The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-12-18
The Gnshinp Chamhers.

highly edifying than the Journals inter-
view of Friday with SMILEY n. CHAM
BERs. This Dudley beneficiary, not salts
fed with using his official power to protect
the head boodler. has assumed the colossal
task of indicating theconfessed scoundrel,
on the theory, we presume, of similia sinaii-
ib1ts curantlr. We invite attention to the
following extract:
- / wish, also to state that l have
read the letters printed in the press, purport-
ing to be written by the colonel, and, in my
| opinion, unattended by any extraneous evil
dence. they do not advise bribery, as appertain-
/ ing to the election of 1888. The letters, con-
strued in the light Of the knowledge that we all
possess of how elections in Indiana are con-
| Quoted by both parties, have nothing in them
/ of criminal character, but upon the other
| hand, when construed, are honorable. and
indicate simply patriotic interest in the elec-
| TONS"
what is your knowledge of the conduct of
| elections, as suggested by the letters"
! Il know how the elections were conducted in
our part of the country. Instead OF dividing
the voters who were counted as doubtful, either
! from inability to get to the polls on account of
sickness or from indifference, by reason
OF occupation that would keep them away, We,
as far as possible, divided them into blocks of
one We assigned to every such voter re-
/ sponsible, honest and honorable citizen, whose
| duty ii was land who agreed to do sol to look
after such voter and see that he attended at the
| polls and cast his vote. j know that the men
/ so selected by us would have resented with in
dignation any suggestion that in accepting
such duty, they were, in the least, violating any
/ law or doing anything that was, in any sense,
wrong or dishonorable. In many instances
where carriages were necessary to haul the sick,
or to procure labor as substitute for men
whose employment made il necessary for a sub
stitute to be supplied, We gave assurance that
/ the expenses incurred in such matters would
/ be met by our committee"
The almost universal knowledge of the
manner in which money has been used
in Indiana elections gives the lie to this
statement so completely that comment is
| practically superfiuous. but we would
suggest to Mr.. CHAMBERS that in carrying
his explanation into detail it will be
necessary to construe the following adj
monitiOn in the Dudley letter;
Divide the hoaters into blocks of five and
/ put a trusted man with the necessary funds in
charge of these five, and make him resDon-
sible that none get away and that all vote our
ticket.
In translating this, Mr.. CHAMBERS will
be obliged to state that a ''loater" is a man
who will sell his vote; that ga trusted man
with the necessary funds" is professional
vote-buyer supplied with money by the
/ republican committee; that seeing that
''none get away" means not allowing the
| opposition vote-buyers to outbid him; and
that seeing that ''all vote our ticket"
means that the votes of the tloaters must
not only be purchased, but certainly de-
livered. 1t may be somewhat humiliating
to make these explanations, but Mr.
/ CHAMBERS cannot afford to dispute the
meaning of terms which, unfortunately.
are thoroughly understood throughout In
/ diana 1t will not do for Mr.. DUDLEY s
| champion to claim that a foater is a sick
man who has to be conveyed to the polls
in a cssIage. Ii he does, men may adj
mire the magnificent impudence of his
prevarication, but they will not have any
higher opinion of Mr.. DUDLEY.
Apparently realizing that this portion of
his explanation does not explain, Mr.
! CHAMBERS proceeds as follows:
While Col DUDLEY's letters we're not writ
ten with that circumspection which a more
| willy and less honorable man would have en-
| ployed, knowing what l do of the method Of
conducting elections and of the character of
| the colonel and the many honorable offices
which he has faithfully and honorabIy filled
| they did not advise crime TO be done. Mind
| full of his record a brave soldier, of his patr
otto interest and of his services to the soldiers
since the war; Of his generous, honorable and
manly character, do not believe it would be
possible to find jury OF twelve fair and up
right men who would find him guilty of any
wrong. They would not do il, | think. even il
the evidence could be had to show either that
/ he wrote the letters as alleged, and that men
acted upon the advice contained in them.
Intelligent persons, of ordinary integ-
rity, will not dispute Mr.. CHAMBERS state
ment that DUDLEY wrote the erscharged
to him, and that they were not 'circum-
spect." Neither will they, in the glare of
this luminous statement, deny that Mr.
| CHAMBERS knows that DUDLEY wrote and
sent the letters as charged. Neither will
they longer question that evidence can be
had to show that che wrote the letters-as
| alleged, and that men acted upon the adj
vice contained in Them" Mr.. CocKRUM to
the contrary Notwithstanding. But in
teresting as these confessions are, more
interesting portion of the statement is Mr..
CHAMBERS reason why the letters did not
advise a crime to be done" This is in two
parts: % KNOWING what l do of the
method of conducting elections" (2)
"Knowing what ] do of the character of
the Colonel Told chum, you know, and
the many honorable offices which he has
faithfully and ably filed" This legal
argument is unique 1t adds an entirely
novel factor TO our jurisprudence. Tomake
the penal laws certain it will now be neces-
sary for congress TO add the following pro-
viso to each enactment: "Providcd howerer,
that the acts enumerated in this section
shall not consist of a criminal offense in
case SMILEY n. CHANNELS knows what he
does"
/ Interest reaches its climax in Mr. CHAM
BERs' explanation why jury would not con-
Wet DUDLEY evenifhe were proven guilty,
which is because Of ''hjs record as a brave
soldier; of his patriotic interest and of
his services TO the soldiers since the war:
| of his generous, honorable and manly
characterw We trust that this will not
create the impression that old soldiers may
commit CRIME without fear of punishment,
for. strange as it may appear to SMILEY,
some old soldiers actually have been con-
victed and punished for .crimes. 1t is
quite possible that if Mr.. CHAMBERS could