National Republican., 1888-02-12
Til, Copspirncy 70 steal a state.

the twelfth Congressional district of Indiana,
for the seat to which Capt. James b. White
was elected, was Democratic conspiracy to
steal State. As is well known and hereto
fore shown in THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,
should the election for President be thrown
into the House of Representatives the Re-
publicans have II majority of the members
of Congress i'm twenty of the thirtycight
States, whilst the Democrats have majority
in only seventeen, and one State, New llamp-
shire loses its vote by having one Republi-
can and one Democratic representative. This
gave the Republicans the constitutional ma
jority to elect. II was to deprive them of
this majority that the contest was made in
the twelfth Indiana district. The hope was
that by unseating Captain White and order
ing new election the Democrats might sue
ceed in electing their candidate, as the dis
trict has heretofore been always Democratic.
This would deprive the Republicans of their
majority and prevent any election i'll the
House. And the Democrats trusted to the
chapter of accidents us To the future.
il will ne interesting to the public to trace
time when it met an ignominous defeat as
all such attempts to deprive the people of the
right of representation should be defeated.
Can't. James Il. White, the Republican can
didate for Congress from the twelfth Indiana
district, was born in Scotland III June $50,
and removed to the United states when nine
tech years of age. He received the liberal
education which is given to every one in
Scotland, and was calico printer and tailor
by trade. He came to this country and set
tied ut Fort Wayne Indiana, in 1891: Mr..
White worked at his trade until the ibeg'n-
ming of the war Of the rebellion, when he
sold ont his business and enlisted as pri-
yate in the 3Oth Indiana Volunteers. lie was
elected captain of company ! of that resi-
ment and served until December, 1862, when
he resigned, having been wounded at the
battle of shiloh, on the 7th of April, 1851.
Returning To private life, Captain White
engaged in business and rapidly accumulated
money establishing an extensive grocery
store, and factory for the manufacture of
wagon wheels, both of which are now in sue
cessful operation. As citizen and Il business
man of unimpcached and unimpeuchablc
character, Captain White acquired the con-
iidence of the people amongst whom he re-
sided, and though Fort Wayne is strongly
Democratic city, Captain White, prominent
and outspokcn Republican, was elected u
member of its common council in 1874 and
continued to act in that capacity for num-
Der of years.
Mr.. Lowry had been elected for two terms
as Il Democrat to represent the twelfth dis
trict in Congress. The usual Democratic ma
iority in the district ranges from 1000 to
5000 In 1856 Mr.. White was nominated
as the Republican candidate for Congress,
and Mr.. Lowry received the Democratic
nomination. The vote of 1884 in this dis
trict stood l9,507 for Lowry, against l6,057
for Keator, Republican. In the contest OF
FI,,, NFnta nm
increase over the vote of the previous year
for the Republican candidate of over one
thousand, while Mr.. Lowry received only
154l6, falling Off of over four thousand
votes from the number he received in lSSi
Three days before the election the charge
was made that Captain White was not u
naturalized citizen of the United States, and
therefore Ineligible to seat in Congress.
Immediately after the publication of this
statement Captain White made oath that he
had applied for his first papers in 1893, and
had completed his naturalization by taking
out his final papers in 1860, after the close OF
the war.
The fact that no record of his naturaliza-
ton appeared in the clerk S Office of the court
of Fort Wayne had been known for two or
three months to Mr.. Lowry and his friends,
while il was not known to Capt White, be-
cause having complied with the law, Capt
White supposed the record was complete,
was sprung upon Capt. White just at the
close of the campaign, having been studiously
concealed from the public up to that time,
with the hope that il might demorlile the
Republicans and secure the election OF Mr..
Lowry. This expectation was not renllzed'
and Capt. White was elected by the majority
previously stated.
Immediately after the election Mr., Lowry
served Il notice of contest upon Capt. White,
alleging his disability ms an unnaturaiZed
citizen, to hold seat in Congress. Tesli'
mOny was taken and il was established THAI
there was no record of his NATURALIZATION III
1863 but Capt. White swore to the fact him.
self and had the witnesses who We're present
when he was naturulized also make oath To
the fact in his behalf Upon this record the
contest came before the election committee oI
the House of Representatives, composed oI
Messrs. Crisp of Georgia. OFerrall oi Nir'
ginia, Cultivate of Ohio, Barry of Missls'
sippi Maish of Pennsylvania, Heard of Mis-
souri, Johnson of North Carolina, O'Ncall o
indiana, Moore of TeXas-DemoCratS ano
Rowell of Illinois, Ilouk of Tennessee
Cooper of Ohio Lyman of Iowa, johnston %
Indiana, Lodge of Observation-Disclosures
leans.
The chairman of this committee holds hi'
seat in Congress by Il vote of l,7Ol Just one
tenth of the number of votes polled for Cap
tain White, and only One-nineteenth OF lh'
| votes pOlled in the twelfth Indiana district
while his district contains more voters than
there are in the twelfth Indiana. Another
member of the committee Mr., Barry, o
| Mississippi, claims "a seat in Congress ol
! 1884 votes against l22 scattering, whilc.it Is
well-known fact that II the voters of that dis
trict were permitted to express their Scnti
ments without fear or favor MIR, Barry woulI
be at home practcng his profession and I
Republican would be occupying the sea
which he now holds Six of the nine Demo
AsaHuNl
the other three being from Pennsylvania
Ohio and Indiana, This.cOmmittee prompt!
decided by unanimous vote that Mr.. Lowr!