San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-07-13
DOWN ON THE RIO oRANDE.
The Duality of Democratic Dubios-
ity-HoW to Keep Republicans
OUT of Office,

The Duality of Democratic Dubios-
ity-How to Keep Republicans
Out of office.
Since the publication of r. +.
Manns letter in Wednesdays LIGHT,
this office has been endeavoring to
reach the bottom facts outlined in that
letter. The federal officers who re-
turned from Brownsville early in the
week were strictly .committal and
data has been hard to reach. This
much has been ascertained, however.
Indictments have been found against
Judge J. p. Kelsey, of Starr county,
and three of the county commission
ers of that county for fraudulently
and corruptly refusing to count the
returns of the election for congress-
men in the last November election.
county, Aldretta, insisted upon the
count being made, but the other three
commissioners voted not to count the
returns from the Roma box, and the
state troops were on hand to enforce
that decision. The returns were not
counted, the fraudulent certificate Of
election was filed in Austin and the
ten county officials who were defeat
ed at the polls were declared elected,
and now hold office. These are the
facts, although with this the United
States court had nothing to do, its
Jurisdiction extending only to the con-
gressional election. Here is just
where Judge Kelsey overreached him
self. Had he mOnkeyed with the
state and county election returns alone
he would have been safe, butwhen he
refused TO count the returns at all
and threw out the box, then he re-
fused to count the vote for congress
man as we'll and thus rendered him
self and the three commissioners liable
to the penalties of the federal court,
which may inflict a fine of $500 and
send each of them to the pen for three
years.
1t also appears that Uncle Sans
troops have been monkeyed with. 1t
is ascertained that this case also was
before the grand jury but without re-
suit. A II the same there were two COM
panies of United States troops in the
streets of Rio Grande City with arms
stacked in the vicinity ofs.the polling
places from s a. m. to 5 p. m. and it
is in order to inquire by whose author
ity they were there. 1t does look
very much as though the Mexican
habits of having a government candi-
date, and of aiding his election by the
presence of government troops at the
polls had been introduced on this
side of the Rio Grande last Novem-
Der. To the many MeXicans on this
side of the Rio Grande it would natur-
ally appear that these troops repre-
scented a government candidate and
this supposition may not be as for
eign to the facts as some people sup
pose. At all events there is grave
ground for inquiry into this very sus-
picious circumstance as there were
not SO of government funds to be
protected at the time the same hav-
ing been sent to Washington five days
before.
Before this matter is ended there
may be a revelation of tie modus
operandi of conducting elections along
the Rio Grande that will astonish
the national authorities and pave the
way for honest elections along the
border. When that time comes the
big democratic majority will vanish
from Ell Paso to Brownsville.