Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-11-03
a DEMOCRATIC JOB.
Exposure of IL Scheme to Vote Double
Ballots in Indiana.

Ballots in Indiana.
INDIANAPOLIS, November 2d,-Chairman
Huston, OF the Republican State Central
Committee, in his letter to Chairman Jewett
OF The Democratic committee, yesterday,
suggested that Election Inspectors be re-
CURED to place small rubber band around
each ballot as it was received, this band not
to be removed until the ballots were taken
from the box. This. it was thought, would
preclude the possibility Of any person de.
posting more than one ballot.
Chairman Jewett replied as follows:
do not believe such an agreement can be
carried out over the entire State at his late day
ana am sure no agreement We make can effect
a legal ballot voted in disregard OF it. Never
iheless, as such an arrangement may i'll some
degree, eonduce to q fair election, If you viii
put your idea in the form of a Recommendation
10 the inspectors viii cheerfully sign it.
On receipt Of this reply Chairman Hus-
ton, acting upon the suggestion contained
in Chairman Jewett's letter, submitted an
agreement, officially signed, for the ap-
provai sud signature Of Chairman Jsweft.
To this Dir. Jewett replied substantially:
l said III my letter this morning that The
scheme was impracticable st this late day. and
since then have learned that there are not half
enough rubber bands OF the kind named in the
STATE OF Indiana, and am therefore fully con-
yInoed that II is impiacticable 10 get bands and
have them stributed and fully understood by
election day. Besd S, it has been suggested to
me that any mani ipulation of a ticket by an In
Spector, aside from taking il from the hands of
the voter aud placing it in the box, would be re-
garded with great distrust by our voters who
are unused to any such proceeding. A much
better arrangement would be for the voter to
put the band on the ballot himself and the
same results would thereby be accomplished.
To this Cha;rman Huston acquiesced,
returning the agreement with the amend
ment embodied, and stating that he would
undertake to furnish all The rubber bands
required, the expense TO be shared by the
committees.
The correspondence abruptly closes here.
The messenger that carried Huston's agree
ment to the Democratic headquarters to-
night returned with the statement that
Chairman Jewett said he had nothing more
to say.
HUsToN's REASONS.
The character and outcome of the CORE
spondence is the subject of general COM
ment tonight in political circles Chair
man Huston, when asked tonight by an
Associated Press correspondent whether
any special reasons Of general interest bad
led him to propose the rubber band plan
and make such persistent efforts to secure
its adoption, said there were very urgent
and important reasons, and furnishes the
following written statement:
Yesterday we learned from a man. who had
been taken into the scheme by the Democrats
that double voting was to be resortedt to by them
all over the State. This man was taken into
room, where he and several other men from
different counties were instructed in the art of
voting double tickets. They were told to fold
and iron smooth a number of ballots the night
before the election. One or more of these bal
lots smoothed in that way were then to be
slipped into the folds of a lawful ballot, and
this ballot was to be he'd with the finger
fastened on the side of the ballot opposite the
outward fold, so that no one could see there
were other ballots inside the lawful ballot The
Democratic Inspectors were to be instructed TO
seize the ballot between the fingers in the same
way and deposit in the box quickly. Once inside
the box, the lawful ballot would spring open
and the spurious ballots would drop out of its
folds, especially when the box was well shaken
or the ballots stirred by the hand of the In
spector i'll the count. The informant discloses
the name OF the man giving the Instructions
but we are not ready to make it known to
the public. l regret to say that he is an
Indiana man, and holds his head pretty high
These men were also instructed to have these
tickets voted by electors who N i ght be bought
on election day by the Democrats, but alter
wards this part of the scheme was abandoned
temporarily for fear the Republicans might
watch the voters too closely to permit the sue
eesstul operation of the plan, and so the party
receiving the instructions were told to get the
better class of Democrats to cast these ballots
for they would not likely be watched SO closely
by the Republicans. These instructions have
been given to parties all through The State and
in ORDER to encourage them they were told that
the same plan was to be operated in New York.
have accordingly advised our friends in New
York to be on their guard.
The balance of the statement partakes of
the nature OF the party instructions regard
ing the subject.