The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-04-01
THE DONNELLY-WAsHBURN CASE
IN WASHINGTON.

IHE DOR NELL " w ASH Is U I'm CASE
IN WASHINGTON.
Republican journals are loaded to the
muzzle with fierce denunciations of the
action of the Election Committee of the
House, in recommending the seating of
DonnellY and the unsesting Of Wash
burn from one of the Minnesota dis
triCts. They do not go into particulars
about the Wholesale bribery by Wash
burn to secure his majority. In the en-
tire history of the American Congress,
covering nearly a century, there has
been no such exposure and proof Of bold
and unblushing bribery Of voters, as
we'll as their intimidation by employers,
as in the Washburn case. The New
York Herald, cautious and independent
in discussing such matters, refers to the
persistent efforts to PREJUDICE the case"
in the interest of Washburn and against
Donnelly, and aids:
"The facts are otherwise. Mr.. Donnelly
has presented very strong Case and
Mr.. Wsshburn has failed in the material
parts to meet it. Mr. Donnelly has pro.
we'd bribery of voters to such an extent
that the real question is no as to unseat-
ing Washburn, which even Republicans
admit must be done, bur whether Don.
nelly shall have the Sc, t, and Washburn
has failed to meet or overturn these
proofs Of bribery. The canvass seems
to have been conducted by the Repubi-
can side which showed that their mana.
gers we're determined to carry the day
by all means, and the struggle, which
was no doubt very bitter, was between
great employers of labor on the Repub-
ican side, and working men on the other.
The committee has not yet decided on
it's report and there will of course, be
two reports; but when the case gets into
the House, and other details of the can
vass are placed before the public, it will
appear that DonEelly had far stronger
and Washburn much weaker case than
the public had been led to believe
by the denunCiations which have been
made of the Democrats for presuming to
doubt Washburn's right"
No matter what may be the final re.
suit of the case, it will be a point gained
that the country is made familiar with
the political methods of "the party of
great mora ideas" in stalwart Minueso.
ia; state that for twenty years has
boldly repudiated an honest debt of mil.
lions of dollars, although abundantly
able to make provision for it. A repu.
dating and dishonored State as it is, will
not hesitate to sanction the corruption
of the great body of its voters. Some of
the testimony elected makes very inter.
estipg reading. Here are some Incl
dents tracing corruption ireCtly to
Washburn's hands:
"At precinct called Tamarack river
in which there were only four actual aet,
tIers, Wasbburn received 159 votes and |
Donnelly one vote The sum paid for |
these votes-and the men refused to
vote unless they were paid-by men
named Webster and White, who engi.
neered the matter, was between $3.50
and $l70. Webster and White were to
receive 5000 for their services; the mon
ey paid by them for votes was repaid to
White by Major Hale, tie business en-.
gineer of Washburn, eight days after the
election, by check for 1872. This check
was cashed by the paymaster of rail.
road company of which Washburn is
President. These votes, in bulk, were
paid for in Washburn's own Office by
his business manager. A man named
Shagan was paid SIS in Washburn's Office
and promised $35 more, for his vote and
influence for Washburn. The same
business manager was Washburn's agent
in the case. Bernard Cloutier, Demo.
Crat, having received $50 from a friend
and agent of Washburn, went to Wash.
burns office and asked for more money,
500. HE (Washburn's triend) vent
into the neXtroom ard commenced talk.
ing with Washburn (the sitting mem
ber). He came back and handed him
500" Without going too minutely into
the testimony, suffice it to say the bri.
berry of 96 voters is traced directly to
Washburn's Office, to his business man
ager, to his brother, or to himself. This
constitutes but small part of the testi.
mony showing bribery, but these SO ca.
ses are fastened by proof more immedi
ately upon Washburn himself than are a
majority Of the instances"
After that-wll any one say Mr.. Wash.
burn is fit to hold seat in the American
Congress2 He will compare favorably
with the Kembles of Pennsylvania as a
professor in the art of bribery and cor
ruption. 1t seems one of the favorite
plans in Minnesota of the leaders of the
party of great moral ideas," was to vote
railway laborers in the wilderness Den.
mis- Reardon testified that he was one of
a gang of more than fifty railroad hands
that voted between Middle River and
TamaraCk River. At Two Rivers the
voting place was box.car; the ballot.
box wac Candle-box there were no
tickets but Wasbburn tickets. These
fifty railroad men lived in box cars, and
we're moved forward as the work pro.
gressed. They were all paid by the rail.
road company. There were no houses
in sight at that place, and no residents
in that locality, In some instances
handCars loaded with railroad men
were stopped long enough for the trav.
elers to vote. An election precinct could
be manufactured for this purpose in
few minutes At one place in Polk Coun-
ty the testimony shows that but S5 legal
votes were cast, while 258 votes were re-
turned as cast, D. M. Robbins, of st.
Paul, railroad contractor, had l5O men
at work for him in the wilderness. Near
ly one hundred of these men went with