Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-01-07
THOEBE STATES HIS CASE.
GROUNDS UPON WHICH HE CLAIMS
cARLIsLE'S SEAT.

I
feated by Neglect and the Mistake Made
Good by Voting Next Day-Grave Charges
Made Against the Contestee's Friends
and hackers Capital Gossip.
WASHINGTON CRY, Jan. 7--If the claims
OF Contestant Tboebe in his case against Car
Isle are susceptible of proof it would indi'
cate that the house will have another election
of speakers on its hands, provided the de-
cision was in the line of the said proof.
Thoebe and bis attorney, Sypher, were before
the election committee Friday and presented
the alleged basis Of the contest, asking that
testimony might by heard on the matter.
To do this they preferred that a sub-com-
mittee visit the district and take the wit
nesses' statements on the ground. They're
sented several atfidavits in support OF their
statements, and the committee bad these
papers before them when they went into
executive session after hearing Thoebe aud
Sypher. No agreement was reached at FRI
| days session, however. .-
Thoebe's charges in brief are that Carlisle
wss so plainly defeated that the returns were
purpossly held back and fixed" by his
friends, who bad all the election machinery
| in their hands; that Carlisle and his friends
admitted on the night after the election that
be was beaten and Thoebe elected; that the
returns were so plainly altered that they
showed it on their face, the interpretations
being boldly and clumsily done 1t is also
claimed that the attorney originally en-
ployed by Thoebe had been manipulated by
Carlisle's hackers so that he gave his client
away" and did not attempt in any proper
degree to secure the evidence Of fraud that
| lay right under his nose.
| In fact, IL Thoebe is TO be believed, the re-
turn of Carlisle from his district as repre-
! sentative was as bad piece OF political
"skullduggeryn as has ever disgraced the an
/ mails of American politics. All this has to be
proved, however The charges cause good
deal of surprise to the Democrats. They ex-
pectod to see the case brushed aside without
| trouble, but are a good deal disturbed by its
serious character.
The indications are that the committee will
divide on strict party lines the Republicans
demanding reopening OF the case, and the
Demo rats opposing it on the ground that
even all that is claimed is proven there
would not be enough changes to unseat Car
Isle
In going over the details of the case Mr..
Sypher said that at Covington on election
night it was evident that Carlisle was de-
feated by over 2, 0G0 votes, and the judges of
election sent for Carlisle, and after consult
ing with his friends teegraphei to outside
counties to withhold the returns. Continu-
ing, Sypher said that it was fact that the
returns of the six outlying counties were
withheld for five days and that Carljsllee-iha lad
publicly confessed that he was defeated.
"You do not ATTACH much Importance to
this pointl" said Lizard
mo. ~ mention it," replied Sypher
"N9e-H Hayes l think, confessed defeat at
/ first" said Heard.
uvae rapliad Svphar aand I think ha
ought to have stuck to it,"
Sypher said that Carlisle has failed of cleo
ton through neglect In some precincts no
tickets were printed until o'clock, and there
was virtually no election held In some pre-
| cincts In one case only the three judges
vots d-two for Carlisle aud one for Thoebe.
In Boone county 200 votes were cast on cleo
ton day, but the returns fiaally showed sic
votes In Carroll county there was practi-
cally no election. He could show that voters
had failed to go to the polls on election day,
but when they found that Carlisle had been
defeated they voted the next day. Not only
was this the case in Carroll county, but also
in every one of the outlying counties.
After the election seven of Carlisle's friends
met in conference at the federal building to
endeavor to save Carlisle. They sent for an
| eighth gentleman, a prominent and honora-
| BILE gentleman, Col r. w. Nelson. They
| told him that Carlisle had been defeated, and
| they wanted him to confer with them to de-
wise some means of changing the result
Thereupon, said Sypher, Col. Nelson took his
hat and left, declaring that if they were up
to anything of the sort they must count him
out Carlisle dare not contradict this
gentleman said Sypher. ale is a Demo-
crat aud kentucky gentleman of as high
standing as Mr. Carlisle"
Touching Carlisles refusal to join him in
taking testimony, Sypher remarked: "He
| did not dare meet me, and he dare not now
| go into that district and take testimony"
Sypher also said he had witHess to prove
| that a relativ Of Carlisle purchased Wood,
Thoebe's first counsel, for $3.50.
| In closing Sypher said the speaker of the
house was the third officer in rank in this
country, but he was not big enough to oc-
cupy that seat upon fraudulent title, nor
was the Democratic party strong enough to
maintain him in that position.
aft Mr. Carlisle is the honest man think
| he is, said Sypher, "be will come down out
| of his seat and ask for the appointment of
| committee to 60 to Kentucky and search the
case. "
| Thoebe was next allowed to make ten
| minute statement to the committees. He
| said that he was born in the same country as
| the speaker forty-three years ago. He said
his counsel, Wood, had told him on several
occasions that money could be made out Of
| the case. Other persons had told him the
same thing. Two Democratic workers, one
of them the witness brother-in-law, had
called upon him and had remarked that if he
would not push the case he could make
money out of it, and $1,000 was good
thing to have. If the case was reopened it
would be found that he was elected by 600
ma jority. He did not want this seat if he
was defeated by one vote, but il the
committee refused to reopen the case the
workingmen would say it was because he
| Thoebe) was not Democrat Let the COM
mittee show the toiling millions either that
Thoebe was elected or was not elected. That
was all they asked. They wanted fair play.
If the case was decided against him he would
20 back to his factory and work, but, sgnifi-
cantly, he would not quit voting.
Cooper-If things are as you say, what is
the use of votinga
Thoebe-That is what say.
Sherman Invited to Boston.
WASHINGTON CITY, Jan. Us. Herbert
Radcliff, secretary of the Home Market club