The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-01
The Triangular Contest in the Great City
Judge Barrett's Campaign Contribution
The Fight for the Sheriffalty.
Dreadful HallucinatiOn Under Which
John Anderson Lived and Died.
Adventures of a Pair of Guileless Young Di-
vinity Students-Abuse of Generosity
at BOst0n-NeW York Notes.
CLOSING THE CANVASS.

CLOSING THE CANVASS.
A Candidate Who Contributed $4,000 to
Each of Three Campaign Funds.
Special to the Indianapolis JournaI.
NEW YORK. Oct 3L-The eectioneering in
this State closed to night The campaign man
ayers of the opposing headquarters in this city
are advised of nearly six hundred mass-meetings
that are being held in towns and villages this
evening The total abstinence people are un-
commonly active, and their final gatherings are
about as numerous as those of other of the two
regular parties, who figure up just about the
same number The time between this and
Tuesday will be devoted to routine preparations
for election day. Notwithstanding the strong
efforts to arouse interest," the indications are
that the total vote will be below the average
The uncertainty has never been greater as to a
result The presidential election tore things to
pieces so thoroughly that the shrewdest poll
ticians cannot foretell how the elements will
come together again.
New York City is ablaze with local excitement
however, so far as the statesmen can incite it,
triangular fight by the Republicans, the Coun-
ty Democracy and the TamMany Democrats has
been unusually bitter, and tonight the last ap-
peals of oratory music and fireworks are enliven-
ing the entire metropolis. The Tammany folks
have only forlorn hope of success at the polls
but they none the less active, and the fail
of all attempts at afiliation leaves the issue
in doubt between the Republicans and the County
Democracy. But the struggle for Office was by
common consent, omitted in the case of a judge
of the Supreme Court, George G.. Barrett being
re-nominatod all round. Some of the managers
desired to put up other candidates. but they
were placated by the payment on Barrett's part
of an assessment of $40, 900 to each of the three
campaign funds. AS he will hold Office fourteen
years at an annual salary of $17, 500. he afford
to contribute $50, 600 towardsthe expenses of
vass that must anyhow result in his election. The
real violence of the conflict is for the sherifalty,
worth $l00 900 year clear. The three nomi
nees are men of long experience in the practical
stratum of politics; they have paid an aggregate
in assessments and personal expenditures of not
less than $2O00OO and every dollar has made
noise, for they know too much to be fooled much
by ineffective devices. or useless strikers Here
tofore the desire TO be register, an officer who
corresponds to county clerk, SO far as the MAX
about as acute as that regarding the sherifs
berth, because the income was from fees; but
last winter the Legislature enacted that he
should receive salary of $15, 900 only, and thus
one of the great rewards of city craftsmanship
is destroyed forever. The aldermen were at the
same time deprived of most of their power to
black-mail, and the places have consequently
sunk in cash value. For these reasons the cam
pagn has had dominance of shrievalty
Scarcely block in any business street lacks
tonight its faringly inscribed transparencies to
indicate the room of a campaign club or the
headquarters of candidate. The target COM
panies that used to be so numerous just before
election, and dependent upon a Doodle obtained
from ofice-seekers. got blow of ridicule in
the 'Mulligan Guards" caricature from which
they have never recovered, and few have been
seen this year. In their stead were chowder
clubs, whose members rode in stages to picnic
grounds for day Of beer-drnking and sports
The methods of the nominees for the State SEN
ate, Assembly and Common Council depend
largely the character of the districts in which
they run. If the population to be influenced is
high in average intelligence, vast quantities of
printed matter are sent through the mails and
from now until Monday night the postalcarriers
in such sections will hump under heavy loads
Comparatively few meetings are held in these
districts, because the voters will not 90 to them
though they swell the vast crowds at the big
Madison-square Garden demonstrations to some
extent Stumping is chiefly done in the quarters
of mixed or middling culture such as the one in
which Stephen Merritt, the undertaken of the
Grant funeral, has exploited himself in an indie
pendent canvass for the Legislature and where
his score of temperance and religious exhorters
are this evening whooping it up
The typical low down ward, the one containing
Baxter street. the Five Points and the vilest sec
ton of the Bowerv with the Chinese Italian
and Polsh-Jew quarters of the most abiect
squalor in New York, is the Sixth; and there the
fight for alderman is comcally absurd and shock
ingly depraved. The candidates are Pat Diver
the keeper of groggery, and Fatty Walsh a
Bowery gambler Each has made house to-
house visitation; each has opened many kegs of
beer in the vicious resorts; each has made
speeches to gatherings of diverse nationality
and each has had gang of thieves, pugilists
and bummers at work for two weeks. Walsh's
headquarters are in cheap. nasty concert hall,
and Diver holds forth in a sporting saloon.
favorite test of political power in this district is
statesman's ability to get prisoners out of the
TombS which Jail and court establishment is
close by. Pat and Fatty are there every day,
exerting their infooence on behalf of drunkards,
brawlers and wife-whippers. Their bids for pop
ularity with the Italians, Irish, Jews, Germans
and Scandinavians, impoverished representatives
of whom abound thereabouts have provided the
newspapers with funny anecdotes; and even the
Chinese vote, numbering four ballots in al-for
the Chinese do not become naturalized as rule
has been the object of strenuous effort.
Notwithstanding the low character of some Of
the electioneering, an election in New York city
is in itself square and honest. The voting dis
trlcts are SO small that only two or three hun
dred ballots are cast in each. The registration
closes more than week beforehand, leaving
ample time for the investigation of the least
suspicious case. Lists are made by representa-
tives OF both parties, under police supervision.
and fraud necessitates a conspiracy by not less