Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-02-12
THE FLORIDA ELECTION FRAUDS.
How n Democrat SecAred n Seat I'm
Congress TO Which He Was Not
Elected

How n Democrat SecAred n Seat I'm
Congress TO which He Was Not
Elected.
AS the attention of the public has beer
for some time very closely drawn to tne
gigantic fraud attempted by The Demo
Gratis and Greenbackers in Maine, il may
also be of service to the cause of honest
elections to rehearse the particulars of
the notorious Democratic frauds in the
last congressional election in the Second
district of Florida, as they were recently
presented in the contest before the cleo
ton committee of the house of represent
tatives, and published in the New York
Times:
At the election III the Second congress
sional district of Florida i'll November,
1878, the opposing candidates We're II.
Bisbee, Jr., Republican, and Noble A.
( Huh, Democrat. The state canvassing
board declared the election of Hull, and
the governor gave him certificate. The
+ Supreme Court of Florida decided that
/ the canvass was Illegal and void, and III
( structed the board to make another, in
/ Guiding the returns from Madison coun-
! ty, which had been rejected. The canvass
I was made, and Mr. Bisbee was declared
elected by POI majority, but the
/ governor would give him no certificate,
on the ground that he could not revoke
Hull's certificate, although the attorney
general advised him that it was his duty
/ to do SO. Mr. Bisbee thereupon began
a contest for the seat, on the grounds
/ that bona fde returns were re-
/ iected during the first canvass;
that under the instructions of the
Supreme Court the board declared him
elected; that he had an actual majority
of 600 in the district; that rom one
precinct in Madison county no return of
his majority of 81 was made to the
proper officers; that 1S1 votes cast for
him at a special poll in the same county,
though returned by the inspector, were
not included in the county return; that
/ 10 Democratic ballots were fraudulently
substituted for the same number cast for
him; that in one district in Orange
county the ballots bore Distinguishing
marks. put on by the inspectors; that IN
Brevard county 200 fictitious votes in
favor of Hull were added to the returns,
and that in that county no registration
books were used, and no ballot boxes
furnished, and the first registration was
not made by authorized officers. There
is no question about any counties except
Alachua. Madison and Brevard.
Judge Clampitt made a strong argu-
ment for Mr.. Bsbee before the house
committee, showing majority OF GS7 for
his client. In Brevard county. the county
board returned 80 votes for Hull, but he
claims only 1l6. The remainder were
added by the county board, and tne fraud
was so glaring that the state board unani-
mously rejected the entire return. All
the precinct certificates except one had
been changed. f. G. Gaulding deputy
sheriff of Brevard county, voluntarily
testified that before the election Hull III
| formed him that defeat would ruin him,
4 laid out the plan for his election, and
! spoke of the reward Gaulding was to re-
ceive. Afterward, Gaulding received II
letter from Hull directing him to take
/ the returns of Brevard by certain route,
and wait mt certain place for messen-
| ger, who would tell him what to DO with
/ them. For this service Gaulding was to
receive 81, 600 and good place This
witness also testified to other violations
of law, and his story is in every partlcu
lar confirmed by J. II. Allen, proni-
nent Democratic lawyer. By the testl-
mony of Allen, strong Democrat, and a
warm friend of Hull, it appears that
in one precinct beer-bottle was
used a ballot box, III apothera cigar box,
in another a tea box, and that at Bass
vile the votes were not put III a box, but
were strung on a string. BY other great
/ irregularities, which are described, the
way was prepared so that it would be
/ impossible to prove a fraud from the
records of election and registration. In
one district of Marion county ia voters
! swore that they voted for Bisbee, and
the returns gave him only Al. Demo-
cratic votes to the number OF 90 were
/ substituted for Republican votes by the
officers Of election, and Hull admitted
the fraud by claiming only II, and prov
ing only T. In Madison county 300
voters were waiting in line when the polls
closed. They elected officers and voted
at special poll. In one district in
Alachua county AZ supporters Of Bisbee
were deprived of their votes because
their names were not on the lists,
although they offered to swear that they
had registered and to prove residence
according to law.