Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-03-25
THE BRIBE GIVER.
A Clear and Forclble Review by an Inn
partial Observer.
ICincinnati Enquirer.


ICincinnati Enquirer.
DO7nelIy rs. WashbMrn.
Minnesota sends three members to the
House of Representatives. One at present
is Republican, one Democrat, and the
seat of the third is contested, Mr.. VIM. D.
Washburn, Republican, being the sitting
member. Should the eleetion of the next
President be thrown into the House, when
each State would have one vote, that vote to
be determined by majority of its delega-
ton in the House. Mr.. Dunnell, Republican,
and Mr.. Washburn, Republican, or Mr..
Poehler, Democrat, and Mr.. Donnelly, Dem
ocrat, are to cast that vote. Republicans In
and in Congress and elsewhere
are charging that the Democrats, by con-
testing the seat of Mr.. Washburn, are en-
deavoring to secure the vote of Minnesota
in order to have it in readiness for such an
emergency. They charge Democrats with
the intent to steal a Minnesota
vote in the House. The charge
comes with ill. grace from the men
who stole the present Presidency; but what
are. the facts? What have the Republicans
done in Minnesota to secure the vote of that
State in the House of Representatives? How
did Mr.. Washburn, sitting member, obtain
his seat? This question shonld be answered
by the facts before determining which party
has been attempting to steal Minnesota.
The committee of elections of the House
have had this question under careful advise
ment. They find that bribery was commit
ted on behalf of the sitting member, MIR.
Washburn, by his friends, by members of
his district committee, and by personal, po-
litical and business agents; that this bribery
was not confined to any portion of the dis
trict, or to any one town or county, but that
it extended throughout region of country
nearly four hundred miles long and one hun
dred miles wide; and they further find that
in many cases the bribery has been traced
home directly to Mr.. Washburn himself.
They point to sworn testimony sustaining
the findings. In one unorganiZed
county, without election precincts, or bal
lot boxes, or registration lists, or judges, or
polls, and with fewer than ten settlers,
Washburn had handsome vote. In one al
legged precinct of this county, in which there
were only four actual settlers, Washburn re-
ceived 100 votes and Donnelly L, the WASH
burn voters generally receiving from $1.65
to 1920 each for their votes, refusing to
vote unless they were paid. These pay
ments are abundantly proved, and were
made in Washburn's Office by his business
manager. At Crookston, Polk county, the
testimony shows that only IS legal votes
we're cast, while 285 votes were returned as
cast. The evidence is explicit in each case.
Two hundred and ninety-one were proved
| to have been bribed, voted for Waseburn,
while brides are proved to have been offered
| to 3O4 others who claim to have voted for
Donnelly.
In st. Paul and Minneapolis thousands OF
dollars were spent for purposes of corruption.
The showing is shocking, in view of the fact
that bribery is so difficult of detection. Up
on this point alone Mr.. Washburn is not en-
titled to seat in the House; for bribery Wit
iates the election, even thong majority of
unbribed voters remain.
But the case does not rest here. Intimi-
dation and coercion were reduced to sys-
tenn by Mr.. Washburn and his friends. The
employers of labor in Minneapolis united to
raise money to buy or force votes for WASH
burn. In seven precincts of Minneapolis
the Judges of election placed number on
the back of each ballot to correspond with
the humber of the voter on the poll list
Early in 1873 the legislature of Minnesota had
names of St. Paul and Minneapolis the ballots
should be numbered. At the first election
following the spring election action was
brought to test the constitutionality of the
law in the district court of Ramsey county
in which st. Paul is situate. The court pro-
nounced the law unconstitutional, and this
decision was sfterward affirmed by the gu
preme court. The supreme court say:
tot, NIT To
mum boring of tickets above quoted clearly in.
terferes with and violates the voters constitu-
tional privilege of secrecy. It is, therefore, az
unconstitutional provision. The voter cannot
be required to submit to its application the
| ticket offered by him. The defend
ants demurrer was properly overruled, and the
order overruling the same is accordingly af
| irmed."
This last decision was subsequent to the
| Congressional election; but while statute
may not be retroactive q judicial decision
necessarily is, in most cases, retroactive, and
this decision was that ballot so numbered
was not ballot in the eye of the Constitu-
ton of Minnesota. If these were not bal
lots clearly they should not be counted as
ballots. The judges of election of st. Paul
met on the day before the election, took
counsel of the law officer of the city, anG
/ UcCluoO uOt " AunU04 eAO O0uOto, OSOA4 eAAS
counsel who had defended the law before the
district court in vain, uniting in giving the
advice not to number the ballots. For wha
reason, if there was no danger that they
would not be counted if numbered? A sim
liar meeting of election judges was held il
Minneapolis, the city attorney gave similar
advice,and three judges likewise voted not te
number the ballots, these being the only
two cities to which the law applied. In spite
of the decision of the district court of Ram
sey county, the opinion of the attorney gen
eral of the State, that of the attorney o.
Ramsey county, that of the city attorney Of
st. Paul, and that of the city attorney Of
Minneapolis pronouncing the number
ing of the ballots unconstitutional bal
lots were numbered in seven precincts il
Minneapolis. Of course, this could only
have been done with the intent to prevent {
free and fair election. 1t is in evidence tina
large numbers of workmen did not vote, fol
fear of losing their places. In 1876 the Til
den vote in Minneapolis was 3,743. Will
the known increase of the population Of
Minneapolis, the Democratic vote of 1875
should have been 1858. But Mr.. DonnellJ
received only 1866 votes in Minneapolis, q
falling off of 3,002 votes. It appears thai
about 1900 Democratic voters in Minneapo.
lie did MT vofa in Novopohar 1879