Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-09-11

Summary Of Facts Proved by Testimony
Taken Before the Wallace In
restigating Committee.
EVIDENCE OF INTIMIDATION BY RE-
PUBLICAN EMPLOYERS.
As Practiced In Massachusetts.

The senatorial investigating commit.
tee, of which Senator Wallace is chair.
man, has now been through its work
some days. Its departure from the
State was the signal for all the Republi.
can papers of the State, without excep-
tion so far as we have observed, to be.
gin an attempt TO belittle the results of
its work. With suspicious unanimity
they all, with one accord. assert that
the investigation amounted to nothing
that no proof was elected sufficient To
sustain the charge made last year that
civilized bulldozing and intimidation
were practiced in this State, that those
charges were campaign slanders and
still improved. That the people of this
State may see how barefaced are these
Republican falsehoods, and that they
may be able to judge for themselves as
to the facts, we present herewith n con.
densed summary of the evidence taken,
showing exactly what was proven and
by what evidence. The investigation
began on the nth day of August.
United States Commissioner lIallett was
the first witness called. The substan.
tial points of his testimony were rs fol.
lows: Chief supervisor of elections the
list of voters prepared and pasted at
the polls was the evidence OF mans
right to vote in this city found that
many men whose names appeared on
the voting list were foreigners who had
no part in having their names so pub.
lished, and in such cases those persons
were not molested it was only where
persons had illegally registered them.
selves or impersonated Others at the
polls that they were arrested twenty
warrants were executed on the morning
of the State election in 1878. Commis-
sioner Hallett told of the verbal in.
structions to the deputies in each ward
of the city, and of his cautIoning those
who were not entitled to vote prior to
election that they would be arrested in
case they attempted to use their ballots.
Witness had taken his authority in
some cases from the State laws, and in
Others from the Federal laws. The in.
functions against voting because of the
reading and writing defect were, of
course, based on the former class Of
laws. Nine hundred names which were
on the voting list in 1873
WERE MARKED FOR CHALLENGE.
on the day of election at the polls.
The persons who were subject to arrest
were not notified of the liability until
the voting time, because there was doubt
as to their voting and while no honest
voter could be deferred from casting
his ballot, the arrest Of those who were
suspected OF wrong prior to election
would have caused trouble and served
no better end than that attained by the
means used. Witness didn't keep COM
plete lists Of those whose names were
open 20 question, but when they refused
TO answer questions put to them by the
deputy marshals at their residences or
places Of business they were arrested.
lie had issued in all 100 warrants. One
OF these was for false impersonation, or
procuring naturalization under false
pretences, eighteen for refusing to an.
swer deputies questions, FIVE for illegal
voting, and fifteen for false registration.
The day of election twenty arrests were
made, and of the entire l69 warrants
procured 1870 were issued on election
day. These were sworn out by the As.
sistant United States attorney, and the
information on which this was done
was gathered from the supervisors and
deputy marshals. Witness testified to
the good character of the majority of
the supervisors.
THEY WERE PAID
under order of Judge Lowell by the
marshals, and about thirty-four received
full compensation for ten days service,
there being fifteen or seventeen places
of registry open in Boston ten days be-
fore election. Witness then produced
his accounts, showing his bill to be g.
726.49 for services as chief supervisor,
including $500 or 5000 for clerk hire.
lie expressed decided opinion that
there were from $500 to 5000 names on
the list OF Boston city voters which
ought not to be there. Witness ac
knowledged that by his Interpretation
of the law a man voting for State officers
only, and yet not being entitled to vote
according TO the Federal law in PresI.
dental election, would be liable to ar.
rest, and partially admitted that Fed.
eral interference was not essential to q
free and fair election in Massachusetts,.
TX. Mayor Wightman testified further
n TO the charges that names OF men
not entitled to vote are on the voting
list. As chairman Of the board OF regis.
trars of voters, in the campaign of 1873
the Young Republicans established
what they called a bureau of inspection,
a volunteer organization, to investigate
the voting list, and aid in purging IL of
names Which we're not properly record.
ed. They made twenty.nine complaints
during the campaign, but all the appa.
rent discrepancies were explained and
shown 10 be right, save one OF two
names, which really we're not those Of
legal voters. Witness explained delib.
erately and lucidly the intricate details
of the mode OF ascertaining with accu.
raey the list of qualified voters, and
claimed that the Boston system was
a. efficient As any in the State. OF the
500 names that came from the super.
visors 10 the board Of registrars ques.
toned, less than 100 were men upon
whom just suspicion could rest. The
board at present consisted of one Demo.
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