The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-03-09
TROUBLE IN HARVEY COUNTY

Outrageous Ballot Box Stuffing by
Santa Fe Railroad Men.
On March Sd vote was taken in
Harvey county on propositions to issue
bonds for two railroads. For several
days previous 10 the election the excite.
ment over the contest was great. The
A. T. & S. F., railroad interests opposed
the bonds, and if reports be true, took
some very outrageous and unlawful
means TO beat the bond propositions to
encourage what they evidently conelud-
ed was dangerous competition TO their
trade in the southwest. The citizens held
a meeting, and the resolutions adopted
will be found elsewhere. In addition
we have advices through private
sources, from a dislnierested
person. that the conduct Of the railroad
men was fully as bad as described. The
condition Of things at Newton ut one
time was very threatening. An outbreak
was imminent, which would probably
have resulted in bloodshed, as men were
upon the streets EARNED to the teeth"
Mr.. Ii. G. Ashbaugh, editor of the Kan
san and postmaster at Newton, a most
creditable citizen, publishes a card in
the Commonwealth from which we clip
the following:
"The Santa Fe railroad company has
had about two hundred section hands
and bosses at Halstead and Sedgwick
for over two weeks past waiting for yes
-. oil sg,e nlr Mo Nr.
yesterday these men, none of whom are
residents or voters OF this county, were
provided with a locomotive and four
cars, all Santa Fe cars, and they
were voted once at Sedgwick, twice at
Halstead and once at Burton, cast
ing fully one thousand illegal
votes against the propositions for the
new railroads. The people of
those places were powerless d help
themselves from SO great mob OF men.
These repeaters then came TO this city
about fifteen minutes before six p. m,
and our people armed, met them at the
depot and made them leave the city,
which they did, going south to Mulvane,
Wichita and other points south of here
No greater disTespeet was ever shown to
any county or people than the santa Fe
Yesterday showed TO this people, and
time win yet prove it. The bonds will
be carried by several hundred majority"
PROFESSIONALLY some allowance must
be made for the excited condition of the
people ut Newton, but certainly her
leading citizens would not publish
statements over their own signatures
like those printed by US to day unless
there were serious reasons for doing so.
This is species of lawlessness which
affects the interests of the people in all
sections of the state, because there is no
telling how soon it may be tried at other
points, and therefore II cannot be too Sc
verely condemned. The Atchison, To-
peka s. Santa Fee company is composed
of gentlemen, we know, who would not
engage In such work as took
place in Harvey county on the occasion
of this election. and who would not en-
dorse it, but they must take the conse-
quences, to large extent, of the acts of
their agents. Some officer or officers
high in authority must have been con-
cerned in this open outrage upon the
ballot-box, as II train of cars was furnish
eu 10 Ntui Tue ll1cu iEOtu one pOll 10
another. This train could only have
been procured by an officer, and he
must have known before il was furnish
ED what was wanted with il. 1t will be
a good thing for the railroad company,
in public estimation, to ferret out this
matter with view to bring the viola
tors OF the law to justice, and to let the
public know that they do not endorse
such proceedings on the part of their
employees. Tue officers of the
law ought not TO rest one day
until every man who engaged in
violating the law shall be. brought to
justice. If the reports from Newton are
anything like correct the population In
the state penitentiary ought to be in
creased by abOat two hundred. Let the
men engaged in that days disgraceful
work, be they high or low 10 ssAsdiBg in
society, know that there is such u thing
as law in KansaS, and that it is not safe
for them to boldly trample it under foot.