Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-12-23
Ashland Indians Cate and the
News.

The Ashland Press edited by Hon.
SAM. FIFIELD, speaking of the Su-
preme Court decision in the Wood
County case, says it virtually takes
from under Judge CATE "the quick
sand upon which he stands with a
certificate of election in his pocket
obtained through fraud. and leaves him
no alternative as an honest, upright
man, but to step down and out. The
Press then replies to the assertions so
often repeated by the Milwauke e Neaos,
respecting the illegal "Indian" vote,
and exposes that Reform fiction as
follows:
To show the people of Ashland and
Lake Supeior to what base use the Eng
lish language is put to uphold this dis
honest piece of political jugglery, we
quote the following from the Ne,os
"In the Eight Congressional district,
year ago, the result was very close
between Dr. A. S. McDill, the Repub-
lican sitting member, and Judge G..
w. Cate, the Reform candidate. Wood
county was reported as giving 1913 mo-
jority for Cate, and it was admitted
that towns giving 80 or 40 majority
for McDill were wrongfully thrown
out by the county canvassers. Ash
land county gave 21O majority for DR..
McDill. This vote with the exception
of about 40, were cast by tribal Indi-
ans who were on the annuity roll of
the clan of Chippewas on that part of
the shore of Superior
To those who know the facts, as every
resident of Lake Superior does, the
above deliberate falsehood in regard to
the vote of Ashland county last fall,
must seem brazen-faced enough. We
do not know where the News gets it's
information, but we do know that it is
untrue. No tribal Indians voted in
Ashland to our knowledge, and we
were at the polls all day, and knew
personally almost every voter. They
were all white men who voted, but one
and he a half-breed, we'll educated
young man who works for living like
the rest of our people, and does not be-
l)ng to any 'clan' of Chippewas.
The vote cast at la Point was small.
and a majority of the voters were
white, or if half breeds, full citizens,
and entitled to vote. It is about time
this cry of tribal Indians voting in
Ashland was stopped. The vote cast
here is as legal as any in the State, and
the voters are among the same men
who gave Gov. Taylor, the Democrat
ic candidate. 206 majority for Cover
nor two years ago, and 21 majority
this fall.
The halfbreeds on Lake Superior
are not all tribal Indians by any means.
They are mostly men of fair common
school education-can nearly all read
and write; many own property, and
pay taxes-many are good mechanics
some following fishing or are en-
ployed as sailors; others work in saw
mills, and nearly all are hard working,
self-supporting, industrious men-men
entitled to exercise the elective fran
chise, and to the respect of even the
Democratic Milwaukee News.
No, Mr.. Ncaos, the trouble is not
with the Ashland vote. It is with
Judge Cate and his Democratic hackers.
With DIR. McDill's certificate in his
pocket, he will, in all probability, gain
admission to Democratic Congress :;
but, after his brief two years of service
is over, the people of the Eighth Dis
trict will render their verdict, and it
will sound different to him than any he
ever listened to while on the Bench.