The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-10-06
To Prevent Election Frauds.

10 Prevent ELECTION FrnudS.
The Journal yesterday morning published the
fact that Chairman j. n. Huston. of the Repub-
lican State central committee, had sent to the
Committee Of One Hundred a check for $50U to
aid the committee in detecting, eonvicting aud
Furnishing ~violators Of the election laws. 1t will
be remembered that the committee was organ
lied after the commission Of the Coy and Bern
hamer election frauds, for which those Demo
cratic leaders are now serving out sentences In
the penitentiary. It's object was not
only to prevent the commission
Of further frauds, but to lessen the
expenses Of elections, and it was made MP Of an
equal number of Democrats and Republicans,
its president, MIR. A. b. Conduit, being a DEM
ocrat, and lite executive officers being taken
from both psrties- 1t seems that Chairman
Huston only anticipated the desire OF the COM
mittee, rs yesterday the following letter was
sent to the chairman Of the Republican State
central committee. and . copy OF it forwarded to
Chairman Jewett, Of the Democratic State cen
trial organization:
INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 5, 1855.
Hon. James N. Huston, Chairman Republican State
Central COMMITTEES.
Dear Sir-Our attention has been repeatedly called
to the great desire OF the citizens of this county that
the coming election, 70 be held on the 9th day of next
month. may be free from the adverse influence of
force and fraud, and the persons elected may be the
of the voters We believe that you are as
greatly interested in this as any of our COMMITTEES or
any OF our citizens, and in order that we may have an
honest election and a fair count and return of the bal
lots as cast, and that all those who violate
swiftly punished, and the authority of law Be vindi.
Gated in this county. to offer . suitable reward
for the detection and conviction of any one
who violates the election laws in said election.
We believe that we are fully sustained by pubic
opinion in this action, inasmuch as charges of intend
ed wrong doing in said election have already been
4 made in the Dublc uress by each pOltical marty. Ne
assure You that our cooperation In this matter win
bear great weights In accomplishing the desired purpose.
We suggest, therefore. IN order that we may have the
that your committee cOntribate 70 COR
National Bank, to the special fund the sum Of $500
at your convenience, not later than the 10th inst. Out
of this money thus contributed we viii pay o suitable
reward for the detection and conviction of each yio-
lator of the election laws when the accused is SEN
fenced by the court We will use the money contrib
uted 10 this fund for the payment of such rewards
only, returning to the contributors, pro rata, any
sums not 20 used. Wehave made q Ike request OF
the Democratic and Prohibition State central com.
mittees, and have also asked for $3.50 from each Of
the Republican, Democratic and Prohibition county
committees of this county.
On behalf OF the executive ommittee
"A. Il. CoSDUITT, President
W. II. HOBBS. Secretary. rs
The object of this letter, Ike ell the other 3D.
jects OF the committee OF one hundred, is
easily understood. IL is intended that the eiec-
ton laws throughout shall be upheld, and that
the illegal expenditure Of money in elections. as
well az the use Of fraudulent ballots and dis
honest counts, shall be stopped. MIR. William
Henderson, a member Of the committee, in con-
versasion with q Journal reporter, yesterday,
referred to the growth Of election expenses since
1S49 and 1852. when the cost Of the tickets was
the main item and 81. 500 covered the cost of a
State election. and mentioned a remark once
made oy MIR. Tilden, that not moro than 10 per
cent Of later campaign expenditures were used
legitimately.
As for the answers TO the request OF the COM
4 mittaa of ono hundred Chairman Huatonio has
been practically made in advance by the sending
of the check referred to. Chairman Jewett, Of
| the Democratic committee. was out or the city
| yesterday, and the only ~intimation of the feel
Jag of that committee yet made public are some
remarks OF MIR. 81 Sheerin, in the News of yes
terday. in which he takes exception to the COM
mittee of one hundred as ct present consti-
tuted.
Gray Did Not Favor Railroad Men.
Daniel W. Sheehan has been a Democrat for
almost thirty years, and an engineer on the Pan
handle nearly all that time. No one ever
worked more ~zealously for the election of . can
didate than did Mr. Sheehan for Grover Clsve-
land and the entire Democratic ticket in 1854.
He said to a Journal reporter, last night, that
he would have been a Democrat to-day had it
not been for the misconduct of Governor Gray,
when shortly after Cleveland took, his seat In
the presidential chair, he presented q petition
for appointment as q deputy United States
Marshal to the Governor for his signature. 81
was 10 company with Secretary Of State My
in the %latter's office while he
showed the Governor my petition
aud asked him to sign it. When Myers re-
turned he informed me that the Governor had
refused TO sign it. / asked him to explain, and
he stated that Gray had said: IN not do it. I
have signed too many petitions al
ready, and I'll be il I'll sign
any more for railroad men, My petition was
/ z;~.,ol H. on va1-ooA ~n, ~ -
Eugene Debb. secretary of the Locomotive
Brotherhood of Engineers. Furthermore. the
petition was signed by all the State officials
when presented to Governor Gray. That same
day, in the afternoon, l was passing the Court
house and met Sim Coy. He asked me
how / was getting along with my
petition. 1 told him that all the State officials
had signed, excepting Governor Gray. Coy
jerke6 the paper out of my hands. sxclsiming
at the same time: by 6. I'll make him sign IL.
You come around to my saloon this evening and
get your petition
I'm the evening l called as requested, and sure
enough Governor Gray had signed it. The fol-
lowing day / sent it to Senator Voorhees, at
Washington. In a few days it came back and
with it a letter from Voorhees, stating
that he could do nothing for
in the hands Of United States Marshal Hawkins.
Voorhees, knew then that Hawkins had chosen
all his deputies. Then / took it to Daddy
Jones and he refused to do anything for me.
Lax Bull, DOu oouOsf uOWcNcE, COusoutcu " tdho
it to Washington aud hand it to Senator Tur-
pie. I gave it to him and have never
seen it since. Turpie has been all
this time carrying it around in
his pocket. He wrote me o letter q few days
after he received it, in which he said that he
could do nothing Or me. adding that there
would be no vacancies unless SOM one died,
was removed or resigned.
"Since then | have done nothing further in
the matter. only TO make up my mind to vote
for Harrison and Morton. All 1 desired was to be
treated respectfully, and in that respect Gov.
Gray, the party's leader in this State, has
failed He iusul,ed the railroad men, and I
shall do all ! can to defeat the Democratic
ticket That party has refused to recognize the
railroad men, aud its glowing promises when
Cleveland is reelected are not TO be fulfilled"
More Republican Speakers' Appointments.
The following additional appointments for Re-
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