Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-08-14
Report Of the Elections Committee
Upon the Noted Arkansas
Contest.
The AssasSin's Bullet Declared
Not an Open Sesame to
Congress.
Urgent Necessity for Laws to Pre-
vent BallOt-box Stealing
and Murder.

/
has prepared for admission to the house
the majority report of the elections COM
mittee upon the Clayton Breckenridge con.
tested election case and the murder of the
Republican contestant. Commenting on
Clayton murder, the report says: The
state and nation were Mortified Rewards
were offered and the community of Nor
rilton, near which the murder occurred,
passed appropriate resolutions, but NJ
earnest attempt in bringing the murderer
to justice has been made by the local au-
thorities. The efforts of the governor have
been in vain Much of the work done has
been upon mistaken idea and due
weight has not been given to the suspicion
that should naturally attach TO the ballot
box thieves"
Next the report'refers to the killing of
Smith, negro detective, who was inves-
tigating the ballot-box theft, and OF
| George Bentley, brother of o. I. Bent
ley, who was suspected of being one, of the
thieves. George Bentley at that time'was
negotiating with one of the Pinkertons to
give the government evidence and eXpose1
the guilty parties when he was said to
have been accidently shot by his brother
The report says there is no direct Grimm
atty in the killing of Bentley, but declares
it unfortunate that these two killings oc-
Cured while the men were about to give
evidence to the Pinkerton detectives. The
theory that Clayton's murder was due to
the enmity of one Hooper is taken up, and
the report says it clearly appears that
Hooper was not only i'll California when
the murder occurred, but IL with disease,
This theory, says the majority, was nat
urally pleasing to the contestee (Breckip-
RIDGE, though the friends of Colonel Clay
! ton naturally complained that so import
ant clew should have been concealed for
ten months from them. and only made
known when the congressional investiga-
ton began. The report continuing says:
mo reasonable explanation of the muir
der appears except that some Of the ballot
box thieves, finding the taking Of the tes-
timony continuing, killed Colonel Clayton
to suppress tie Investigation No other
motive is possible.
The necessity of the enactment of some
laws which will prevent ballot-box stealing
and murder from comforting prlma facie
title to a seat in congress is evident from
the result in this contest. Had such laws
been in force as would have prevented the
contestee from taking his seat with such
title no one would have attempted to con-
fer such title by stealing the ballot box.
Evidently ballot-box stealing was looked
upon as joke in that community until
the awful consequences that have resulted
have appalled, the good people of the
country No doubt some of these men
would have been deferred from taking the
first step in the crime if they had realized
that murder would be the end. But they
crossed their Rubicon. Breckenridge got
the seat in congress, and one crime follow
ed in the footsteps of the other. The
least guilty of the criminals dare not eX-
pose the more guilty lest the fate of Clay
ton should overtake them.
The murderers of Benjamin, we'll
known Little Rock man who was killed
near Morrilton, while comforting with
local Republicans with regard to bringing
the ballot-box thieves to justice, must be
well known, for large number OF persons
were present, but they are not indicted, no
indictments have been found under the
state election laws for the ballot-box
crime; the murderer of Smith is discharg-
ed without trial; the killing OF Bentley is
not investigated and the only man
whose crime is punished is Wahl.
the federal supervisor, who was
indicted for playing cards
when he was shot. The contention of
Breckenridge and his counsel that the ac-
auittal of the Judges and Others charged
with frauds in this election should bind
the house and that this adjudication
should be accepted by congress as proof
that frauds did not exist, the report
says, SIS surprising and the majority de-
cline to be bound by the action of an Ar
kansas Jury in criminal case. The re-
port also disagrees with other legal propo-
sitions brought forward by counsel
''In Cleveland County, one Dansby APP
peared, bringing two shotguns, and an
nounced his intention of taking an active
interest in the proceedings. He was un-
der the influence OF liquor. Dansby is a
strong democrat and partisan of the con-
testee His high connections, instead of
being treated as an aggravatlon of his
gross violation of both State and Federal
law, is rather urged as excuse for shielding
him from punishment. For this otfense
Dansby was fined $500, portion of which
fine was paid by the contestee That the
nominee of a great political party should
accept certificate of election to seat
to which he was clearly not elected,
and at the same time aid in the payment
OF Il me lnpOseu upon dholnei Nioidtloh VI
the law and that such conduct should not
be me. with anything but commentator
and approval by his political followers,
shows state of disregard for the prin-
ciples of popular government which may
we'll be looked upon with apprehension.
That men may be found lawiess enough to
commit these crimes is to be depored, but
when men of high character and standing
complacently avail themselves of the fruits
of such crime, and tie control OF the ma
tional house representatives is made to
|, turn up such methods, it no longer re-
, maind mere matter of local concern. but
arises to the magnitude of national
calamity.
} The resolution accompanying the re-
port very righteously declares the seat
vacant.
Tope NJ the Free Tradpr1