The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-04-09
.he Ssntfmel.
WEDNESDAY,. APRIL 9.
sEKcEANr-AT-ARMs r. J. BRIGHT.

WEDNESDAY. APRIL Q.
sEKGEANr-Ar-ARMs 3. J. BRIGHT.
For some time past the papers haye teemed
with the old SANDER manufactured for par
tisan purposes against r. ]. Bright, who was
incontrovertacly shown to be innocent OF all
wrong-dolng. The following letter from
Senator Mcdonald, (which comes to Us by
due course of mail, settles the question::
UsrrEp STATES SENATE GHAM ,s1a'
WASHINGTON, April z, 1879. }
The nomination and election of Mr.. R. J.
Bright as sergeant-at-arms of the Senate of the
United states having revived in some of the
partisan press of the country the stale SANDER
in regard to his action as public printer In In
diana, and garbled and false statement of the
judicial investigations having appeared in GER
tain leading journals, including the
Inter Ocean of Chicago. it is due
to the public, as one of his
counsel then and one of his senatorial friends
now, should make a brief reference to the
facts outof which this SANDER originated. The
suit and prosecutions referred to in these pub
LEGATIONS were instigated through bitter parti-
san feeling, engendered in a newspaper con-
troversy between the indianapolis Sentinel
and Journal-the former being the Democratic
organ, then owned by Mr.. Bright, and the lat
ter being the Republican organ-and were
grounded ron MI. Bright's action as State
printer in the purchase of paper for the use of
the State, in which Mr.. Bright had followed the
usage that had obtained and been practicsd
for more than ten years before he came into
office.
The first trial upon the indictment, owing to
the extreme partisan feeling that had been
engendered and the partisan character OF the
jury, without an examination of the State
printers books and accounts, resulted in a
disagreement. The second trial, which fol-
lowed as soon as the defendant could obtain
1t, when the books and accounts of the State
printer were brought into court, and ct his
request and with his concurrence were fully
examined, resulted in his immediate acquittal.
The following letter of the Hon. A. &. Porter
refers to the last named trial:
Hon. j. E. Mcdonald:
MY DEAR SIR-I remem Der very well the
case of the State against Richard j. Bright, in
and you for the defendant. The case was tried
upon its merits, and a verdict rendered, after
ant. Mr.. Bright, according to my recollection,
met the case boldly, and did not strive to
withhold anything that i WonIa th row n ga
make good impression in favor of Mr.. Bright.
! can say frankly Of Mr. Bright that he has
Yours very truly, A. G. PORTER.
In the meantime a civil action had been
brought against MI. Bright to recover the
amount charged by him for the State paper.
Colonel Norman Eddy, Democratic secretary
of state, held that tine state printer was the
legal custodian of the State paper. He died
suddenly in January, 1872, pending these suits.
Hon. Conrad Baker, Republican governor of
the State, appointed Colonel Farquer,a leading
Republican, to succeed Mr.. Eddy. Then, on
consultation with the governor, it was decided
that the secretary of state, and not the state
printer, was the legal custodian of the paper.
On receiving notice to that effect, the state
printer rendered all of the State paper to the
secretary, and after it had been examined and
counted by disinterested experts, selected by
the secretary. and found to be correct, it was
received by HIM; and thereupon, by the advice
of the governor, the secretary of state ordered
the civil suit to be dismissed without cost to
Mr.. Bright, This ended the judicial proceed
ings.
The prosecution closed in February, 1872. In
March, 1872, upon the first settlement of ac-
counts between MIR. Bright and the State, the
latter paid the former s9,555.5O, the State
record shows, part Of said amount being due
when the proceedings against him we're in
st1tuted, and the balance having accrued dur
ing the tendency of the suits. These facts are
in my knowledge, because was OF counsel for
Mr.. Bright from the beginning of the suits to
their ending.
At the succeeding Legislature, it being Re-
publican, the accounts of Mr.. Bright state
printer were fully investigated. and he was ex-
onerated, and the action of the jury and the
State officials, fully justified and approved.
Since that time no resident of Indiana of any
responsibility, SO far asI know, has ever at
tIibuted to him nSthing wrong in connect
ion with these matters. Last year Mr.. Bright
was candidate for sheriff of Marion county the
most desirable office in the State, and although
there were several popular candidates for the
nomination, he was nominated almost by ac-
clamation. In the canvass an effort was made
to revive this same old SANDER, and notwith-
standing he was opposed by one of the most
popular men in the Republican party, who
was a candidate for reelection, ana who had
the aid not only of his party organization,
but the power and influence of the office, Mr..
Bright ran about 700 votes ahead of his party.
In his late canvass for the Office of sergeant-at-
arms, he had not only the hearty support of
my colleague and myself, but of every Repre-
sentative in Congress from Indiana, both Re-
publicans and Democrats. Very truly,
NIcD0NAT.n