The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-01-23
DUDLEY FREED BY WOODS.
THE eRANDJuRY ToLoNoTToNDlcT
90 other Interpretation Can Be Placed
Upon the supplemental Charges Is
sued by Judge WOOds-Progress
or the Great Conspiracy.

Justice has been baked; election cor
ruption has been encouraged, and Dudley
has been saved from punishment for his
debauchery of the ballot by the interposi-
ton of Judge Woods. The time had come
when nothing but disqualification and
the most abject retraction of his former
utterances by the federal judge could save
the chief vote-buyer from indictment and
the republican managers and candidates
from an exposure OF the wholesale corrup-
ton by which they secured a victory on
the 9Th of November last.
On every point which, in his first in
structions to the federal grand jury Judge
Woods said it was necessary to cover to
find an indictment, the most explicit evil
dence had been obtained. The vote-buy
ers, the corruptionists and the beneficiaries
of their crimes against free government
were panic-stricken The penitentiary
doors swung inward for Dudley; the deep
est humiliation awaited the president
elect; disruption stared the republican
party in the face.
Nothing but a mandate from Judge
Woods to the grand jury, ordering that
body to dismiss the Dudley case could
avert the impending disaster. Judge
Woods came to the rescue and, to all in
tents and purposes, issued the desired
orders to the grand jury.
Yesterday ne delivered a supplemental
instruction in effect notifying the mem
bers OF that body that they must not re-
turn an indictment against Dudley. If
this were not its sole aim and object, the
supplemental instruction would have
been wholly unnecessary and irrelevant.
In thus lending himself to the service
Of the election bribers, Judge Woods has
been compelled to eat his words uttered
in his original charge to the grand jury
and has placed himself upon level with
the worst enemies of ballot-box purity
within the ranks OF that political party to
whose service he Is devoted.
The history of the conspiracy, which
eliminated yesterday in Judge Woods
charge practically ordering that the Dud-
ey case be dropped, is readily traceable.
First came Dudiey's letter, instructing
1.-The managers Of Benjamin's Harrison's
campaign in the nefarious science Of vote
buying.
~ IL = Il 1r44-
and Dudley's admission of its genuineness.
The third step preliminary to the actual
formation OF the conspiracy was the meet
ing Of the grand jury, and the beginning
OF its investigation of the famous letter.
Judge Woods original instructions TO
the grand jury gave the friends Of honest
elections-possibly against their better
Judgment in view of Judge Woods past
record-some faint hope that the chief
promoter Of the wholesale vote-buying
practiced at the last election in the inter
est OF Benjamin Harrison-that chief
promoter being none other than Benjamin
HarrIson's bosom friend and personal
representative on the national committee,
would be brought to justice. In his
original charge, Judge Woods quoted
sec. 5,5ll revised statutes as follows:
RS 5.5l1-If. at any election Tor representa-
five or delegate IN congress, any person know
ingly perS0nates and votes, or attempts to vote
IN the name Of any other person. whether liy-
ing. dead, or fictitious or votes more than once
~ the same election Tor any candidate Tor the
same Office; or votes az place where he may
not be lawfully entitled 70 vote; or votes with
out having lawful right TO vote; or does any
unlawful act TO secure an opportunity 10 vote
for himself or any other person; or By force,
threat intimidation, bribery, reward offer
thereof, uniawiully prevents any qualified
voter OF any state, or OF any territory, from
freely exercising the right Of suffrage, or By
any such means induces any voter to refuse to
exercise sucn right, or cOmpels. or induces.
by any such means, any OflceT OF cleo
ton IN any such state or territory to receive
vote from any person not legally quail
ned or entitled to vote; or inteueres in any
manner with any officer OF such election IN the
discharge Of his duties; or by any such means,
or unlawful means, induces any officer OF an
election, officer whose duty it is to ascertain,
announce or declare the result OF any such
election. or give or make any certificate docu-
Tnent or evidence in relation thereto, to violate
or refuse 70 comply with his duty or any law
regulating the same; OF knowingly receives the
vote OF any person not entitled 10 vote, or re-
fuses to receive the vote Of any person entitled
70 vote. or aids, counsels, prOcures or advises
any such voter, person or officer to do any act
hereby made a crime, omit to do any duty
the omission OF which is hereby made a crime
or attempt to do so. he snail be punished by a
fine of not more than $50, or by imprisonment
not more than three years, or by both, and
shall pay the costs OF the prosecution.
Proceeding TO comment on the same,
he employed the following language,
which is given word tor word:
Some of the ofenses spoken of here, you will
zee, may be committed by an unofficial person.
and some Of them by an officer Of an election
And now in reference 70 a particular part of
the offenses named, | wish to say that consd-
cradle question has been made since the cleo
zion through which we have just passed, as 10
whether an attempt to bribe constitutes an Of
tense under this law. / instruct you that it
does not under this statute. The latter clause
Of the section makes any one guilty who coun-
seis bribery.
7 VIII now instruct you fully upon the word
attempt" as il is used in this clause in order
that you may understand its force in relation
20 the specifications made REGARDING counsel
ing to bride and actual bribery. The section
does make it an 0fense 60 in any manner cOun-
sci, aid or assist. ia the bribery of voter or in
committing any other Oiense named in
the section; but an unsuccessful attempt
20 bride a voter does not constitute any
oflense under this section. In other words, this
statute does not condemn as q crime, no mat
Ter how clearly 4 may be proven, an attempt
20 bride a voter, provided It can be shown that
it did not succeed. In order to understand the
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