The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-03-25
A State Wanted.
(Phil'a Press.)

(Phii'a Press.)
There was good deal of curiosity
on the part of the public to know the
grounds on which Mr.. Washburn,
representative from the Third district
of Minnesota, was to be unseated, and
Mr.. Ignatius Donnelly put in his
place. An abstract of the report of
the majority of the House Committee
on Elections Is published in to-day's
Press. Numerous cases of bribery are
mentioned, but without the testimony
on which they are founded, no one
can judge as to whether they
are worthy Of consideration or not.
Money is disbursed in every Congress
ional district in the United States for
campaign purposes. If the members
of the committe who Investigated this
case were put on oath each of them
would be obliged to confess that he
spent from 81, 900 to $4,000 to secure
his election. Nevertheless, he would
warmly deny that he had ever
attempted to bribe a voter. Mr..
Washburn's disbursements may have
been entirely legitimate and proper.
AS for the pretense that voters were
intimidated in the city of Minneapolis,
it is simply ridiculous. Because there
was large falling off in the Demo.
cratic vote the inference is drawn
that the working men were afraid to
vote for Mr.. Donneliy and did not
vote at all. The majority of the
committee virtually asks that the
seat be awarded to Mr.. Donneily he.
cause 5000 Democrats did not come to
the polls. 1t never occurred to the
committee that these missing Demo-
Gratis remained at home because they
did not want to vote for the Green
back candidate. Ignatius Donnelly
was formerly citizen of Pennsylva-
MIA, and more than three thousand
Democrats could be found in the dis
trict in which he resided who would
not vote for him under any circum-
stances.
Mr.. Washburn was elected by 3,Ol2
majority. Conceding all that the
committee charge with regard to the
polling Of illegal votes, and throwing
out all the votes alleged to have been
illegal, or to have been procured by
improper influences, and he still has
large majority left. 1t is impossible
for the committee to measure the effect
of the alleged intimidation conse-
quently if there is any doubt as to
the result new election should be
ordered.
This is the first attempt that has
been made to give effect to votes which
were not cast since the Louisiana cleo
tiOn of 1874. 1t will be remembered
that the Returning Board, in canvass
ing the returns of that election,
counted as ballots the afiidavits of a
number of voters whom the bulldo-
zers kept away from the polls. The
Wheeler Investigating committee cen
sured this action of the Returning
Board, and the Democratic editors
have been referring to it ever since as
piece of unparalleled viliainy. The
majority of the House committee now
report in favor of counting the votes
of alleged intimidated persons with.
out either the ballots or the affidavits,
in fact, without undertaking ia
mention q single person who com.
planned Of being afraid to vote.
Every intelligent citizen of the
United States knows why this contest
was made and why the majority ot
the House Committee on Election,
has reported in favor of the seating
of Donnelly. Should the election
of president be thrown into the
House of Representatives the vot,
will be taken by States, eacl
State casting one vote. and the ma
jority of the Representatives frou
each State will determine how thu
vote is to be cast. With Minnesots
the Republicans have majority o
the States and would elect the Repub
lican candidate for president. b,
securing Mr.. Donnelly, tile vote o
Minnesota will be given to the Dem
ocratic candidate. The Rev. Gilber
De La Matyr, who holds the balanc
of power In the Indiana delegation
will then have the casting vote. Tn
Democrats feel tOlerable sure thet MI
De La Matyr will not fail them
Having secured Florldy by excluding
the legally elected Representative, al
that yet remains to be done is to max
sure of Minnesota, and then the cor
tingency of an election of presiden
, by the House will be fully provide
for.