Iht Ifetlfsrd gfaijaim IS PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY MORNING, BY J K. M RBOKROW A JOHN LI TZ Ob JULIANA ST., •pjios'itp the MT-ngal Hutuc, BEDFORD, BEDFORD CO., PA. TERMS: 92.ff0 a year if paid strictly in advance, #2.25 if not paid within three month*, $2.50 if not paid within the year. * RATES OF ADVEUTISINU. One square, one insertion 91.00 One square, three insertions 1.50 Each additional insertion le.-s than 3 months, 50 3 months. 6 months. 1 year. One square $ 4.50 $ 0.60 910.00 Two squares.., 6,00 9.00 16.00 Three squares 8.00 12.00 20.00 Half eoluinn 18.00 23.00 45.00 One column. 30.00 45.00 80.00 Administrators' and Executors' notices, $3.00. Auditors' notices, if under 10 lines, $2.00; if over 10 liues, $2.50. Sheriffs's sales, $1.75 per tract. Ta ble work, double the above rates; figure work 25 per cent, additional. EStrays, Cautions and Noti ces to Trespassers, #2.00 for three insertions, if not above ten lines. Marriage i • ices, 50 ets.caeb, payable in advance. Obituar -nvcr five lines in length, and Resolutions of Beneficial Associations, at half advertising rates, payable in advance. Announcements of deaths, gratis. Notices in edi torial column. 15 cents per line. jfeJFNo deduc tion to advertisers of Patent Medceines. or Ad vertising Agents. JJrofciSiSiotMt & A TTO RY KY SAT LAW. JOHN PALMER. 1 Attorney at law. Bedford, l'a.. Will promptly attend to all business entrusted to his care.. Particular attention paid to the collection of .Military claims. Office on Julianna St.. nearly opposite the Mengel House.) june 23, 65.1y T B. CESSNA, #J . ATTORNEY AT LAW, Office with Jens ÜBSSSA, on l'itt St., opposite the 1 Jed ford Hotel. All business entrusted to bis care will receive faithful and prompt attention. Mili tary Claims, Pensions, Ac., speedily collected. Bedford, June 9, 1865. TORN t. KEAGY, J ATTORNEY AT LAW, BKOFOHB, PA., Will promptly attend to ali legal business entrust ed to bis care. Will give special attention to elaims against the Government. Office on Juliana street, formerly occupied by Hon. A. King. aprll:"6s -*ly. J. n. Nt BBOKROW JOHN* I.I'TZ. DURBORROW A lutz, .1 T'Fit JfeYJS VST ./ T /..f W \ BEBFOBU, Pa., Will attend promptly to all business intrusted to their care. Collections made on lite shortest no tice. They are. also, regularly licensed Claim A gen t a and will give special attention to the prosecution of claims against the Government for Pensions,. Lack Pay, Bounty, Bounty Lands, Ac. Office on Juliana street, one door South of the '•.Mengel House" and nearly opposite the Jiufuir.r office. April 28. 18G5:tf. I 3 SU'Y M. ALSIpr LA ATTORNEY AT LAW. BR.DroRD, Pa., Will faitbfnlly and promptly attend to all busi ness entrusted to his care in Bedford and adjoin ing counties. Military elaims. Pensions, back pay, Bounty, Ac. speedily collected. Office with Mann A Spang, on Julfana street, 2 doors eouth of the Mengel House. aplT, 1804. —tf. Vf. A. POINTS, iVI ATTORNEY AT LAW, BEDFORD, PA. Respectfully tenders his professional services to the public- Office with J. W. Lingenfelter, Esq., on Juliana street, two doors South of the "Mcngle House." Dec. 9, 1864-tf. KIMMELL AND LINGENFELTER, ATTORNEYS AT LAW, bkm>ok, st. Have formed a partnership in the practice -f the Law Office on Juliana Street, two (Ivors South of the Mengel House, apt I. 1864—tf. TOHN MOWER, J ATTORNEY AT LAW. Bkdfohd, Pa. April 1, 1864.—tf. DEXTI NTS. r. s. '• MINSK", J. 1 \ENTEiTS, BEDFORD, PA. 1 * Ojficr in Ike Hank- Uuildiuy, Juliana Street. AH operations pertaining to Surgical or Mc thanical Dentistry carefully and faithfully per formed antf warranted. TERMS CASH. janf>"6s-ly. I\ENTIBTBY. 17 I. N. BOWSER, EKSIOBST DENTIST. WOOII BKKKY, PA., will spend the second -Monday, Tues day, and Wednesday, of each month at Hopewell, the remaining three days at Bloody Kuo, attend ing to the duties of his profession. At all other times he can he found in his office at hottdi ury, excepting the last Monday itnd Tuesday ol the same month, which he will spend in Martinshurg. Blair county. Pcnna. Persons desiring operations should call "early, as time is limited. All opera tions warranted. Aug. 5,1864,-tf. FHYSH I AY*. I \K. B. F. HARRY. I 7 Respectfully tenders his professional ser vices to the eitizens of Bedford and vicinity. Office and residence on Pitt Street, in the building formerly occupied by I>r. J. H. liofius. April 1, 1864—t1. T L. MARIK tl' IDi, M. It.. •J . Having permanently 1< ated respectfully tenders his pofessional services to the eitizens of Bedford and vicinity. Office on Juliana street, opposite the Bank, one door north of Hall A Pal mer's office. April 1, 1864—tf. HOTEUI. BEDFORD HOUSE, AT HOPEWELL, BEDFOIID CCU-STY, PA., BY HARRY DROLLLNGER. Every attention given to make guests comfortable, who stop at this House. Hopewell, July 29, 1864. I T 8. HOTEL, U . IIARRISBURG, PA. CORNER SIXTH AND MARKET STREETS, OPPOSITE BEAPiaO U. It. DEPOT. D. H. HUTCHINSON, Proprietor. j ut 6:65. XCHANGE HOTEL J HUNTINGDON. PA., JOHN S. MILLER. Proprietor. April 29th, 1864.—ft. BANKERS. C. W. BI PP 0. F. SHANXOX R. BESRPICT REPP, SHANNON A CO., BANKERS, REDFOUD, PA. BANK OF DISCOUNT AND DEPOSIT. COLLECTIONS made for the East, West, North and South, and the general business of Exchange, transacted. Notes and Accounts Collected and Remittances promptly made. REAL ESTATE bought and sold. npr.la,'64-tf. JEWELEB, Ac. DANIEL BORDER, PITT STNEET, TWO DOORS WEST or rnz TIED FORD HOTEL, BEBPORD, PA. WATCHMAKER AND DEALER IN JEWEL RY. SPECTACLES, AC. He keeps on band a stock of fine Hold and Sil ver Watches, Spectacles of Brilliant Double Refin ed Glasses, also Scotch Pebble Glasses. Gold Match Chains, Breast Pins, Finger Kings, best quality of Gold Pens. He will supply to order any thing in his line not on hand, apr. 8, 1864—zz. .11 STIC KS OF THE PEACE. I OHN MAJOR, •J JUSTICE OF THE PEACE, HOPE WELL, BnroßD coisrr. Collections and all business pertaining to his office will be attended to prompt ly. Will also attend to the sale or renting of real estate. Instrument* of writing carefully prepa red. Also settling up partnership, and other ac counts. April 1, 186—tf. §3cMord Jnqiiiter. l KBORKOW <t LIT*, Editors and Proprietors. REPORT RELATIVE TO FRAUDS AT ELECTIONS, IN CERTAIN COUN TIES OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA AS MADE BY A SELECT COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF REP RESENTATIVES. Mr. Kelly, from the select coihmittee. ap pointed on the 20th day of January, A. D., j'B6s, in pursuance of a preamble aud reso lution of* the House, made report, viz : That they confined their examinations and deliberation* strictly to the objects contem plated by the terms of their appointment, which was in pursuance of a preamble and resolution in the following words, to wit: IN THE HOUSE or BEPHESENTATIVES, I Friday, .January 2<L 1805. J \\ IIEHKAS. It appears from the annual message of the Governor of this Common wealth. from the fact that duplicate returns for sonic of the members of this House were C re.-ented at the meeting of the Legislature, y the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and from the further fact, that the seat* of sev eral other member* have been contested, since the organization of the Hou*e, upon the ground of alleged irregularity in the re turns of elections by soldiers in actual milita ry service, that the provisions of the act of 26th of August, A. IX. 1864. regulating such elections, have been misunderstood, neglec ted or violated, by some of the pruthonota ries and return judges of this Common wealth : 11 And Whereas, It is essential to the wel fare of the State, that confidence in the fair ness of elections should be preserved, and a ready submission to the will of the majority, fairly and legally expressed at tfie ballot box! should be inculcated and enforced, frauds and contrivance* to defeat the will of the people, and take away from them, or any number of them, the elective franchise, should lie exposed and condemned, and a sure and speedy remedy to prevent the rcn tition of such offence should lie provided; therefore, Restolced. That a select committee of five members be appointed, to examine and re l>ort to this House, whether any prothono taries or county or district rf turn judges of this Commonwealth, refused to certify or receive, or refused or neglected to receive, compute or .embrace any return or returns of any election or elections by soldier* in ac tual military service, on the second Tuesday of October last, with power to send fcr per sons and papers ; and also to report whether any legislation is necessary to provide a remedy against such actions in the future, and to punish all such officers as may be guil ty of such offence. " Unbred,_ That Messrs. Kellcy, Waddell. Anderson, Xeglcy and Grady be the said committee." Extract from the Journal. JNO. A. BMULL, for A. W. BENEDICT. ( hri; of the f/ouse of Representative*. J hat your committee having been duly or ganized aud chosen, visited Bedford, and heard the testimony of .several., witnesses, ana received sundry copie- of papers and documents, duly certified, all of which evi dence is returned herewith. The trip to Bedford was made on Thursday, Friday and .Saturday, the 26th, 27th and 28th days of January, ISGS. Your committee held several meetings at Harrisburg, and received in evidence nu merous paper* and documents, all of which arc also returned herewith, as a part of the testimony taken by the committee. On the 16th and 17th days of February, A. D. 1865. your committee visited Gettys burg. in the county of Adams, and then and there examined sundry witnesses, aud re ceived in evidence certain papers, duly cer tified, all of which are returned as part of the evidence. Different request* were made of your com mitt jeto visit the counties of Westmoreland Fayette and Lycoming, and examine into the action of the prothonotaries and return judges of those counties, in rejecting returns of vote* from persons in actual military ser vice. Your committee did not comply with these requests, but at the urgent desire of persons m Westmoreland county, they agreed to summon witnesses and receive testimo ny and certain papers from that county, which are herewith submitted, and to which reference will be made in a subsequent, part of this report Your committee declined to visit those counties for the reason that they could not spare the time without allowing au improp er encroachment upon their other legislative duties, and for the farther reason (and more particularly the latter, that your committee discovered abundantly sufficient reason in their investigations of the conduct of pro thonotaries and judges in the Sixteenth Con gressional district, the Sixteenth Judicial district, and in the Legislative district com posed of the counties of Somerset, Bedford and Fulton, to justify the action of the House in adopting the preamble and resolution by virtue of which the committee was appoin ted, and to compel them to find and report, a* they now do, that there is great and pres sing need of other and furt her legislation to provide civil remedies for any like conduct in the future, and also to punish a* criminals of a high grade and dangerous character, any prothonotaries or return judges who may be so base, in the future, as to perpe trate crimes similar to those which have been brought to the notice of your committe •luring the progress of its investigations. Your committee ha- prepared, and reports, herewith, a bill intended to secure these ob jects. It is entitled "An Act to compel pro thonotaries and return judges to perform their respective duties under the act of Au gust2s. A. D. 1864. regulating elections by soldier* in actual military service ; giving ju risdiction to the courts of the Common wealth, for that purpose, and providing pen nalties for the neglect or violation of such duties." It i? submitted to the superior judgment of the House for such amendments, and such action as may be deemed advisable ; but the committee cannot refrain from re marking. that, in their opinion, some such legislation is absolutely indispensable at tlic present session of the Legislature, in order to prevent the perpetration of gross wrongs ana glaring frauds upon the soldiers who may exercise the right of suffrage in future, while in the actual service of their coun try. Tt appears, from the evidence, that soon after tne election of October 11, JBt>4 ; the result for member of Congress, in the Six teenth district, appeared to be doubtful. — After the vote, usually styled the "home vote, had been counted, and while the "ar my vote vras yet being received, it became evident that to savtfcthe candidate having a majority of the "home vote" it would be come necessary to witbold, omit or reject a portion, at. least, of the army or soldiers' vote. The design to do this apj>ears to have been formed in advance of the second meet ing of return judges. Accordingly, and in pursuance of that desigu, it was found that at such second meeting of the return judges for the county of Adams, eight ret urns of .-ohiiers' votes, numbering two hundred and eight votes, and giving one hundred and A TXK Al * ANL) GENERAL.NEWBPAPER, DEVOTED TO POLITICS, EDUCATION, LITERATURE AND MORALS. eight majority, were deliberately rejected by a majority of the return judges of" Adam* county. Your committee will speak more particularly of this conduct or action, in a .subsequent part of this report. Only fifty-one soldiers votes were return ed to Fulton county. Of these the return judges rejected the two largest returns, numbering twenty-five votes and giving a majority of nine votes, and counted twenty six soldiers' votes. It was not pretended that auy vote of the fifty-one had been cast by any person not a lawful aud qualified vo ter, but the rejections were based entirely upon "informality" in the returns. To the couuty of Bedford the votes of five hundred and forty-six soldiers were returned. Here the task of rejecting votes seems to have been chiefly committed to, or at least as sumed by Oliver E. Shannon, Esq., the prothonotary. He acted as both judge and jury. At an early hour of Friday morning, (return day,) he notified Mr. Cessna, attor ney for General William 11. Koontz. a can didate for Congress, that 11. F. Meyers and George H. Spang, J'lsqr*., attorneys for General A. H. Coffroth. the other candidate for Congress, had notified hint (Mr. Shan non,) not to certify certain soldiers' returns, and that he had consented to hear their ar guments at ten o'clock, A. M., of that day, where Mr. Cessna might appear for General Koontz it he saw fit. The hearing took place. Mr. Cessna protested against the jurisdiction of the court, aud the whole ques tion was argued for a period of two hours. Mr. Shannon rejected two returns, contain ing one hundred and thirty-nine votes, aud giving a majority of forty-five votes. The board of return judges of Bedford county subsequently, by a vote of thirteen to six*, sustained this action. They then, by the same vote, counted t|ie other soldiers' re turns for the county, to the number of four hundred and seven. Every one of the thir teen judges signed this return. The six judges not agreeing to this return then made out and severally signed a separate return for Congress, embracing every vote of the four hundred and seven counted by the ma jority, and also including the one hundred aud thirty-nine votes rejected or witheld by the prothonotary. The ground upon which these two returns were rejected, was that there were names upon the list of voters returned of citizens, who, when at home, did not reside in Bedford county. It ap peared, in evidence, thatoneof these returns contained the names of thirty-seven citizens of Fulton county, but it appeared, from the same return, that no more votes were given for Bedford county officers than there were names of Bedford county voters on the list, and it was admitted and proved that Fulton county was a part of the same Congression al, .Judicial and Legislative district. It was also proved and admitted that these thirty- i seven persons were duly qualified voters of Fulton county, and that their votes had not been returned to Fulton county, for either Congress, Judge or Assembly. The other rejected return contained the names of sixty voters. Of these, forty-eight were citizens of Bedford county, sixteen of 15.1 to T>, and ns ..„■> .....1 i I .J.i.. No more than forty-eight votes were return- i ed to Bedford tor any county office, only fif- 1 ty-iour for Judge, fifty- two for Congress and j fifty for Assembly. The other votes, about six, were returned to Huntingdon andrCam- j bria, for the respective candidates in thase j counties. It Is but proper to state here, | that these sixty voters were all members of; the same company, belonging to one organ- j ization, and serving in the army of the James, at the time of the election The ; other rejected return came from a body of drafted men, all then quartered at barracks. No. 1. in Washington city. In short it was at no time pretended that any single vote of all those rejected was cast by any person not entitled to vote. On the contrary", it was most clearly and distinctly proved by all the witnesses called upon both sides, including G. H. Spang, Esq., one of the attorneys for Geu. A. H. Coffroth. that every soldier of the entire five hundred and forty-six, re turned to Bedford, was a qualified voter, aud that the only objection was as to the manner of making the returns. Mr. Shannon appealeu neiore your com mittee, called, examined and ero*--examined witnesses, ana furnished a written statement of bis views, in defence of his action. His entire defence rested upon his view of the eighteenth section of the act of 1804, regu lating elections by Even here he gave force only to the word "such," be fore "returns." That section of the law prescribes the duty of prothunotaries in cer tifying "such returns, ' evidently meaning returns from soldiers in actual service. But Mr. Shannon insists that if, in any particular the returns should not be precisely "such." as directed by the act of Assembly, then it was not his duty to certify them, and that he was sole judge of the matter, and had dis cretionary power to withold or certify all papers which he might conclude were or were not "such returns." He, and the judges, appear to have entirely disregarded that part of the twenty-seventh section of the same act, which declares that "no mere informality in the manner of carrying out or executing auy of the provisions of this act, shall invalidate auy election held under the same, or authorize the return thereof to be rejected or set aside." To expose the folly and wickedness of the action of this prothonotary aud these judges would be a waste of time. The case only needs to be presented. The gTeat end and aim of the law were to insure, to the soldier on duty, the exercise of that elective franchise which was enjoyed by his fellow citizens at home. The Consti tution of the State guaranteed this to him. The people of the State declared, by a ma jority of nearly one hundred thousand at the ; ballot box, that he should be permitted to exercise this right. While these one hun dred and thirty-nine soldiers were carrying the flag of the country, and defending her cause at the time these votes were being counted, a petty tyrant, like the prothono tary of a county, by malignity or stupidity, j assuming, to himself, powers and jurisdic tion which did not belong to him. overturn their will, and absolutely disfranchise the whole "number. Much of the evidence went to convict Mr Shannon of bad taith in the premises. He called, as a witness, Major D. Washabaugh, to prove that he sent to Harrisbure to get these returns, or an explanation of them, so that (aa he alleged) they might be counted. But. unfortunately for him, his witness testified that a full and satisfactory' explana tion had been discovered and made to him. These returns were duly copied, certified by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and said copies handed to Mr. Shanuon on the day before the meeting of the return judges. Again, after the argument before him on Friday morning, in the prothonatary's office be declared that he would go home and de cide the question and prepare his certificate. Before he started it was proved, by several witnesses, and especially nis own clerk, that he sent for B. F. Meyers. Esq., one of the attorneys for General Coffroth, and one of the candidates for the Legislature, that he did not go home, as he declared he would, but earned his papers up stairs, and there BEDFORD, Pa., FRIDAY, AIJOUST 4, 1865. had Mr. Meyers with him front an hour to art hour and u half, until the whole business was completed. He absolutely refused, even after demand in writing, to make copies of those return*, or any returns, and made out only a general table of all the return* in his own way leav ing nothing whatever for the judges" to do. He added up all tßc return*, then subtract ed sfichas in hi* view were not "such re turns," and made one general certificate for the aggregate. Not satisfied to stop here, but disregarding or forgetting every sense of propriety, be went before the board of return judges in person, and made a speech of some length to prevent them from re ceiving the fwo return* which he had rejec ted, (certified copies of which were sent by the Secretary of the Commonwealth,) and argued to the 1* .tyd that they had no right to receive any paper whatever, except such as he gave them. This effort, strangely in consistent with hi* allegation that he had sent to the Secretary of the Commonwealth for copies and explanations, in order that these return* might be counted. After the argument closed before the board of return judges, upon the suggestion of the attorney for Gen. Koontz, the room was cleared in order that the judge* might decide for them selves. Scarcely had this been done, when it became apparent that some of those who had been counted upon to aid in carrying out this infamous fraud were alarmed by what they had heard in the argument; when Mr. Shannon again comes to the rescue; and having been sent for by a few of the more faithful, actually returned and remain ed with the board uutil the whole work had been consummated* Emboldened by the apparent success of these efforts of a few individuals to elect a member of Congress in opposition to the wishes of the legal voters ot the district, as declared at the ballot box, some of these same worthies, in connection with a few others, at once turned their attention to the selection of a president judge and two mem bers of the Legi-iature. The district return judges were to meet on the Friday following. The issue of the Bedford Gazette, immedi ately before tho*e meetings, gave the note of preparation for these contests. Its editor was one of the candidates for the Legisla ture. A short article, taken from among many others, reads thus: ■ NOT OUT OF THE WOODS. "The Abolitionists crowed before they wcre out of the wood*. They have claimed thy defeat of General Coffroth. Judge Kim rnell and the Democratic candidates for the Legislature. The latest official reports elect General Coffroth, while the Judicial and Legislative districts are still undetermined, with the chance* in favor of tlio Democratic candidates, when the legal votes shall be counted. Wait and see." It seems almost, or rather altogether im possible to imagine how this work could be accomplished. But the job had been com menced and must be finished. Without giving the figures here, the committee will state, that by virtue of the returns these gentlemen had made up themselves, after could throw counties of Bedford and Fulton, and taking their own tables, as signed and assented to by every judge in every county, of the district, except the six in Bedford county, who had signed a larger Congressional return, (one which included every vote embraced in the majority return, ) they elected Hon. Alexander King, presi dent judge, over Hon. F. M. KimmeD, by a majority of one hundred and five votes. They elected Moses A. Ross to the Legisla ture by a majority of one hundred and ten votes, over Hiram Fin ley. and elected Da vid B. Armstrong, over B. F. .Beyers, by a majority of one hundred and fifty-two votes. For the truth of these statements, the com mittee refer to the certified copies of returns embraced in the evidence. Had the sol diers' votes of Bedford and Fulton been properly counted, these majorities would nave been made larger. When the judicial district return judges had assembled, they deliberately proceed to throw out the entire soldiers' vote of Bedford county, which gave to Judge King a majority of one hundred and seventy-six, besides the two returns withheld by Mr. Shannon. Wm. J. Roch, the return judge from Bedford county, who was one of the thirteen judges who at Bed ford had made and adopted this return, and had himself signed it under oath, as the true return, actually voted and assisted in throwing out the same return, carried there by himself, and contained in the only com mission which he had to be there himself This action elected F. M, Kimmell by a ma jority of seventy-one votes; and these judges actually proceeded to give him a certificate of election, and to make return to the Sec retary of the Commonwealth. By this aetirn, every soldier of the five hundred and forty-six. whose names were returned to Bedford, were denied the right of participating in the choice of a president judge for the next ten years. It is scarcely necessary for your committee to add, that this manner of electing judges was hardly contemplated by the framers of the Con stitution and the laws; and that a judge ob taining his commission in this way would not be very likely to command the respect or retain the confidence of the people, or to in spire a very remarkable degre of respect for his love of justice or the supremacy of the law. Fortunately, this latter experiment was not tested, for the reason that the Gov ernor and Attorney General of the State concluded that under the law, return judges did uot certify' to the election of president judges, but only computed and returned the votes. The Governor commissioned the man duly elected. At a meeting of the Legislative district return judges, the twenty-five, out of fifty one soldiers' votes which had been counted by the return judges of Fulton county, were actually omitted, or rejected, by two of said three district return judges. Mr. James Lynch, of Fulton county, who had helped to make the return just one week before, and who had signed the same under oath as a correct and true return, being a party to this action. The whole soldiers' vote of Bedford countv was also thrown out; the home vote of Fulton and Bedford counties and the whole of Somerset county being counted, and thus electing Messrs. Meyers and Findley to the Legislature, by majori ties of fitty-one and seventy-one, respect ively. Mr* Joseph Elder, the return judge from Bedford county, who had aided in ma king this return, who had signed it, under oath, as a true return, actually voted with Judge Lynch, of Fulton county, to reiect his own return, although without it he had no other commission to be present at tnat meeting of district return judges. By this action of these two men, Joseph Elder and James Lynch, aided by the prothonotary of Bedford county, not one single soldiers' vote from Bedford county, nor one from Fulton, was counted in the election of members of the Legislature. Five hundred and forty six voters of Bedford county, and fifty-one voters of Fulton eounty. all absent in the service of their country, were thus disfran chised by this unequalled and inexplicable infamy. It is but proper to remark here, again, that up to this hour, it is not even j pretended that of all these five hundred and ninety-seven soldiers, there was a single one who was not a lawful voter, or who had not a right to vote for members of the Legisla ture in that district. Your committee is forced to the conclu sion, that, at least, one of the candidates for the Legislature, B. F. Meyers, Esq., of Bedford, was a party to this gigantic fraud. He appeared before prothonotary Shannon and advised and argued against the recep tion of certain returns. He visited Mr. Shannon after the argument and remained with him until his work was complete. He proclaimed, in his paper, before tne meeting ot the district return judges, that the work would be done. He was with Judge Lynch on the morning of the meeting of the dis trict judges, who remarked, that "Mr. Mey ers are fixing the papers." The papers were fixed, and the work done, as Mr. Mey ers had predicted ; and in pursuance of the result he appeared before the Legislature and claimed his seat at the organization of the House. In addition to this, he has been constant in his vilification and abuse of the majority of the House because he wa* not admitted to a seat. For the truth of this assertion your committee refer to a few ex tracts from the Bedford Gazette , which are returned with the evidence. True, in most of his articles, he bases his right to a scat upon the action of the return judges, and not upon the votes of the people. W. D. Miller, the return judge of Somer set county, refused to join Judges Ly nen and Eider, in their process of mutilation and disfranchisement, and proceeded to make out and certify a full and complete return of all the soldiers' votes, and tnert: two papers, forming but one return, were presented to the House, dt Its orgnfiitatltth: and showing as they did, (as held by the court in the ease of Robert Ewing, in Philadelphia.) that Messrs. Armstrong and Ross had re ceived the greatest number of votes, and were duly elected, when speaking of two or more papers presented, declared, "If there are contradictions, we must reconcile them if we can ; and if this cannot be done, we must decide according to the legal intend ment of the facts found by the said judges, acting within the eeope of their legitimate, authority." In this same case, and in every other case known to your committee, in every court in Pennsylvania, in which the question Was raised, it was held that the duties of the prothonotary and of return judges were purely ministerial, and in no way partook of a judicial character or nature. That it was the duty of the prothonotary to certify, and of the judges to compute, all the returns re ceived. If there were error* or illegalities, all such questions could be raised, tried and decided by the tribunals constituted for the trial of contested elections. These decisions were made before the passage of the law of 1864. As already seen, the twenty-seventh section of this law expressly declares that no mere formality shall justify the rejection of any return of soldiers' votes. The latter portion of the twentieth and twenty-eighth sections of the same law, provides distinct imLinaL r.ir lKz trial ujrul tit* n want rf all such questions a, were in these cases tried and decided by the prothonotary and the return judges. It is a well settled rule of law, that when the jurisdiction of any par ticular tribunal is established for the trial of j any question, the jurisdiction o? all other tribunals is excluded. Your committee is of opinion that the command of the twenty-seventh section of the act of 1864, speaks to all the tribunals before which such returns of soldiers' votes may come. It is a positive command to prothonotaries, in certifying to returns. It is a like command to county return judges ; also to district return judges. To courts on the trial of contested elections: to the Clerk of the House, in making out his roll of mem bers ; to the House, iu admitting them to seats; and to committees selected to try con tested elections. No informality, or even bad faith, on the part of any one of these tribunals, in rejecting soldiers' votes would bind the next tribunal before whom they might come. The effort of two district judges to throw out soldiers' votes enough to change the resnlt of the election in any district, could have no binding force upon the House itself. These judges were not act ing within the scope of their legitimate au thority. Their omission fo sign the true re turn was but. an informality, which the law expressly declares shall not vitiate. It is scarcely necessary to add, that Messrs. Mey ers and Finley never contested the seats awarded by the House to Messrs. Armstrong and Ross. During the examination at Gettysburg, your committee found that the return judg es of Adams county, at their meeting for the purpose of receiving and counting the soldiers vote, rejected eight returns, con taining. in all. two hundred and eight votes, of which one hundred and fifty-eight were cast for General Koontz and fifty for Gener al Coffroth. The first in order was the vote of compa ny K. of the One Hundred and Eighty fourth regiment, which east thirty-nine votes for General Koontz and twenty-one for General Coffroth. The reason given by the judges foYrejecting this ret urn? was that it contained one vote given by a resident of Franklin county. The next was the vote of company C, of the Two Hundred and Sec ond regiment, which cast twenty seven for Koontz and fifteen for Coffroth. The rea son given for the rejection of this return, was that but one judge of the election acted. The next wa* one vote for Koontz from the Mower hospital, one for the same person from the Cuyler hospital, and three, also, for the same candidate, from the M Clellan hospital, rejected for the reason that the certificates of the oaths of the election offi cers were wanting in each of these returns. Following these, in the order of rejection, was the vote of companies, B and G, of the One Hundred and Thirty-eighth regiment, which cast thirty-two ballots for Koontz and one for Coffroth. These two companies it appears voted at one poll, before one set of election officers. Next wa* the return of company I, of the Two Ilundrcd and Tenth regiment, which cast nineteen votes for Koontz and nine for Coffroth. This was rejected for the same reason as existed for the rejection of the hospital votes, to wit: the want of a certificate of the oatli of the election officers. And finally the return of company B, of the Twenty-first cavalry, which cast thirty six votes for General fkoonta and four for General Coffroth, was rejected for the rea son that no copy of the return of this com pany's election was certified to the return judges, by the prothonotary ; and also be, cause it appeared, by the original return that the officers of the election were ted by a captain who was not an officer of the election, and finally because there were more votes cast for Congress than there were electors of Adams county at the elec tion. The prothonotary of the county appears to have been at a loss to know what his duty was in respect to the returns thus forwarded to his office, but eventually, under the direc tion of counsel, made a certified abstract t>f the same, and presented them to the return Vol 38: No. 33 judges. Upon the abstract of each of the above mentioned eight returns he noted the objections which presented themselves to his mind. It youj- committee should con cede that the prothoootary has the power to determine what returns he can certify to the return judges and what not, then the pro tbonotary of Adams connty did so diter tnine, ami certified all the returns subsequent ly rejected by the judges, save one. Wheth er he had this power, is, to some extent, answered by the action of the judges them selves, when they appear to consider it their duty to reiect this return, partly for the rea son, that he had not furnished them with a eertiOed copy of it.' He, however, did pass his judgment upon these returns, and certified them, as has been stated. What then was the duty of the return jndges? To reject said returns ? | C learly not, unlese such returns were "so de ! fective as to prevent the same from being understood and computed in adding together the number of votes." Do the reasons given by the judges, for the rejection of these returns, show that they were so defective as to prevent them from being understood and computed? If not, then the act of Assembly requires they should he considered, and the protlionotary having furnished the judges with a certified copy of the return of the votes transmitted to him, they should proceed to enumerate them. Yonr committee submits, that not a reason given by the judges, for their action, shows that they were unable to understand these returns, or unable to compute the , votes cast. .The only reason looking that way is that given For the rejection of the return From company K, of the One Hundred and Eigh ty-fourth regiment) .Vfherethere was a voter from Franklin county, and the reason given fir the rejection of the return from company B, of the Twenty-first cavalry, where there were more votes cast for Congress than there were electors of Adams county. Bat it will be remembered that Franklin county was in cluded in this Congressional district, and an examination of the returns will show that all the electors voting in company B, of the Twenty-first cavalry j were residents of the Congressional district, so that, in the opin ion of your committee, no difficulty need have been experienced by the judges in under standing these returns, or in computiug the number of votes cast, as the discrepancy only existed upon the Congressional question. Your committee, therefore, cannot help but feel, that had the judges been as anxious to perform their duty, as they were to reject the votes of t.hesedefenders of their country's honor, they would not have disfranchised j two hundred and eight voters. One other matter in connection with the ! conduct of the return judges of Adams county your oomurttee cannot pass without notic ing. It appears that certain members of the bar of that county thought it proper, that the judges should be apprised of tne legal questions which might arise in the course of their deliberations. They accordingly consulted among themselves as to the pow ers of the judges, and corresponded with JNJGO FTLAA* L*4O AIKAFNAP FLAWAML GYF TKC United States, J. M'Dowell Sbarpe. Esq.. of Franklin, and O. E. Shannon, Esq , pro thonotary of Bedford county, upon the same subject. Having, apparently, arrived at a sitisfactovy understanding, they held a meeting of the fourteen Democratic judges, i at a hotelin the borough of Gettysburg, on the m jrning of the day fixed for the return .iudg -s to meet to count the soldiers' votes, bu' before they formally assembled. No Republican judges were present at this meet- j ing, yet the objections to certain returns j were fully stated, and freely discussed. ; These gentlemen of the bar gave their opin- . ions professionally to the fourteen judges j thus assembled, and the action of these jud- | ges when the lull board met, corresponded, j as Mr. M'Clean states, with the views ex- j pressed at the consultation. The same j witness states,, "it was understood, that it was not proper for persons outside to discuss questions before the board, and that there wonld be no opportunity of affording counsel to the board during its sitting.'' And yet, strange to say, it did not appear improper to any of these gentlemen concerned, to dis cuss these various questions in this "ex portc'' manner, without affording those who might differ with them in opinion, an op portunity to reply. If this mursejwas prop er, your committee is at a loss to see what impropriety there could have been in presen ting the same views in an open and formal meeting of the board. If the judges had been seeking simply af ter information, and been actuated solely by a desire to discharge their duty, it would have afforded less ground {pr suspicion for them to have heard openly and officially, what they considered themselves justified in hearing privately and individually. Such a course of conduct on the part of public officers, slwws clearly the want of a proper appreciation of their official duty,and those who advised such a consultation, must have doubted the strength of their cause. Your committee also called before them citizens of Westmorelaud county, to whose testimony the attention of the House is invited. The prothonotary of that county pursued a different, but equally as extraor dinary and illegal a course as the prothono taries of the counties of Bedford and Adams. He declined to certify a copy of the return of votes from and by the soldiers, as directed by the act of 1864, but sent before the return judges the returns themselves. The said prothonotary was proven, before your com mittee, to have haa an interview and under standing with certain attorneys of the town of Greensburg, one of whom was a return judge himself, and became the president of the board on their assembling. The evi dence shows that, under the direction of this president, some twenty-two returns of votes from the soldiers in the field were thrown out, and that for mere informalities, , specially provided for in said act of 1864. The evidence further shows a conibmation and party arrangement to reject said returns, and further shows that through some manage merit the minority of the judges were induced to sign the necessary certificates, before the result had been ascertained, or before any action or decision was had on any question relating to said returns. This action, the minority of said judges had no doubt after wards of being a designed trick and advan tage taken of them, and your committee may add that they have no doubt of the same. Upon a careful review of all the facts developed by the examination of the com mittee, we have concluded that further legis lation is necessary, to protect the soldier in the exercise of the elective franchise. Your committee report herewith a bill, which, in their judgment, is calculated to secure the end contemplated by their appointment The people of the State have, as we believe, a high regard and sacred respect for the doctrine that the will of the majontv shall be the law of the land. It must not be per mitted that the confidence and respect always manifested by the people towards the decis ion of the majority at the lallot box, shall ever be shaken, much less detftiOTeu. I There could be no more speedy method de -1 vised for the overthrow of our institutions, than the adoption of' a system which ehoAid convince the people that their voice, ftirfy expressed at the ballot box, should be set aside by the tricks, frauds or conspiracies of a few prothonotaries and return judges, In cooclusiou, the committee offer the M lowing resolution : Resolvtd, That the committee be dis charged from the consideration of the sub ject •JAB. R. KELLY. WM. B. WADDELL, J. H. NEOLEY. DrigM forttj. - or*; Z'J W *"***• AirWUrrire. r* J" 40 iin us K I'm S!! Wdle * w MM 415 fB If 08 Hopewell 852 407 k\lo 20 Run 940 IIJ 15 10 35 Hamilton 925 ' 340 >7 10 47 Bloody Ron 913 328 es Arrive* 1 i Leaves. B 'l* 50 [Mount Dallas... 918 f 325 BHOUrg bum brawch. L | Arrives j JJ f 8 | Sox t0n,... 920 j 430 10 55 jC0aim0nt......... 995 I 415 11 M Craw f0rd....! 855 ! 405 ArrivesU.. ! . Leaves.! ;U 00 Dudley ' sSO : 400 -Bread Top City.l I L, , OLIVER AYBE6, Sup't. fttngdon, Jane 14,1865..-tf X.EGHENY ~ ~~ w numjULm SKjmi.yjtmv. • We HUGHES, Principal, fis.f E. M. CRESSWELI,, Preceptress. rFall Session of this Institution will com > August 9. irding will not exceed 32.50 per week. aition in English $ 5,99 kno music | OW eial attention paid to those who widh to further information addrtSs J. W. HtJOHES, Zl; 4t Rainsburg, Pa. JCNIATA MILLS. sabscritmrs beg leave to inform their pa the public generally, that they continue y on the business of VOOLEX MANITACTUPINP Ataril A wait mwn7 hems late 01W bfeht, a little more than "half yorked," feeling thirsty, procured a glass of water and drank it. In doing so he swallowed a small ball of silk that lay in the bottom of the tum bler, the end catching in his teeth. Feeling something in his mouth and not knowing what it was. he began pulling at the eml. and the ball he soon had several feet in hia hands, he shouted at the top of his voice : "Wife! wife! 1 say wife, come down here! I am unraveling." WAKTKD. —The following advertisement appears in the Jamestown Journal : Wanted.—A boy to learn the printer's trade. A boy that ' 'knows a bee from a ; bull's foot,'' and is willing to work withoht owning an interest in the office, and does hot require too much waiting Ott, can have a chance in the Inquirer office. He will not be expected to take the Wnole charge of the business at first . A physician being sent for to see a patient in the Fens, and finding the road Scarcely passable, though it was in the middle of summer, inquired of his conductor, a simple country lad, what the people could possibly do for medical assistance in winter. ? 1 'Oh, sir," replied the gawky, "in winter they die a natural death." A Connecticut Jonothan, in taking a walk with his dearest, came to a toll-bridge, when he, as honestly as he was wont to be, caid, after paying his toll, (which was one cent) : "Come, Sake you must pay your own toll, for just as like as not I shan't have you, after all." - The expenses of the funeral of Mr. lan coln, at ashington, were $23,436 27. Not withstanding the high price of everything, this sum is ten thousand dollars less than that expended on the funeral of General Taylor, and eight thousand less than in the case of President Harrison. Read the following as a cure for lisping, 1 'Hobbs meets Snobbs. and Nobbs; Hobos bobs to Snobbs and Nobbs; Hobbs nobs with Snobbs, and robs Nobbs' fob. "That is, says Nobbs, "the worst for Hobbs jobs," and Snobbs sobs.! MUCH difficulty IS experienced in Sarnia, C. W. in teaching the young idea how to shoot Not long since a large hoy whipped the schoolmaster in a regular pugilistic en counter, after which the girls stole his watch and tore sad rents in his garments. "WHAT a fool!" said Patty Prim, when she heard ol the capture of Jeff. Davis ; "of course the men would all run after him if he was dressed as a woman and he waa sure to be caught." THAT was a wicked boy who, when he waa | told that the best cure for palpitation of the heart was to quit kissing the girls said: "If that is the only remedy for palpitation, I say let her palp I' MEN of genius make the best husbands. A fool has too much opinion of his own dear self and too little of wOtaen to be easily gov erned. Advice to Captains in the army—ln form ing your companies on the banks of a deep and rapid river, be careful how you order men to "fall in." Four years ago the London Times wrote, ■ "the great Republic is dead." Wonder what tne Times thinks to-day ! Rather a lively corpse, eh ? Every plain girl has one consolation. If she is not a pretty young lady; she will, if she lives, be a pretty old one. Flunkey says the ladies are most pleased with the infantry of the army, especially those that man the breast-works. A man with a scolding wife, when inqured of in relation to his occupation, said he kept a hot house. IF you would avoid evil courses, keep out of the way of evil company ; the one invari ably leads to the other. WHT is a married man like a candle ? Because he goes out at night when he ought not to. The young man who went on a bridal tour with an angel in muslin, has returned with a termagant in hoops. Why is a tight shoe like a fine summer ? Because it makes the corn grow. With this year, the British Parliament has been in existence six hundred years. What is the best tax for making the wheels of life run smoothly ? The al-tar. Why is a petroleum dealer like an epicure? Because he lives on the fat of the land. A purse without money is like the oomb without the honey. The New York ladies are dyeing at a fear ful rate. Bed hair is the object.
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