The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-11-29
THE BRAED-LEMAN CASE,

THE BRAED-LEMAN CASE,
Ever since il was discovered by the OF
fetal canvass of the vote in the Secont
election precinct Of The 18th ward in Chi
cago that Brand, democrat, had been cleo
ted 10 the state senate over Leman, repub
lican, furious yell OF fraud has been KEEP
up, and every imaginable trick and device
resorted to by the republican politicians t.
change the result in that district, and thus
save the state Legislature for the re electior
of John A. Logan to the u. 5. senate The
allegation was loudly made that after the
vote in the said second precinct had beer
counted on the night Of the election, the
tally sheets signed, the ballots put back in
10 the box and sealed up, and the judges
and clerks had gone home. the ballot box
rot into possession of certain democratic
politicians. who melted the seal, opened
the box, took out the ballots and so changed
them, as well rs the tally sheets, AS TO re
verse the vote for Brand and Leman.
The first move was to get an affidavit
from DR.. Strausser, the republican judge
in the precinct, who had signed the tally
sheets and returns that they had been al
tered after his signature had been attached,
but the Doctor, on Il careful inspection, de
clared that they were exactly AS he had
signed them Fooled here, they next ap
peared before the U. S. grand jury in
Judge Blodgett's court, and asked for an
indictment of the judges and clerks of the
precinct in question under the U. s. cleo
ton law To enable the grand jury to in
vestigate the case, they asked for an order
from Judge Blodgett that Deputy County
Clerk Ryan, In whose charge the ballot
box, tally sheets, etc, had been placed, be
to produce them before the jury.
Before Judge Blodgett made the order,
objection was made by the democrats, that
AS a L. $. court could have jurisdiction in
the case only on the ground that the elec.
ton of a congressman was involved, and as
the only controversy In this case referred
to the election of state senator, IA |. s.
court and grand jury obviously had no
business to NEEDLE with it. Judge Blodgett
overruled the objection and ordered the
ballots, etc, to be produced, instructing the
jury, however, that they could only re-
count them SO far as they related to the
election Of congressman The grand jury,
however, having got possession of the bal.
lots, tally sheets and poll books, went over
the whole vote from president down to
coroner, and while they utterly failed to find
find any of the ballots had been tempered
with, they found that while Brand had re
ceived $50 votes, Leman had received but
lS9, making Brands majority some nifty
votes larger In the district than bad been
claimed. No evidence, after the most
strenuous efforts, was produced to impeach
the fidelity of the ballots or tally sheets,
and the whole movement promised to be IA
failure, when the happy thought occurred
10 eAdillint tle Nttels, "hpSe hhiiVo anu
numbers on the poll book and ballots re.
gealed how each had voted. A large mum
her of republican voters were thereupon
hauled up, and being confronted with the
,harge of having deserted the party by vUt. |.
ny for Brand, many of them denied that !
hey had done so, and declared the tickets |
must have been changed since they voted |
Upon this evidence the judges and clerks
Vt the election were indicted, and ii some
'uture day will be arraigned for trial in
he L. 5. district court for a violation Of
he L. s. election law in participating In a
'raud In which the election of "A state Sena
or alone was involved
The whole thing is farce and humbug /
II fraud has actually been committed,
he only proper tribunal TO investigate it is
he Illinois state senate on "A contest of
Brands election; and then If the judgse
md clerks of the election are guilty, "A
Cook county grand jury alone can indict
hem
But whether there has been fraud or not,
nothing can prevent Brand from taking his
,eat at the opening of the senate, and o.
,upying it until he is ousted in the regular
way. lie has his certificate oi election,
mi no action of the governor or state
BOARD of canvassers, can take IL from him.
l.t,. l,,J. 10 az.
If Brand ever he proved, which is not ut
III likely, II will take month after the
legislature meets to Gust him, and long be |
ore that the election of senator will have |
'ome and gone, so that at all events the
use of Logan seems To be cooked past re-
:oyery.
When year ag" the gentle, suaNe, ur-