The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-11-03
Both sides Armed and Ready
for Fight.

The Chicago Times sent special
editorial messenger to Indianapolis
to report the election. The follow
ing is his account, and shows, at
least, what measures the Democrats
rescrted to. Or course he says the
Republicans are IS equally guilty,
but his testimony against his own
side may be accepted as conclusive:
Indianapolis, Oct. 10.-The polls
have just closed and, very much
contrary to universal expectation,
and very greatly to the relief of
every decent citizen, they were
opened this morning without any
disturbance or difficulty. Last
night was painfully fruitful of ru-
mors of coming trouble. The
streets were occupied ali night by
people too anxious to sleep, and
VINO were drawn from their houses
by an uneasy curiosity and appre-
hension as to some unknown and
terrible thing liable to happen at
any moment, and whose dimensions
nobody was able to measure. That
nothing did happen is owing wholly
to the fact that both parties were
thoroughly armed, snd in q condi.
ton 20 resort to extreme measures
at . moments notice. all this was
lucky for the Democrats. Had the
election occurred forty-eight hours
sooner they would have been driven
from every polling-place in the city.
As il was, they had about 1900 men
armed aud designated by badges, to
be shown only when recognition
was necessary. There was q COM
mander-in-chief, stationed at q CEN
trail point, who had q corps of
mounted messengers. who kept him
Informed Of the condition of every
voting precinct. A system Of sig
mails was agreed upon, and the whole
matter so systemizsd that the centre
force could be moved to any given
point in very short period and
upon brief notice.
The existence of this organization
and its capabilities became known
to the Republicans about midnight,
and, as q consequence, no rietous
demonstrations up to the hour of
closing the polls were attempted.
The election of to-day has fully
demonstrated the utter uselessness
as well as the enormous expensive
ness of imported shoalder-hitters,
repeaters and plug-ugiies. Both
sides had these gentry here without
limit. Louisville, St. Louis, Chi
cago, Philadelphia, Baltimore and
New York were all levied upon to
supply fighting and voting material.
The Republicans had not less
than 500 and the Democrats not less
than 800 of these fellows. Taken
all in all they are the veriest sheep
in existence. Whatever they may
be at home, they have to-day shown
themselves to be as meek as was
ever Moses, and as lamblike as the
slenderest infant mutton that ever
capered beside the teats of its dam.
Last night they breathed thunder
and lightning to such an extent that
all about them were deafened with
the elamor. To-day the majority of
them seem to have sneaked into
various holes and pulled the holes
in after them, so as to utterly oblit-
crate their whereabouts. The money
expended by both parties to bring
these scalawags into the field has
been just 80 many dollars thrown
away, or contributed to the whisky
dives and bagnios of the city. Had
either one of the parties taken this
money and gone into the market
and bought Hoosier votes, it would
have resulted in q majority for that
side of 10000. In the matter of
fraudulent voting there is no choice
as to the intent. Both parties have
employed repeaters to the utmost of
their ebility, and the fact that the
Republicans have been able to get
in twice as many of this class of
votes as their opponents has not
arisen from any conscientious scru-
Piles on the part of the latter, but
solely from lack of means. The
Democrats repeated up to the full
capacity of the remnants of their
barrel of money. That they failed
to employ twice or thrice as many
is wholly owing to financial reasons.
So prevalent have been the frauds
in voting, both here and elsewhere,
to-day, that if there shall be differ
ence in the total of only few thou
sands in favor of either party tue
conclusion should not be that In
diana went Democratic or Repub-
lican, but that it went as it did
simply because the winning side
employed more fraud than the los
ing side. Squads of repeaters in
tours and fives, with some local
guide to lead them about and to tell
them where they lived when chal-
ienged, have been one of the princi-
pal and most notorious features of
the day. They have voted every
where, aud az often as time would
permit, with scarcely an Interrupt
ton. In fact, every body has voted
who wished to, and it everyb body
has not voted twice or fifteen times
it is simply due TO the fact that he |
lacked either time or inclination.
Ii any one suppose that the result !
in this State to-day is an indication |
of the will of the people, or that it
means anything whatever save that !
one side or the other made the best |
use of fraudulent agencies, such q |
supp0sitiOn is q most egregious |
blunder. It should, however, be |
slated that if there be any less |
blame with one than with the other |
party, it is with the Democrats. |
They were driven to it as the only
means within their reach to offset
the tremendous and unprincipled
efforts of their opponents. They
knew that money was being thrown
into the State without limit. Every
Republican magnate from Logan to !
Sickles, who visited the State, came
with his saddie-bags stuffed with |
greenbacks. They saw WoIcott
yield 20 the seductlons of his favor
ite currency. They heard from
every portion of the State facts hav-
ing reference to the attempted brib- |
ing or actual sale of candidates. |
They saw the cities filing up with
government employees, Kentucky |
niggers, boys in blue, plug-ugiies |
from Philadelphia, and biood-tubs |
from Baltimore. They saw all these
things and q thousand other similar |
ones, and they also saw that their |
absolute sDnihilation coulI be pre-.
vented only by q resort TO similar |
agencies. They determined to fight
the devil with fire. They could do !
nothing else without the deliberate
commission of .felo de Sc. For these