The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-29
MATTERS AT THE CAPITAL
New Revelations as to the Manner IN
Which Southern Votes Are Stolen.
Congressman Reed Denies Mr.. Bayard's State
ments Concerning the Fishery Treaty
Amending the Spooner Telegraph Bill.
Row DAVIDSON WAS "ELEcrEp."

More Light ON Southern sethods- Minority
Report ON the Alabama Conspiracy.
Washington Special.
The views Of the minority in the contested
case Of McDufie against Davidson. of the Fourth
Alabama district, as submitted to the House by
Henry Cabot Lodge, who prepared the docu-
msnt, expose q new feature Of the case AS
this report well says, the case involves no legal
question. IL is simply question of methods Of
stealing. The Fourth district Of Alabama has be-
come notorious, as the minority say 1t was
formed so as to include as large proportion OF
the Republican vote Of the State ss possible.
It has n normal Republican majority Of at
least 20, 900.
From the testimony. as collated by Mr.. Lodge.
IL appears that Davidson, the Democratic candi-
date was chiefly anxious that McDufie SHOULD
not entsr the race. McDufie is well known in
the district. He has lived there twenty-one
years. but is still called n carpet-baeg because
he was born in Nor thern State and served in
the Union army dur ing the war. So highly is
he respected that he has held the Office OF judge
in his county for the past twelve years Da-
wilson and his friends invaded the Republican
convention and undertook to compass McDuffie's
defeat Failing in that they drew together
half dozen corrupt Republicans and placed nc
titious candidate in the field.
The testimony OF Democratic witnesses, which
is uncontradicted, shows that before the canvass
began the Democratic leaders declared that Da-
wilson should be counted In. In several pre-
cincts Republicans refused to vote because they
believed IL would be useless, but in the main
they did VOTE a62i they took TO have wit
nssses at the pCgs to show bow the votes were
cast There we're Irregularities in the re-
turns in Ally the counties except one
The testimony shows that in large
number of precincts more votes were counted
than there were voters living in such precincts
The grave yards were ransacked for names and
the names of men who had removed from the
district were counted by the Alabama election
judges all Of whom were partisans of Davidson
At thirteen precincts not q vote was cast for
McDufie, according TO the returns, although all
Of them are large Republican precincts. and Da-
wilson was credited with from fourteen to l9o
votes. At several precincts the Democratic in
spectors refused to open the polls at all.
Mr.. Lodge has done the country service by
collatinR the testimony and facts relating TO
each of large number OF precincts TO show how
the returns were falsifed and the ballots
changed. OF course. the Democratic majority.
of the elections committee, whiGn voted solldiy
that Captain White, of Indiana. is an al1en
voted just as soidly in favor of Davidson, the
beneficiary of the Alabama fraud.
In concluding the review of the testimony the
minority says that it shows conclusivey and
overwhelmingly that conspiracy to carry the
election In the Fourth congressional district or
Alabama was carried out successfully in four of
the FIVE counties of the district. The minority,
holding that the returns from four counties are
so tainted with fraud as to he unworthy OF be-
lief, maintain that the vote of those four couu-
ties should be thrown out, and only the con-
tested precincts of Lowndes county be counted
Tho minority say Judge McDufie lived in that
county. and the conspiracy broke down among
the neiehbors of a man generally respected by
ali, without distinction of party.
1t now remains TO be seen whether the Demo
cratic party in the House of REPRESENTATIVES
will continue to stand like stone wall against
honest elections