Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-07

totESASL OAoIAANhEo ~ D-BN!ON.l
WASHINGTON, January 6th.-There was
full meeting of the House Committee on
Elections to-day to consider the Thoebe-
Carlisle contested election case. The con-
testant, Thoebe, was present with his
counsel, Messrs. Sypher and Steever, of this
city. No one formally represented the
Speaker.
Sypher began the presentation of Thoebe's
case, taking up first the brief already sub
mitted with the record, which assumes as
the basis of the case that the State election
laws were violated in the appointment of
Judges of Election. This infraction of the
law, he asserted, was sufficient to warrant
favorable consideration of Thoebe's claim.
but if the committee did not agree in this
view he was prepared to present evidence
to satisfy them OF his clients election. The
record alone would not reveal the facts in
the case, and it was the duty of the COM
mittee to send q subcommittee to the dis
trict TO ascertain the facts Important
papers had been destroyed as he could
prove by affidavits. Taking up the details
of the case, Sypher said that on the night
of the election it became apparent to the
Judges of Election at Covington that
Carlisle had been defeated by more than
1000 votes.
PUTTING UP THE JOB.
At l o'clock they sent for Carlisle and
brought him to the house of a friend He
(Sypher) could give the name of that friend
and the location of the house, but would
not do so unless the committee urged him,
as he did not wish to state all he knew at
this stage of the case. After consulting
with Carlisle they telegraphed TO have the
returns of the outside counties withheld.
who are 'they'?" inquired Heard
"Why, friends of Carlisle" replied
| Sypher. He said il was fact that the re-
turns of six outlying counties were with
held for five days, and Carlisle had pub
licly confessed that he was defeated.
You do not attach any importance to
this point?" suggested Heard.
NO just mention it." replied Sypher
Hayes, think, confessed to defeat at
| first" said Heard.
Yes, replied Sypher, land | think he
| ought to have stuck to it."
"DocToRED RETURNS.
Sypher said that in seven or eight pre-
cincts of Carroll county the poll-books
| the names, in one hand writing, and it was
| evident that all must have been written
F, after election day by one man, as he could
not have been il ell the precincts at once
on election day.
Sypher next read the affidavit of John j.
Pierce Pierce tells that the signatures on Il o
| poll-books were in one hand peculiar
hand while the signatures of the cleo
ton officers were in different handwritings.
LOST BY NEGLECT.
Counsel said that Carlisle had failed of
election through neglect In some pre-
cincts no tickets were printed until 3
o'clock, and there was virtually no election
in some precincts. In one case only the
three Judges voted, two for Carlisle aud
one for Thoebe. In Boone county 200
votes were cast on election day, but the re-
turns finally showed 567 votes
In Carroll county there was practically
no election. He could show that the
voters mad failed to go to the polls on elec-
ton 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 in every one of the outlying counties.
Sypher quoted from a statement by J. J.
Blakely, who was, he said, a prominent
Democrat and an attorney of Covington,
to the effect that q names appeared to have
been added to the names on one of the
pOll-books after the signatures of the Judges
mad been entered.
After the election seven of Carlisle's
friends met and sent for Colonel W. r.
Nelson. They told him Carlisle had been
defeated, and wanted him to assist in de-
vising some means of changing the result
Thereupon Colonel Nelson left, declaring
that he could take no part
CARLISLE DARE NOT CONTRADICT THIS,
GENTLEMEN
Said Sypher. Counsel next took up an
affidavit by the contestant to the effect that
Carlisle's friends had corrupted his
(Thoebe's) attorney and induced him to
abandon the case and suppress the testi-
mony. Sypher said that they had been
given the name of the man who had pur-
chased the attorney Wood, and if their
informants told the truth that man was
relative of Carlisle's. The price named for
Wood was $3.50.
Touching Carlisle's refusal to join him in
taking testimony, Sypher remarked: He
did not dare to meet me- He dare not 90.
now into that district and take testimony"
MONEY IN IT FOR SOMEBODY
Thoebes affidavit was next read wherein
he accuses Wood of delaying the taking of
testimony, and with telling him (Thoebe)
there might be money in it for both Of
them if he would withdraw from the con-
test. Sypher declared that there was
enough evidence in his brief to warrant the
committee in seating his client, but if they
did not think SO, certainly there was at least
sufficient grounds for reopening of the
case. With what is Carlisle here before
the committee? Nothing-not even a GER
tificate of election. Either he knows he
has no case, or he is going to throw himself
upon the mercy of the Court"
BEWARE OF THE WORKERS.
In conclusion, he told the committee that
it was known TO those interested that both
of the old parties had been coquetting with
the Industrial party-both seeking its votes
in the next campaign-and the committee
could not afford to refuse to investigate the
claims of this workingman, Thoebe, in the
face of the disclosures he had made to the
committee.
THoEBE STATES HIS CASE
The contestant, Thoebe, next made q
statement to the committee. He said he
was born in the same county with the
| Speaker, forty-three years ago. After the
election he bad told Wood that if Carlisle
had one more vote than he (Thoebe) had,
he ought to take the seat In one county
witness was informed he had received
| thirty-tve votes, but when Wood went
down there he was informed that no
votes had been cast for him. In July,
[ Wood, referring to witness case, said :" L
| don't know what can be done about il"
| Wood also 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
witness brother-in-law, had called upon
him and remarked that if he would not
push the case he could make money out of
it and
| ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS WAS A GOOD THING
TO HAVE.
If the case were reopened it would be
| found that be was elected by GOO majority
He (Thoebe) had been strong Democrat,
but for three or four years had been an
Independent. II the committee refused to
reopen the case the workingmen would
say: " Had Thoebe been Democrat, or
had he been lawyer, they would have
/