The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-12
NOTES OF THE COUNT.
What Secretary VroOman Says - Sample
Specimens of Fraud.

The Hon John W. Vrooman, of the Repub-
lican State committee, speaking to-day of the
address issued by the Democratic State com
mlttee said:
''This intlammatory language is uncalled for,
and is not justified by the facts. 1t is criminal
to try to stir up the passions of the worst element
in the community in crisis like this. The latest
exhibition is of piece with the Democratic
managers throughout the campaign BY what
right does this committee pronounce judgment
without hearing evidence in case that, to speak
mildly is by means clear! Neither the Dem
ocratc State national committee. nor any
Democratic newspaper, has directly or indirectly,
dared to make a single charge of fraud against
any Republican, either officially or privately,
connected with the returns The only case IN
which any stress was laid occurred at James
town, in Chautauqua county, and it was only re
ferred to technical irreguarity, the result OF
the alleged failure to copy the registry lists
within the time prescribed by law. They do not
make the claim that any names were added to
the list and it is conceded on all sldes that the
original list was properly made and certified.
1--WE challenge the Democracy" continued MI.
Vrooman, ''to produce single case of fraud per
petrated by Republicans, or single case OF lr-
regularity other than the technical one have
referred to- The cry of Democratic officials and
the Democratic press in aiming to stir up the
people to riot ruin and rebellion, simpy y on ac-
count of pretended fear that the Republicans
may perpetrate some wrong-this is but a cover
have direct, positive and official information of
frauds being perpetrated and votes illegally
counted in New York St Lawrence, Essex, Nj
agara and several other counties in this State.
Men were allowed to vote who had not regis
tered. and votes cast for Butler and St john
were counted for Cleveland. We do not propose
TO fold our arms and permit the will of the peo
pie to be thwarted by these frauds. We simply
intend, in peaceful and legal manner, to make
a careful investigation, to submit our evidence
to the proper tribunal, and with the result we
will rest content"
THE PARTY OF LAW AND ORDER
''You are not satisfied that the result of the
election is yet ascertained, as the Democratic
State committee claim in its manifesto2"
by no means and we believe, on what we re
gard as the very best grounds, that the result
will show that Blaine has been legally and fairly
elected Our State committee has no desire to
have single vote counted for Blaine that is not
entirely legitimate The Republican party is
party of law and order. 1t does not countenance
violence in determining purely civic questions;
never obtained a victory at the polls in that
way, and We never want one The Democratic
leaders appear to have lost their balance. We
are for peace and for the enforcement of right
by legal means, and in this emergency the
record bears out the truth of what 1 say.
"They charge US with dishonesty" he con-
tinued. 'They first claimed a plurality of 50
down to 1000 next day to IL, 900. the following
day to 5000, and now they have dwindled to
petty 456 votes. Suppose the dwndling process
should continue, where will they be in three
DAYS morel Is it incendiary or dishonest to look
into these fguresl In one election district in
this cty-we have twenty voters who are pre-
pared to make affidavit that they cast their bal
lots Cor Butler. In this district not a single
vote was recorded in his favor. They went to
the credit of Cleveland. l say this for reasons.
one of which is that the Cleveland and Butler
ballots were the same size, shape. and general
appearance. The other reaons will be stated in
the proper place at the proper time"
THE LEGAL QUESTIONS TO BE DECIDED.
Two issues will arise lJr the courts to decide
First, whether enough is left of clipped names
on some OF the electoral ballots to make it pos
sible to tell what they were with reasonable Ger
tanty; and second, whether these ballots are de
fective as to the rest of the electors 1t would
be mere formality to say they defective and
there is the highest judicial opinion which this
court at least holds, for saying that these bal
lots are valid ballots. Democratic counsel, how
ever claim that there are in the count, or out of
it, 500 of these ballots scattered through the
returns, to say nothing of their hope to make the
most of the technical informalities already men
toned i'll ballots as originally prepared. 1t is
scarcely necessary to say that on all these points
an appeal to the courts is as likely to be made by
There is besides this chance great one that
the large tally of defective and BLANK" bal
lots includes some known to be voted which have
the names of the two leading Democratic cleo
tors Ottendorfer and Peckham, followed by
thirty-four Republican electors If any such
ballots were voted they were counted for the
entire Democratic ticket, and the evidence has
disappeared with the destroyed ballots. Through
all this canvass and such revision of the record
as the courts may order, the inspectors of cleo
do he md ~ of he If
They can not be required to fill out their record
but only to embody the facts they first de-
cided them. The court however, in exercising
the special powers conferred upon it in review
ing an election canvass by mandamus, may have
before it questions of both law and fact, Either
party may, in the latter case, require jury, or
waive it by agreement
WHAT is TO BE OVERCOME
The Republican counsel have knowledge of
the throwing ont in this city alone of 1000 de-
fective and blank ballots. Some of these tickets
were imperfect through being clipped too short
In some instances part of a name was cut off,
but the law holds that the names not cut shall
be allowed to stand They are defective only so
far as they are cut. These clipped tickets are
Republican ones 1t is known that Chairman
Warrens establishment sent here bundle of
clipped tickets in their lot, and before they
discovered a number of them We're got out
In some instances these tickets had only one
name of an elector cut off. Sometimes there
were two. 1t is supposed that the Republicans
suffered on account of these defective tickets
Mr. Evarts says that these tickets must be
counted so far as they go. This would certainly
give thirty odd electoral votes for Blaine, At
any rate, these ballots will probably 90 to a
court for decision as to whether they shall be
counted or not
There is good, living, valid ground for know
ing that there was majority for Blaine and
Logan in the ballot boxes of New York when the
polls closed the night of Nov. A. and as good sub
stantial reason for believing now that Democrat
ic villany and corruption have not been able to
change it since 1t is a great deal to hope for to
defeat all the sklful election rascality of the
Democratic party of the State of New York, with
John Kelly to plan and plutocracy of monopo-
lists to furnish unlimited money to do it with
nd especially ON very close vote. But still
there is strong reason to hope and good valid