain duty of my republican brethren to exercise every precaution that our democratic opponents might have no chance to criticize their acts, and this my republican friends, you failed to do.
   I know not what may have been the custom in the town of Truxton for years past (as I have not lived with you many years) but in my native town the members of a board did not spend half of their time in the street coaxing or bribing voters. In my native town I never knew the members of a town board to keep ballots on the table or in their pockets, and when voters came in to vote try to induce them to exchange for a different kind, and became so interested in the business as to leave but two out of the 5 members sitting at the table for a large part of the time. Neither have 1 ever known of a member of a board so far forgetting the position he was occupying, as to go about the room like a boy canvassing for a dime song book, canvassing for votes with the town book under his arm. Neither did I ever in my native town, see a member of a town board take home with him the ballot box and all the votes before they were counted.
   All these things may be right and may seem strange to me because I have never seen them before, yet I feel that I can never become reconciled to that mode of procedure on the part of a board, especially when the ballot box turns out 96 straight republican votes out of a town that never had 60 republican voters. It this is necessary to make a Waterloo, or a republican victory, may God grant that I may never be one of the parties to it.
                                                            AN HONEST REPUBLICAN.

TAYLOR.
   Town meeting is over and we have met the enemy and we are theirs. The cause which led to our defeat is due in part to several things. In the first place we had a republican majority of from 80 to 40 to overcome, notwithstanding this fact their triumph is due almost entirely to democrats, of whom about 30 staid at home and about half as many more voted the straight republican ticket.
   There are many things we do not like to see in professed democrats in this town, viz: to stay away from the caucus and then find fault with the nominations; to attend the caucus, but because they can’t rule it, either stay at home or come to town meeting and vote the whole or a part of the republican ticket. All these things, and many more tricks of democrats took place to our personal knowledge.
   Philander Kingsbury, who has been sick for several months, died at an early hour Tuesday morning, aged 74 years. For many years Mr. K has been a resident of Union Valley, and was known by nearly every one for miles around, and it goes without saying that he will be missed by his neighbors and friends, who respected him. He was a lifelong democrat. He leaves a wife and several children to mourn his loss. The funeral was held Thursday.
   Miss Nina Jordan came near being severely injured by a cow belonging to Amanzo Allen. As she was walking along the road the cow took after her and hooked her into the snow, but fortunately Harris Allen saw her and came to her rescue before any very serious injuries were inflicted.

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