The daily Argus., 1875-10-12
Ghe Daily Arsas,
From the Illinois state Register.
The Contested Election Case,

In 1874 Hon. John V. LeMoyne was the
Democratic candidate for congress in the
third destrict of this state, consisting of a
part OF Cook and all Of Lake counties. His
total vote was 1891 while the vote of Hon.
c. B. Farwel, the Republican candidate, was
SIT, and the apparent Republican major
ity lS6. Mr.. Farwel was given the usual
certificate Of election, and Mr.. LeMoyne
gave notice of his intention to contest the
seat.
The testimony in the case was very
volumious, and goes to show that Farweils
friends and supporters had used all sorts
of means to carry the election. Among
these were fraud by which illegal votes
were polled for Farwell, intimidation, used
by the governmental ring about Chicago, to
induce minor officials and employees to vote
for Esrweli under threat Of being dis
missed from employment if they refused,
and bribery, as shown by the testimony OF
many witnesses who received money to
be spent for the good of the party" and
to buy votes for Farwell. In one ward, the
twentieth, the most outrageous fraud is
proven beyond doubt. The challengers
on the Democratic side were assaulted and
driven from the polls by the rufians hired
to support Farwell, and the citizens who
proposed to vote for LeMoyne were threat
ened, and many of them driven away. 1t
| is also in evidence that the election judges
at the polls in this ward, not only permit
ted but encouraged these outrages, and
that they allowed the repeating which the
then Infamous registration law encour-
aged to any extent. The judges in one
precinct of this ward we're boarders at
the Hatch house, a low place, kept by one
Corcoran, who was a candidate on tine
ticket with Fs.wel These judges permit
ted men who boarded at the same place,
and whom they must have known, to re-
peat half dozen times each, aud after
the farce of the election was over. they
carried the ballot boxes to the same house,
and there fixed up the votes and returns to
suit their employers.
| All this, and much more to the same
effect, is proven by unimpeachable testi
mony, but there is still greater yilliany to
be mentioned. The testimony was taken
before two notaries, one representing each
side of the contest, and when it was com
pleted, the notary for Farwell refused to
append his official certificate, hoping there
by to defeat the case. He has, however.
been forced, by the terror of the law to
perform his official duty, and the record
has been transmitted to Washington, and
will be examined in December by the
Democratic house of representatives
There is no doubt this body will do it's full
duty, and admit Mr.. LeMoyne to the seat
for which the honest voters of the Third
district have chosen him. There is no
partisanship in the case, for the house Of
representatives has already Democratic
majority. and a majority OF the represent
atives from this state are also Democrats,
so that there can be no partisan purpose
served by seating Mr.. LeMoync. Never
theless, it is due to the people Of his dis
trict that he should be inducted into the
seat to which they have elected him, it is
proper that the force and fraud used by
Mr.. Farwell should be exposed and rebuk
ed. and not less important it is that The
majority of the house should have the ben
eft Of Mr. LeMoynes sound Democratic
ideas, wise counsel and energetic action.