New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-11-25
GOSSIP AT THE CAPITAL.
THE THRILLING MIDNIGHT RIDE OF DEM
OCRATIC COMMITTEE.

OCRATIC COMMITTEE.
HOW JOHNNY McsHANE WAS ELECTED TO
HALF A DOZEN OFFICES" GENERAL Up
SHAW. BY CD SAB. FINE OLD
SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN JOE
BLACKBURN AND THE
"coDE"
Washington. Nov 24-Indana people who have
recently arrived In Washington bring the story OF
thrilling railroad ride at the dead Of night rom
Indianapolis to Fort Wayne. Tho fame OF fani
Revere and "Phll" Sheridan would pale oeslde thls
lightning Journey Of Democratic committee, only
that the heroes OF II are taking great pains to keep 1t
quiet
A Mugyyrmp editor in New-York City pretended that
he had unearthed a huge corruption scheme on inc
part Of Senator Quay and the wicked Repuohcahs
who were associated with him on the Na'lonai COM
mIttee The alleged discovery was that 100000 had
been telegraphed to a bank In Fort wayne LOT use
by tho Republicans election day The virtuous
editor made known his Z" nndu TO the Democratic
National Committee. Chairman Brice at once mano
the wires hot with warnings to the Democrauo YUM
mittee In indianapolis The Bourbons there khe"
their own party so well that they feared II money
onos got aaoat there wouldn't DO any Democratic
votes TO count So they decided to capture the cor
ruption fund.- and hold 1t for themselves special
train was chartered little before midnight attorneys
were taken along with the committecme and writ
Of Injunction drawn up as the train sped along
at the rate Of forty miles an hour Ihe only STOP
was at telegraph station, where messages were sent
to Chairman Brice, assuring him that the outrageous
assault on the virtue OF the Indiana Democracy would
be foilcd Fort Wayne was reached about O'Clock
In the cold November morning. The Democrauc
Committeeman In that city is a Mr. Fleming, an at
torney OF some reputation. To his house the indian
apolis delegation ran as best they could Tor no
carriages were TO be had at the depot They sormed
the castle. and after much trouble in convincing tho
occupant that they not burglars we're admiued-
Fleming received them in his night costume and as
he recognized one after another his surprise was I'M
bounded
aWbat the devil does this meant" he finally ex-
claimed.
Then the whole story was told him. and he was
urged to dress at once and go with them to secure
the Injunction from some Democratic judge, who
would soc to It that the bank didn't pay out tho
money while these hurried explanations were being
made, Attorney Fleming sight for gods and
men. He roared with laughter. caught his breath
and roared again. Finally he brought out the
hospitabe bottle which is to be found In tho house
Of every Indiana Democrat invited his astonished
visitors to "take suthn'' (Which they did and once
more gave way 10 his mrth Then he became
serious.
"Boyss he said, "you'rl have tImc to catch that
9 O'Clock train and get back homo before anybody
your place"
And then Mr. Fleming told the indianapolis com
mtteemen that he knew all about the S3oo,ooo be
cause the money had been sent to him by some OF his
Eastern clients. It for the purpose OF making
| tender for the Fort Wayne water bonds, and the
business had to be done by telegraph. Evidenuy
there had been leak somewhere on the telegraph ne
but the person who tapped It had learned Just enough
| to tump at conclusions which made the Mugwump
editor Chairman B-ice and the Indianapolis Committee
suprcmely ridiculous The latter did not whrl back
| TO indianapolis on their chartered special Ihey
took Flemlng's advice and caught the o'clock train
in the fond hope that their fools eand would never
| be exposed. But It too good to keep. and now
every Indiana politician who reaches Washington. has
the version Of It which current when he left home
| aJohnnys Mcshane, "The Lone Democrat from
Nebraska who won't be I'm the next Congress- Is tho
| hero OF another campaign story. Western Rcpubn-
| cans are telling 1t with a great deal of glee The
| Omaha Congressman his party's candidate for
| Governor this year and expected to make phenome
nal rum though signs that 1t wasn't going TO
| Ire a good year for the Democrats in tho West
| Johnny, McShane, however, had a scheme, and he
was willing spend Of his big fortune In carry
ing 1t out His plan was TO get the support OF GER
tain number Of scratchers in every election district
in the State Politicians don't need TO be told how
easy 1t is to figure out majority If certain percent
age OF gain can be kept up throughout all the election
| districts To make success OF Mcshane's
! plan of campaign, It was necessary that
| the people in one neighoorhood shouid
not know that It was being worked elsewhere
Then by appeals 10 give Johnny" good vote because
he was such decent fellow and It wouldn't affect the
result anyhow, a large gain might have been made
| This method, supplemented by the employment OF
men at every polling place In the State, who were. OF
course paid for their time in peddling McShane past
| erso or "sllckers,o was full of promise million
laccU sent
! Mcshane's written on Ihem They were to
be pasted over the name of Governor Thayer. who was
| the Republican candidate
| On election night McSLane and his Omaha friends
were big with importance as they waited for the re-
turns come in The voting being over, they ddn I
mind whispering that Johnny" had been playing it'
on the confding Republicans Just as he did when he
overturned their majority and elected TO Congress
But their happiness was short-lived. The reports
| which began coming In showed large Republican
gains and Governor Tbayer running about even
with his ticket. In no localities did he seem to be
behind. The McShaneites went home puzzled. The
only thing they could make out was that Thayer had
been cleo ted by increased majority Hence, they
! reasoned that their plan of campaign must have
failed in some vital particular In two or three days
they found out all about IT, They had the pleasure
of knowing that the Hon. John A. McShane had re-
ceived large vote for various Offices In different parts
of the State while his election at least score Of
| local positions seemed beyond all doubt The stick
erso had been used, and the men who had been hired
| to peddle them had undoubtedly earned their money.
The trouble that they had not been pasted over
the name Of Thayer, the candidate for Governor The
Republicans who were asked TO give Johnny good
vote" had cheerfully responded by using the stick
ers" the blank places on the ticket Mcshane had
the honor of being elected constable in dozen pre-
cncts road supervisor I'm several townships, pound
| master in three or four villages and justice of the
| peace In at least two places. A number Of voters
in one election district where great things We're
looked for from the of the "stckers" had voted
| him boss OF the chumps" Now McShane's reputa-
| ton as a Napoleon of Politics. is gone. His friends
suspect that the enemy knew all about tho proposed
stratagem and passed the word around to give him
| good vote but not Just in the way he expected.
The next Senator from Michigan will be James Nc