Franklin Repository

We give in our columns to day the Memorial of the citizens of Chambersburg for legislative relief, and we bespeak for it the candid consideration of the legislature. It is essentially different in its proposition from the indemnity measures rejected by two successive legislatures, and is an appeal to the generosity of a mighty Commonwealth, overflowing with wealth, not to make restitution, but to relieve measurably the crushing desolation which befell our people on the 30th of July 1864. Even when this shall have been done by the legislature, the losses of the sufferers of Chambersburg will be infinitely greater than the losses of any equal number of sufferers by invasion in any of the border counties.

This appeal goes to the legislature as the offspring of necessity. If it is denied it will consign hundreds of people, who have struggled thus far, to hopeless ruin. Of the several hundred families rendered homeless by the vandalism of M'Causland, not one-third can restore their buildings or resume their business, and all upon whom this concentrated hate of treason fell are more or less seriously crippled in their operations. In a thrifty town of over five thousand inhabitants, the whole business portion was entirely destroyed, and none were left with means to redeem the ruins. By the generosity of the State in appropriating to the indigent, and the liberal contributions of citizens at home and abroad, absolute want has been averted measurably from the sufferers; but still bankruptcy remains, and the only hope of a general resumption of business and the re-building of the town, is in generous aid from the State.

The people of Chambersburg do not ask that their losses shall be paid, nor that even half of them shall be restored. They have paid their taxes; have contributed their full quotas promptly on every call to fill up our armies; have shared all the exactions and bereavements of war with their fellow-citizens in other sections of the State; and in addition have suffered raids and invasion with their inevitable desolation, every year from the commencement of the war to its close, for which there has not been restitution in any degree. Exclusive of the crowning vandalism of M'Causland, the border people suffered four-fold more than any other portion of Pennsylvania; and after all that had been borne, when Franklin county had nearly enough soldiers in the service to have resisted the forces of M'Causland, and was left entirely defenseless, the enemy sought to strike terror in the North by the sacking and burning of Chambersburg. It was not aimed at Chambersburg alone. It was a blow directed against every loyal man in the North; but the desolation, the overwhelming sorrow, fell upon a few hundred citizens, who had to bear the stroke of rebel vengeance on behalf of a loyal people.

It seems probable that in time the national authorities will make restitution, at least to citizens of loyal States, for extraordinary losses incurred in the war; but it cannot be done in season to be of essential service to our hopeless sufferers. Unless they can be aided now, they must abandon all hope of retrieving their business. They must yield to strangers who can command the means to restore their houses, and start anew in the world, many with large families, without any means whatever to aid them, and most of them staggered with debt. While war raged and threatened other sections of the State with the same misfortune that was visited upon them, they appreciated the caution that prevented the legislature from giving aid to the despoiled; but now that peace has been won by the heroic sons of Chambersburg, side by side with the brave defenders of the flag from every county of the State; when common sacrifices have been shared in treasure and blood to rescue a common country, and victory has crowned the effort, there would be fitness in a recognition of the claims of Chambersburg--the only town in the North that was destroyed--upon the generosity of the State. To aid Chambersburg to the extent of one-third the losses sustained by the people would enable them to recover from the fearful desolation that was visited upon them, and it would not impose a farthing of taxes upon the people of the State, nor would it be even felt in our plethoric treasury.

We have now restored the Nation by the valor of all sections. Our finances never were so prosperous; our people in all portions of the State are requited in their industry and successful in their business operations; and we appeal to the representatives of a happy people not to be unmindful of the crushing spoliation suffered by a few people in Chambersburg, who, after having cheerfully yielded all and even more than most of their fellow-citizens in other counties to preserve the government, were selected by the leaders of treason for its direst vengeance--for its wildest desolation. They ask not restitution--they ask only that the State shall aid them so that they may partially recover from the terrible blow, and receive back its generous appropriation, principal and interest, should the national government ever be just. To the humanity and sense of justice of the legislature the Memorial of the people of Chambersburg appeals, and we cannot doubt that generous aid to our citizens will be heartily sanctioned by the people of the State.

Some weeks ago we received information that the 77th Pennsylvania regiment, stationed in Texas, had voted on the proper day, and given sufficient Union majority to elect Mr. McConaughy and Col. Rowe. We had the information, in advance of the receipt of the returns, from an officer of the Battery, that an election was held, and that the vote was more than two to one Union. Subsequently a return was filed in Harrisburg by Capt. Beers, the Commissioner sent to Texas to deliver the proper papers and receive the returns, purporting to give Mr. McConaughy 31 majority and Col. Rowe 17 majority--electing both gentlemen. We did not doubt that the return was genuine and honest, and so accepted it without inquiry.

We have never seen the returns made to Harrisburg and to the Prothonotary, but we have information relative to them that leaves no doubt as to their character. They are manifestly manufactured and fraudulent, and we feel assured that neither Mr. McConaughy nor Col. Rowe will claim their places on this vote. It is established that many of the names returned on the poll-list as having voted, were not there at all. Some were at their homes in this county at the time they are put down as having voted in Texas. Others were never residents of the county, several are dead, and the officers of election whose names are given as certifying to the election returns, were not present nor in the State on the day of election. In addition to these conclusive facts, the returns bear upon their face the strongest evidence that they are not honest. Not a vote is returned for any of the local candidates but the two who were defeated by the home vote--Messrs. McConaughy and Rowe, and the tickets, purporting to have been voted in different portions of Texas, are all written and in the same hand-writing. These facts, taken in connection with the other evidences in the case, leave no doubt that the returns as made up were an after-thought, and were proposed by some man or set of men to effect [illeg] the home vote for two candidates.

We belive that the candidates effected by the fraudulent returns had no part in their creation, as both of them openly disown them. But who did commit the fraud? It is known that Capt. Beers was home at least two weeks from Texas before he made this return, and then he made a false return. How did he get it and whence did come? The fact that he made the return is not conclusive evidence that he is the author of it, or that he had any hand in the fraud. He may have received it by mail, or it may have been delivered to him by returning officers of the 77th regiment; but it is due to the public and to himself that he explain exactly when, where, and under what circumstances the returns came into his hands. This will doubtless be demanded of him, and he cannot be silent under the inquiry. It is clear that some party or parties have attempted to force a fraud upon the Union party of this county and Senatorial district and make it responsible for the wrong; but the Union party will not stain its fair fame by even an attempt to sanction or conceal the villainy.

Messrs M'Conaughy and Rowe will contest for their respective places; but they will, we feel assured, show clean hands touching this wrong. If they did not, they would be scorned by the entire party that supported them, as it seeks no triumph at the cost of integrity. It supported those gentlemen because they are eminent alike for honesty and ability, and whoever may have perpetrated this wrong, it will not be laid to their charge. But it must have some paternity. It manifestly was not done to make Mr. M'Conaughy Senator and Col. Rowe District Attorney, for no man of ordinary intelligence would have conceived and executed so stupid a fraud. Upon its face it bears strong evidence that the return was fabricated by some party adverse to the success of Union candidates. It looks as if it had been carefully designed to bring odium upon Messrs. M'Conaughy and Rowe in their contests before the Court and Senate, and this view is strengthened by the positive evidence of several members of the 77th Regiment, now at home, that an election was held and full tickets,--including the entire county ticket--voted in some companies--including the Battery. Was the true return destroyed or suppressed? It looks so from the fact that the Commissioner has given no return, or delivered none when he came back. We trust that there will be a searching, thorough investigation of this transaction, let the blame fall where it may. We belive that it will prove to have been a deliberate plan to suppress honest returns and throw the semblance of fraud upon the Union party and its candidates. There is manifestly fraud somewhere--let it be fearlessly exposed.