Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-05-07
Senator Wallace and the Free
Ballot,


Register published some remarks o
his on the subject.
On the day that the Register wa,
telling its readers about the Sena
tors speech, the Harrisburg Telegraph
was telling its readers what it know,
about the Senator's knowledge of tn,
free ballot The Telegraph tells tn,
following:
Senator Wallace has left no oppor
tunity unimproved to talk about
troops at the polls, and delight t.
linger long, in prosaic language, over
the fact that soldiers had to be called
ont in 1870 to drive Democratic ruf
fans from the ballot-boxes in Phila
delphia- Making himself so con
spicuous as a defender of pure elec
tions and an honest ballot, the inqui
" is suggested by his own blatant
professions on this subject, whether
he has always held such views. OF
whether his practices in the past have
been the reverse, and he has only Sc
cured the ground he now occupies in
4 kind of squatter sovereignty way
which he now hopes to cultivate for
partisan purposes.
We need but to go the record to
show that Senator Wallace has made
his mark in the ballot In ways that
are dark, and that to subserve his
party he WAS ready, when the occa.
sion demanded it, to adopt any means
TO insure its success.
In 1865 a contest for seat as Sen
atOr took place between Samuel J.
Shugart and Colonel John X. Robi-
son, Of the Twenty-frst district, Rob
ison contesing Shugart's seat Sen
ator Wallace was the champion OF
Senator Shugart, quietly managing
his case, conducting the defense, and,
OF course, responsible for the policy
adopted to retain Shugart in his seat.
And what was that policy? During
the course OF the examination it was
discovered that AIr. Shugart's friends
had offered bribe to the witness by
whom their frauds were afterwards
fully proven, to leave the State. The
overtures were made to this witness
by priest, Father Tracy, who swore
before the investigating committee
that he had had correspondence with
Mr.. Wallace on the subject of the
witness leaving the State. Did Sen
ator Wallace repulse the criminal
offer7 Did he take the high ground
then, in regard to parity of elections,
that he presumes to occupy now
Not exactly. The pure and immacu
late Wallace, now SO lofty in his de
sire for an honest ballot, then had
but one thought, namely, to cover up
the frauds by which Shugart secured
his credentials at the least possible
cost. For when Father Tracy offered
the witness FIVE hundred dollars tC
leave the State. and the witness was
demurring, demanding two thousand
dollars, the testimony shows that
Father Tracy consulted with Mr..
Wallace, and reported that he (Mr
Wallace) thought the witness ought
t. be satisfied with one hundred dol
lars per month. He did not repulse
the offer of aid BY secreting a CHIEF
witness for the contestant To that
he was entirely willing to consent. II
suited him exactly to keep Demo
crat in his seat IN the State Senate
by fraud. but he higgled about the
pay. 1t was above his pile. Two
thousand dollars, Clearfield county
would disown him if he was known
to pay such high prices for fraud! II
was too much. Things of that kind
were done on a cheaper scale IN that
section, and he therefore offered the
witness 500 per month for an alb
sence of three months, in which time
AIr. Shugart could be made sure oi
his seat. Fortunately, while Wallace
was thus chaffering for cheap piece
of fraud, the right triumphed The
coffee-colored naturalization paper:
on which Shugart had managed tC
secure his election were exposed
Colonel Robisons case was clearly
established, and thus Senator Wal
lace, not by any adherence for fraud
not by virtuous repulse of br1be
seeker, but by cheapening of brlbe
seekers pay, lost his game of fraud
and has ever since been stigmatized
on the subject of coffee-colored nat
uralization papers.
Here is an incident in the life Of
Senator Wallace which vividly illus
trates his early career as a Demo
cratic leader, and which gave tone
and temper to his course as polItl
clan. The case of Robson VS.. Shu
CART, which brought out this fact, re
vealed the internal workings of the
Democratic party as Wallace man
aged it, and laid down its actions al
the polls. 1t was shown that the
proposition to bribe was calmly re
ceived and deliberately considered by
Senator Wallace. Shugart had nj
case, except as his friends We're abl'
to deprive the contestant of his wit
nesses. A plan to do this was sub
mitted to Senator Wallace He con
sidered and approved it, but declined
TO accede to its cost. And yet this
is the man who now has the effront
cry to ask the United States Senat'
to appoint him at the head of a com
mittee to look for fraud on the bal
lot-box, rs he charges the Republi
cans have committed such crimes
Truly the height of impudence cal
never be located as long as such po
Itical audacity has room to show it
pretensions-
Last Thursday, Minich, the well-digger
had reached the distance of so feet in tn
vel at East Point, and was in high hopes o
soon finishing the job, as there were fee
of water in the hole; but, most unfortu
nately Just then, when the crystal water
were reached, the bit of the drill broke of
and of course could not be got out of tn