and
charter-offices was held in this city. It resulted in the defeat of the
Whig party. The Loco-focos had a majority of about one thousand and
fifty for their mayor. Last April the Whigs had a majority of about
five hundred. There are seventeen wards, and seventeen polls were
opened. The out, or suburb, wards presented _the most disgraceful
scenes of riot, fraud, corruption, and perjury_, that were ever
witnessed in this or any other country on a similar occasion. The whole
number of votes polled was forty-one thousand three hundred. It is a
notorious fact, that there are not forty thousand legal voters residing
in the city. In the abstract this election is but of little importance.
Its moral influence on other sections of the country remains to be
seen. Generally, the effect of such a triumph is unfavourable to the
defeated party in other places; and it would be so in the present
instance, if the contest had been an ordinary contest, but the
circumstances to which I have referred of fraud, corruption, and
perjury, may, or may not, re-act upon the alleged authors of these
shameless proceedings."

Again, "The moderate and thinking men of both parties--indeed, we may
say every honourable man who has been a spectator of recent events--feel
shocked at the frauds, perjury, and corruption, which too evidently
enabled the administration party to poll so powerful a vote. What are
we coming to in this country? A peaceable contest at the polls is a
peaceable test of party--it is to ascertain the opinions and views of
citizens entitled to vote--it is a fair and honourable party appeal to
the ballot-box. We are all Americans--living under the same
constitution and laws; each boasting of his freedom and equal rights--
our political differences are, after all, the differences between
members of the same national family. What, therefore, is to become of
our freedom and rights, _our morals, safety, and religion_, if the
administration of our government is permitted to embark in such open,
avowed, palpable schemes of fraud and corruption as those recently
exhibited in this city? More than _five thousand_ strangers, having no
interest and no domicile, are introduced by the partisans of the
administration into the city, and brought up to the polls to decide who
shall make our municipal laws. More than four hundred votes over and
above the ascertained votes of a ward, are polled in such ward. Men
moved from ward to ward