Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-02

MIR. WashburD, by his friends and by member
of his district committee and by personal, pc
litical and business agents. That this briber,
was not confined to any portion of tn
district or to any one town or county
bat that it extended throughout a region o
country, nearly 400 miles long and 100 mile
wide. And they further find that in man,
cases the bribery has been traced home directly
to MIR. Washburn himself" (Applause.)
This, fellow citizens, is the plaster,
that the house of representatives of the United
States, speaking through the mouth of a ma
jority of their committees of elections, hav,
applied on the back Of VIM. ID. Washburn. Zap
plause and laughter. Then the committee gC
on TO give number of cases. The first cas-,
given is as follows:
Charles Berens, Democrat, the postmaster
OF the village of North Prairie Morrison
county, about 100 miles from Minneapolis
testihes (page 800 of the testimony that
prior to the election of November 9TH, 1878
he wrote and mailed letter directly to the
sitting member, Washburn, in which he said
he would give his support at the election to
him (Washburn) for $50.
SIN now reading the report of the commit
tee. This letter evidently reached the sitting
member. for Berens testified, in reply to il
from Keith, the postmaster at Minneapolis, a
political friend of the sitting mem
ber, in which Keith said he
was glad that Berens would work that way,
Berems letter to j. V. Brewer, one of the
Republican United States land officers at St.
Cloud, and that Brewer would attend to the
matter.
j. Y. Brewer testifes page 246 Charles
| Berens wrote letter to Minneapolis, demand
ing S50, TO, which he was to support Gen. Wash
| burn (the sitting member). The letter was
sent to me by some one in connection with the
campaign: l can't say whether by the commit
tee or by Gen. WGSRlbalTl, or by someone for
them" Brewer admits the receipt OF $50 for
his committee and may have got more.
Berens, page 500, and Brewer 246. Both
agree that Brewer visited North Prairie,
Bereus says: "Brower said should work for
/ Washburn and he would see me all right. He
says Brewer did not pay him any money be.
t cause he [Brower) did not trust him, he thought
he was supporting Donnelly."
Here, says the committee. 'it was clearly
established that there was negotiation be-
tween Democratic elector and Mr.. Washburn,
the sitting member, the one
to sell his vote for fifty dollars,
and the other to buy it. The letter is answered
for Wgshburn by Keith, his friend; the prope-
sition is accepted with thanks, and the letter is
delivered to federal official, who goes with
the letter and Washbnrn's money, or the mo-
ney of Washburn's committee, in his pocket to
see the party and consummate the transaction.
1t is of no moment that Behrens finally de-
clined to receive the money. The offense of
bribery was complete, when one party offered
to sell his vote and the other agreed t. buy it,
So much for one case. Now there are three
hundred and four such cases in this testimony;
two hundred and ninety-one Of them the COM
mittee find where the money was paid and
the vote delivered, and thirteen mo,e where
the money was paid, but where the party
claimed he did not vote for Washburn. (Ap-
p!ause.)
Now let me throw u little more light Oh this
transaction. l read again from the committee
report: There is in the Third Congressional
district of Minnesota an unorganized county
named Kittson, (named after one of the most
honorable citizens of our State) situated in the
northwestern corner Of the State and adjoining
tee British possessions. 1t is more than 400
miles from Minneapolis. In the fall Of 1878
this county was q wilderness; there were prob
ably, as appears from the testimony. not ten
actual settlers in the entire county. Between
the 8th and 10th of October, 1878, two men
named Arthur ]. White and E. p. Webster
entered into contract with the
St. Paul 4 Pacific railroad company
which was then constructing railroad through
said county to get our cord wood for the use of
the railroad company. Between the dates
named they collected together some eighty or
ninety wood choppers in the city of Minneap-
oils and proceeded to Kittson county to cut
this cord wood. The men 30 hired were prin-
cipally harvest hands and tramps who had not
been in the State long enough to vote; they
were in Kittson county for q temporary pur-
pose and were, therefore, not entitled to vote |
under the laws of Minnesota. The county was
organized and the election precincts were es-
tablished in the county ten days before the |
election, by the governor, without
authority of law, and Were, there
fore, legally not election precincts.
There were no registry lists at the polling
MI hp tfnk - 4
pots or in railroad cars. There were no proper
ballot boxes, cigar boxes and candle 5ores,
1pihoat locks and Keys as required 6y la,u being
used as ballot boxes; the judges were not
sworn, and, in short almost all the require
ments of the law of the State for holding of
elections were ignored. At one of these
precincts, to-wit; Tamarack river
these eighty or ninety wood choppers, hiced by
Webster, & White, voted. There were only |
four actual settlers in the precinct, and these
alone were presumably entitled to vote. The |
vote cast was 100 for Washburn and one for
Donnelly. Laughter and appiause.) The |
testimony of Geo. @. Morton, John MuIvey, |
Arthur j. White, and Z. p. Webster shows that |
these eighty or ninety wood choppers we're |
nrged and requested by Webster & White, the |
wood contractors, t. vote for Washburn. They |
were told that if they voted for Washbnrr |
they would be paid from S1.65 to So 20 each
for their votes; they did vote and they voted |
for Washburn. and they were SO paid; and thea
refused to Vote at all uness they acre paid. The
total sum paid by Webster & White, to these
men, for their votes. was $3.50 or S170. It
further appears by the admission OF Webster. |
that the contractors expected to be repaid this
money, SO paid out for these votes'
Now let US see whether that money ever was
repaid. 'George C. Morton testifes Page 1867
that White teld him in the presence of Web
ster that they, Webster and White,
were to get $500 for their services
at the election, in behalf of Washburn. The
money paid out by them for votes was repaid
to White, one of the irm by Major Hale of
minneapolis, the business manager of the |
contestee, Washburn, eight days after election, |
by check for 1882, and the check was cashed |
for White by one George B. Webster, the pay
master of the Minneapolis & st. Louis rail- |
road company, of which the contestee was and
is president. White admits that he was re-
paid the sum of $l68 or $172, being the
money SO paid for those eighty or ninety votes,
by said George B. Webster, paymaster of con-
testees railroad company"
Take another case: Emil Shagren, Swede.
Greenbacker, laboring man, resided at the
date of the election in question at Minneapolis.
Mimi. Re was an active supporter of the con-
testant, Donnelly, and had been dcleeate to
the Greenback Congressional convention.
Abont the 10Th of October 1873 a friend OF
Washburn, named VIM. Chase, urged him to 90
to Washburn's office to see Major Hale.
his business manager (the same person who paid
for the eighty or ninety bribed voters at Tamma-
rack river). Because Major Hale would con.
vince him that he would vote for Washburn.
Shagren declined to go. The invitation was
several times repeated. At length shagren
went to Washburn's office. He was met bv
Major Hale, who was evidently prepared for the
interview. Hale commenced by asking him if
he wanted greenbacks. He (Hale) then re-
ferred to the fact that Shsgren had been dele.
gate to the Greenback convention and was q
supporter of contestant (Donnelly). Hale
told him that he would see that he lShaeren1
voted for Washburn. This ended the first in.
terview with Hale. Soon after Shagren got
out of work. Chase again urged him to see
Hale. and he (Hale) would give him "a iob;"
and he gave him sanlad