The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-03-11
ELECTION EXPENDITURES.
New York Sun.l

New York Sun.l
A very instructive letter upon the
political contest Of 1880 in Indiana is
published In tho New York Times. 1t
Is we'll known that the October election
In that State substantially determined
the result of the presidential struggle
month later; and 1t is equally noto.
rfOus that on many memorable occa.
sious the success of the Republicans in
October has been credited to the man.
agement of Senator Dorsey of Arkan.
sas, Secretary Of the Republican Ma
tional Committee, now under indict-
ment on account of the Star route frauds.
The writer In the Times, however,
denies that Mr.. Dorsey is entitled to
any credit for this election. All tho
real work, in the opinion of this writer,
was :.accomplishesl by Mr.. Dudley,
whom President Garfield afterwarti ap-
pointed to be Commissioners Of Pen
sions. But the following statement Of
the Times merits unusual considlera-
tion: .. r.. ...u. .. r.....l 3-l
"The labor was flushed before Sana-
tor Dorsey and staff arrived in the
State, and that the result would have
been the same had he remained away
is maintained by those who were in a
position to know. It is generally be-
lievel that there was sent to Mr.. Dor
sey not less than S25O,O to use in the
Sf0fn nd 1NVv &c n1n GnA
$400, 600 was the amount sent. BE this
as it may, there is no record to show
that over 200 was expended, aud
the remainder of the sum sent into the
State, whatever 1t may have been, it is
charged stuck In the pockets Of those
In whose hands it was placed for dis
.,. ... .-....,
On the same subject an Indiana cor
Of the Cincinnati CONNER
ctal likewise speaks as follows:
III do not know how much money
politicians placed in Mr.. Dor
sey's hands to be used in corrupting the
voters of Indiana; but l do know that
he did not disburse more than 500 900,
and every dollar Of that sum went into
the hands of the bummers attached to
his friends from other States. The lcgit-
innate expenses of the campaign were
paid by the State Committee or by Dutl-
lcy's committee" "N ..n
1t is perhaps proper TO add that the
vast sum furnished to Dorsey was
mainly, If not entirely, raised here in
the city of New York by the contribu-
tions aud the efforts of the Hon. Levi
p. Morton, now Minister to France.
but tho point to which we desire to
draw special attention is tho fact that
most of this money raised for corrupt
use in Indiana was stolen by tho agents
through whom 1t was to be disbursctl.
ssSenator Dorsey and STAFF" to employ
the phrase of tho Times, put all of it
except $50, 900 or s55,OOO in their own
pockets, and never paid it over to any
one while, according to the allegation
Of tho Cincinnati Commercial, every
dollar of this $50, 900 or $s55 900, which
Dorsey parted with, "went into the
hands of tho bummers attached to his
friends from other States.'
We believe that this startling instance
offers no great exception to the usual
practice in our elections. Here In New
York, for instance, large sums nre
raised by each party for election pur-
poses. Every candidate IS heavily
and the aggregate amounts
to something enormous. Most of this
money is stolen. 1t is retained by
agents into whose hands 1t is paid, and
is appropriated as their own. The ex-
penditurc of Mr.. William w. Astor,
for instance, in his unsuccessful attempt
to buy himself into Congress last fall,
cannot have been less than s75 900; and
no well-informed person can doubt that
even that smaller proportion Of this
money which was intended to be dis
bursed for honest expenses, was taken
by thieving politicians, and never did
any good to anybody but themselves.
Arc these gross abuses to continue
Is the corruption of voters to form an