Buckshot War

The Buckshot War was the outbreak of unrest in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that transpired after the Pennsylvania gubernatorial and legislative elections in 1838 when both the Whig and Democratic parties claimed control over the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

After being elected governor of Pennsylvania in 1835,Anti-Masonic and Whig candidate Joseph Ritner served a successful term. With the cooperation his unofficial advisor Thaddeus Stevens and Secretary of Commonwealth Thomas H. Burrows, Ritner used Public Works as a political instrument via the government owning all internal improvements hence providing thousands jobs. Thus it came as a shock to Whigs and Anti-Masons that Ritner was defeated for re-election by the Democratic Party candidate David Rittenhouse Porter. The campaign was considered very bitter, with Porter winning by a slim majority of 5,496 in a total vote of 250,146. This election was significant in regards to financial patronage as, if the sitting governor and his party could gain control both branches of legislature, they would have the ability to control all appointments at a state level. The Whigs and Anti-Masons set out to contest Porter's election, and having already gained a majority in the Pennsylvania Senate, they only needed to secure a majority in the House of Representatives to further their aims.

In order to secure the majority in the House of Representatives, Burrows, who was also the Chairman of the Whig Committee, used claims made by Charles J. Ingersoll to maneuver a tactical plan. Ingersoll, a Democrat, was defeated in Congress and blamed his defeat on Whig frauds in the Northern Liberties District in Philadelphia. He was able to persuade the Board of Return judges to disregard all 5000 votes from that polling place. The seven Whig judges on the Board, however, met separately and made certificates to their party candidates in Congress and in the state legislature. They recognized the four Whig candidates in the Northern Liberties District, which in turn would give the majority of the House of Representatives to the Whigs. This majority was crucial to the party. With it they would have control of both branches of the Legislature. This would allow them the ability to control all appointments if Porter's election was successfully contested. When the returns were received by Burrows, he immediately claimed them as the legal and official returns and sent them to the House of Representatives.

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