National Republican., 1880-03-22
CURRENT CAPITAL TOPICS.
Reports on the Donnelly-Washburn
Election Case.
A Revolutionary Movement Hitherto Unat.
tompted-A Companion Piece to the
Cipher Dispatches and the GarJelon
steal-Senator Vest aud the Mis-
souri, Press-Tho Hill Scan
dal-Fitzsimmons' Case,
Mr.. Manning's Revolutionary Purposes.

Mr.. Manning's Revolutionary Purposes.
Tho majority and minority reports of the
House subcommittee on Elections, having in
charge the DcVnelly- -Washburn casc having
finally been put into impershable print, tho
public is enabled to sec the onormity OF the
outrage in all its glaring details The Demo-
Gratis on this committee have allow cd them
selves to be captured, body aud breeches, by
the lying, willy Donnelly. His brief has been
included almost verbatim In their report. They
have adopted his conclusions made his per-
sonal grudgo against Mr.. Washburn their own,
and degraded the functions of committee
charged with ascertaining the voice OF the
people in an election to not only the most par
tisan, but the most corrupt use OF which they
were capable. The country is pretty we'll in.
formed already MS to the main facts which tho
Democrats meet In their attempt to unsoat
Washburn aud tho political desperation which
impels them to carry out their revolutionary
purpose.
The minority report in Mr.. Washburu's be.
half Is most thorough analysis Of the facts
involved and clear presentation of the law.
The character of the so called evidence pre-
scuted OH the subject Of bribery is thus
stated:
"The evidence shows, ir it shows anything,
simply that the friends OF the contestant and
contestce both used money to poll the district,
and to provide means for getting to the polls
voters VINO WcTt lCuOJC lTull tUC pOlllHE
places, and who were often without convey
ances of their own in which to travel to tho
polls on election day. Money was undoubtedly
spent to pay cauvasscrs before the election,
and in some instances men were employed az
the polls to hold tickets for the respective par
tics. The district is u very large one in point
of population and in extent of territory, aud,
in consequence of this greater effort was ro-
1uircd to get out full vote. Some money
was also expended to pay speakers to go over
the district The committee Is not prepared
to say that such use Of money is entirely lilo
gitmate. 1t is very common, IL not universal,
in all contested elections throughout the
United States for candidates and their friends
to use such means TO secure votes. Presi-
dental elections are not exceptions in this re-
spcct. -
"Members of the committee rely very much
upon the flct that the sitting member was not
willing to dignity the case ofthe contestant by
calling witnesses to disprove the alleged testl-
mony offered by him. 1t is sufficient
answer to this TO say that there is very little
in any of the testimony offered by the contest
ant, for the purpose of proving bribery, that
is in any sense worthy of being mot by any
testimony, oven though it could be regarded MS
competent testimony. reading of the tcsti-
mony of the several witnesses will show in
most, If not all, tho cases thatit proves nothing
that is worthy of answer The witnesses
| fact that they were disappointed parties who
desired TO be bribed by being paid large sums
of money, which they were disappointed in
not obtaining and who afterwards swOre that
| they voted for Donnelly."
| There was absolutely not word Of evidence
tending even indirectly to connect Wushburn
with O dollar of the expenditure admitted
above as legitimate, although there is no
doubt that he paid his proportion of the ex-
pcnses of tho camnaign.
Tho minority report takes up the unpre-
| Cedentedly large vote which Mr.. WaShburn ro'
covod in his own city of Minneapolis, upon
which the contestant ptilully rests claim of
| intimidation by numbering of the ballots OF
worltingmen, and shows that it grew ont of
the rivalry existing between Minneapolis and
St. Paul. There is not an iota Of testimony in
the whole record which shows that ono OF the
workingmen of that city was influenced .y
reason of the ballots being numbered. But for
the officers of election the fact that the ballots
were numbered could hardly have been
proved. There is no truth In the statement
| that the workingmen resided in the precincts
where the ballots were numbered. The record
| furnishes no such evidence. 1t is hardly
proper to refer to the fact that tho contestant
| in his desperation does make such n statement
| in his brief. But in the argument before the
subcommittee this was emphatically denied,
and il is still denied on the authority of per-
| sons lbbllluB III bIht CibN, lHt mayor
and others, who have forwarded aliidavits 10
show that such unsupported statements were
wholly untrue.
The arbitrary and flasrantly Illegal prop,
osition Of Donnelly to throw out the votes
properly cast and returned, and canvassed by
| local aud S ate officers of certain counties, ap-
parontly for no earthly object save to give
tho m iorities Wushburn received 10 his op-
ponont, is fully shown by the minority. In
| this feature of this remarkable case we hazard
nothing in saying that no such evolutonary
act was ever before attempted in tho history
of this Government 1t is not second even to
tho stealing of the State of Maine. 1t is
stated that the general Committee of Elections,
upon the statement of the case as thus pre-.
sented, propose to vote TO unseat WRshburn
and scat Ignatius Donnelly in his place. Dom
nelly himself is INSCRIPTIONS and desperate
enough to do this, aud perhaps the majority
of Mr.. Springer's committee is also convinced
of party necessity OF carrying ont this
scheme. but we warn the Democrats of the
House that, if this programme is executed, the
| DOnnely-Washbum contest in Minnesota will
| be another issue for them to meet before the
enmged people of tho North, along with the
niquties of Cipher alley, the Garcelon steal,
| the disloyal utterances of the extra session and
the long list of other political blunders COM
mitted by the Democratic party since the war,
|