Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-10-22
Acts that Seem Incredible in q
Free Country--Davenport's
Defiance.
What Amounts To the pistran-
chiScmcnt of Thousands of
Citizens.
= Plain statement Of Facts that
should he Read and Carefully
Considered by the Amer
icnn People.
An Address by tho Democratic Ma
tional Committee.
New York sun.


New York sun.
John |. Davenport is very we'll known
in the shcritl'S office, for since the wear
1873 there have boon twenty-five judy
mcutS against him for various sums
The following is list Of the judgments
against Mr.. Davenport on which CNccu-
tion has been issued and returned I'M
satisfied: Dec. Is, 1873, S16.9l; Dec, II.
1874. S9502S; Oct L., lS14, S1S.S5:
Dec Is, 1876, Sl03.5l Oct. II, 1879,
S9S6S; Oct ~, 1870 $l1ot.50; April
Is, ISIS, S5ll.64; April Il, ISIS, SS05oS;
May q, lS1S, Sl,55O.62, June 10, 1873,
S275.26; June II. 1873, StSS.9S; luly
25, 1873 SOILS; Aug. II. ISIS $23l 81;
Sept. ), ISIS, 5000; Sept =. ISIS,
$50 -; Oct. II, 1L7S, $}S6.S6; Nov. |,
ISIS S2,799.Sl: Dec. -. ISIS, 500 81;
May II, ls19 SIo,536.2i; July > 1879,
$555.7l Aug. ., lS99, S2,7S1 so. Copies
of these judgments may hc seen at the
county clerk 4 office. Some are for
dry goods md some for icwclry which
Mr.. Davenport has bought but has not
paid for.
In consequence Of this isyoc number
Of judgments against him the notorious
chief supervisor of elections for long
time has not hna amy residence in New
York where lie could be found Ivy any
body not in his secret His name has
not been in the New York city dircc-
tory for several years Even at his Of
flee in the federal building he has been
in the habit Of mtrcnching himself 81
that his creditors could not gel Mt
him. More than one deputy sheriff
has logged him for days trying i'll
vain to serve him with legal papers,
This is the Same John l. Day
export who has been harassinu The legal
voters of New York on false charges of
illegal naturalization Although IN that
time he has issued many thousand war
rants, and caused several hundred NJ
rests, hc has not brought more than one
person To trial for illegal voting ON false
naturalization papers. The one ease
that he did bring to trial, that of Peter
Coleman was decided against MIN 10y
Judge Blatchiord and Peter Coleman
was declared II legal voter.
Gen. George w. Wingate, who was
one Of the counsel against Davenport III
the Coleman case. and who h = been
prosecuting him before Judge Batch
ford with the aid of + Ellcry Anderson,
said Yesterday; "Davenpon's raid has
been against MI but six Of those who
were naturalzcd in the supreme and
superior courts IN the year lSGS Ills
claim il that the clerk 81 tile supreme
court entered their names on Il book
which had not the proper endorsement
and that therefore the order Of the court
admitting these men n citizens was not
properly filed. In the elsr Ut those nat,
urallcd il the superior count he C!aimt
that the entry was not made ~ the mln-
utes Of the court, because il was not
made in separate book If his claim
il correct il would cover between 10000
and 10000 citizens who were natural
lied in the years between 1893 and Isl !.
Whatever loose naturalization was done
in 1868 has been corrected, because the
registry Of 1878 shows that only about
$500 were registered out of between
1900 and 10000 who were naturallzed
in 1868. No good citizen would object
if Davenport was working To punish
fraudulent naturalization. But he does
not try u do that. He obviously does
try merely 10 annoy and harass natur-
allied voters 80 rs to prevent their yot-
ing He only seeks pretext to keep
them away from the polls.
PERSECUTION MADE CLEAR.
up to the year 1873 Davenport had
not arrested a single person for having
naturalization papers issued in the year
1865. No such case had been brought
before the courts But ~ THO election
was expected to be close in 1873, It was
| important TO Davenport and his party
that naturalized voters should be in
Inundated. In May, 1873, Davenport
caused his clerk " swear out 1901
complaints against persons who had
registered in 1876 on papers Of natural
izaton issued in 1868. These com
plants were found defective. Then, in
June, 1873, Davenport got his clerk 10
issue $500 more complaints against the
same persons. During the summer be
increased the number Of complaints 70
$500 Many Of those arrested on these
warrants were terrified in TO giving up
their papers. Notices were sent %
many persons that they would be ar
rested if they did not surrender their
naturalization papers. In that way
about 1000 certificates 81 naturalization
we're obtained. There was no color ~
law for this District Attorney Wood
ford was asked to point out thc Law that
authorized il and he could Do -o.
Many Germans we're teTorized into
giving zip their paper. Before the
election of 1878, Judge Freedman gave
decision IN the supreme court show
ing that the naturalization papers u
Isl we're valid. Nevertheless, Oh the
day before election, Davenport caused
MS clerk to sasar ont complaints