Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-03-19

was not confined to any portion of the dis
trict, or to any one town or county, but tina
it extended throughout a region of countr.
nearly four hundred miles long and one hun
dred miles wide; and they further find tina
in many cases the bribery has been tracet
home directly to Mr.. Washburn himself
The committee give herewith an abstract O
T the testimony in some of these cases.
Charles Berens, a Democrat, the postmaster
of the village of North Prairie, Morrison
county, Situated about one hundred miles
from Minneapolis, testi6es, Up. 300, printed
testimony that prior to the election of Nov
5, 1873, he wrote and mailed letter DIRECT
LY TO THE SITTING MEMBER, WAsHBURN, II
which he said he would give his support al
the election to him, Washburn, for $50. This
letter evidently reached the sitting member
for Berens testifes that he received letter
in reply to it from Keith, the postmaster at
Minneapolis, a political friend of the sitting
member, in which Keith said, she was glad
that Berens would work that way; he, Keith,
further stated that he would give Berens' let
ter to j. V. Brewer, one of the Republican
United States land officers at st. Cloud, and
that Brewer would attend to the matter. j.
V. Brewer testifes, Up. 24G), "Charles Ber-
ems wrote letter to Minneapolis demand
ing $50, for which he was to support Gen
eral Washburn, (the sitting member); the
letter was sent to me by some one IN
connection with the campaign; l
can't say whether by the
committee, or By General Washburn, or by
some one for Them Brewer admits the re-
ceipt of $50 from Washburn or his commit
tee, and may have got more. Berens p. 3OOI
and Brewer LIP. 256l both agree that Brewer
visited North Prairie, Morrison county, and
called on Berens; Berens says: "Brower
said 1 should work for Washburn and he
would see me all right" He says Brewer
did not pay him any money because he,
Brewer, did not trust him--he thought he
was supporting Donnelly. Brewer testifes
81 advised General Washburn, the sitting
member or some one for him, after l had
been advised that no arrangements of that
character could be entered into" that is, the
purchase of Berens' support for $50 cor
words to that effect, that he should not enter
into such arrangements with Charles Berens,
or anyone else."
Here it is clearly established that there
was a negotiation between a Democratic
voter and MIR. Washburn, the sitting men,
Der, the one to sell his vote for his vote is
implied in his Support for $50, and the
~ ;a Gov
Washburn by Keith, his friend; the propo-
sition is accepted with thanks, and the letter
is delivered to federal official who goes
with tho letter and with Washburn's
money, or the money of Washburns COM
mittee, in his pocket, to see the party and
consummate the transaction. 1t is of no
moment that Berens finally declined to re-
ceive the money. The otfense of bribery
was complete when one party offered to sell
his vote and the other agreed to buy it. Sec
Russell on Crimes, vol. 1, p. 1853; Hardings
VS.. Stokes, l NJ q w., 233. Brewer re-
ports to Washburn, or some one for HIM,
that the arrangement could not be en-
tered into.
There is no denial of this testimony and
no attempt to impeach Berens or Brewer.
If Washburn had not been ready to use
money to corrupt the voters of his district he
would have resented the proposition made to
him by Berens as an insult; on the contrary,
he appears to have been as ready to buy Be-
rens'. vote as Berens- was to sell it. That
Brewer was Washburn's agent clearly ap-
pears; and when Brewer told Berens that he
should work for Washburn and he (Brower)
would "see him all right" it was in effect the
same as if Washburn himself had spoken
those words. In short, rs Keith and Brewer
simply acted as agents for Mashburn, the
transaction may be thus briefly stated:
/. Berens tells Washburn he will sell him
his vote for $50;
3. Washburn thanks him and tells him to
90 ahead and it will be all right.
VOTE OF KITTsoN COUNTY.
There is in the third Congressional dis
trict of Minnesota an unorganized county
named Kittson, situated in the northwestern
corner of the State, and adjoining the line
of the British possessions; it is more than
400 miles from Minneapolis. In the fall of
1873 this county was wilderness; there
were probably, as appears from the testimo-
ny, not ten actual settlers in thu entire coun-
ty, (see PIP. 125-14D. Between the Sth and
the 10th October, 1873, Up. 1859, two men,
named Arthur j. White and u. p. Webster,
entered into a contract with the st. Paul &
Pacific railroad company, which was then
constructing railroad through said county,
to get 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 Minneapolis.
and proceeded to Kittson county to cut this
cord wood. The men so hired were princi-
pally harvest hands and tramps who had not
been IN the State long enough to vote; they
were in Kittson county for temporary pur
pose, and were therefore not entitled under
| tho laws of Minnesota; see Rev. Stata Mimi,
sec. IS, p. &C, the county was unorganized
and the election precincts were established
in the county ten days before tho election,
by the governor, without authority of law,
and were thereforeiegally not election pre-
cincis; there were no registration lists at the
polling places; the voting took place in rail
road depots or in railroad cars; there were
no proper ballot-boxes, cigar boxes and
candle boxes without looks and keys, as re-
quired by law, being used as ballot boxes;
the judges were not sworn, and, in short, al
most all the requirements of the laws of the
State for the holding of elections were ig
nored.
! At one of these precincts, to-wit, Tama-
rack River, these eighty or ninety wood
choppers, hired by Webster and White,
voted. There were only four actual settlers,
Up. 1867 in the precinct; and these alone
were presumably entitled to vote. The vote
cast was 100 for Washburn and for Don
nelly. The testimony Of George G. Morton
(p. 1850, John Mulvey Up. 120), Arthur j.
White (p 305), and L. p. Webster Up. 800
shows that these eighty or ninety wood
choppers were urged and requested by Web
ster and White, the wood contractors, to vote
for Washburn; they we're told that if they
voted for Washburn they would be paid, Up.
1861 from $1.65 to 1920 each for their
-.Ion. 4baxr did uofa and fhau voted for.