The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-04
OHIO'S BALLOT-BOX ROW.
THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF THE
HOUSE RRCoNvENEs.

Committees Proceedings-Forake
Excuse for Producing No Witnesses
Gov. Campbell Shows That He Had
No Interest in the Scheme.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.-After a recsss Of
two weeks, the special House committee in
vestigating the Ohio ballot box forgery
assembled again this morning to continue
its inquiry. Representative Grosvenor
opened with a statement that since the adj
journment the committee and himself had
been unpleasantly criticised by the Com
DlerciGL Gazette because of the conduct Of
the investigation, and because certain wit
nesses had not been cross-examined, and
because Gov. Foraker had been deprived Of
cross-examination.
Gov. Foraker interrupted to deny that he
had had anything to do with the criticism.
81 should hope not" said Mr.. Grosvenor;
you are a lawyer"
Continuing, he asked the committee to in
sist upon the regular order o. examination
and cross-examination, 50 that the public
would understand that he was not to be ex-
pected to cross-examine his own witnesses
The chairman said he did not care what
criticisms were passed upon the committee,
and he did not propose to allow newspaper
FoRAKER's SLIM EXCUSE.
Gov. Foraker said he had produced no
witnesses here. This was an effort on the
part of the committee to get at the truth.
and he had aided the committee, at its re-
quest. in getting witnesses. If this was to
be an adversary proceeding, no wished to
know it at once. He had seen an editorial
in which Mr.. Halls cad criticised him for
not cross-examining Wood. But Wood had
an tfff rlfr a 81. l.
testimony that there was no necessity, to
his mind, for cross-examination.
MIR. Grosvenor said he represented no
adversary proceedings, and d!d not propose,
by newspaper sneers, TO be driven into the
attitude of prosecuting attorney. His
clients suffered from the pubic belief that
there was another balot-box contract. and
he was called upon to bring out the facts,
and not TO be criticised for treating a wit
ness 30 gingerly.
WOOD WAS CRoss-ExANINED.
Mr.. Turner, member of the COMMITTEES.
said that the commi ittee had called Wood
and had cross-examined him; he Turnerl
had taken part In it,.
Mr. Cogswell said the committee should
ignore newspaper gossip aud carry out the
order of the House, nothing more or less
and the committee assented to this view
Representative Butterworth, who was
awaiting an examination, said that there
was not a scintilla OF truth in the statements
that the persons mentioned In the forgery
were AFRAID 10 go to the bottom of this case
The committee would realize the effect of
having it said daily that they were pulling
the coat-tails of members of the committee.
saying: "Be careful"
Mr.. Wilson, member of the COMMITTEES.
replied that it would appear from the
| record that the committee had fully cross
examined Mr. Mckinley and Wood.
.t,Ns.
put on the stand, and denied the genuine
ness Of his signature to the baIlot-box CON
tract. His testimony, and that Of three or
TOUR witnesses who succeeded him on the
stand, was further damaging to Wood.
THE CAMPBELLs ARE COMING.
Gov. Campbell Of Ohio then took tho
stand. The chairman handed him tho
forged papers, and he declared ne had
never seen the paper until that minute:
that he had never signed it, and never
signed his name as it appeared on the
paper. He always wrote his name Ia full
James Il. Campbell" When he sent A
short note he occasionally signed ~. e C.p
The newspaper accounts of how Wood Qot
the signatures did not account for his sigma
ture; but after he heard Woo DIS
statement that he had gotten hold of a letter
signed ~. e. c." he made up his mind
that Wood used the initials and filled in the
name in making the forgery. The witness
was shown the contract head, and said he
had never seen it before, but had seen it
published several hundred Thousand times
in newspapers. He never was interested in
ballot-boxes or in any contract bearing
upon them.
WHY HE INTRODUCED THE BILL.
He had introduced the ballot box bin at
the request of I. c. Campbell, and be-
lieved that that gentleman spoke to Repre-
sentative Grosvenor about il. He remem-
bered nothing now about the bill. Il. c.
Campbell brought one Of the ballot boxes
to Washington before July, 1888. and
brought it TO the witness house: it might
be in the basement of the House vet Mr..
Campbell said that the elections committee
was going to deal with the subject of the
ballot box, and he wanted to get his bog
before them. He had spoken, he said, to
Mr.. Grosvenor, and now came to him, as a
democratic introduction would give tho bill
better standing. After the adjournment
the witness asked Mr. Campbell whV he
had not looked after bis bill, and he had
replied that the committee was not going
into the subject, and they were also i'm
proving the box, which they hoped to bring
before the next House.
A DENIAL FROM M'LEAN.
The witness was about to make speech
in Cincinnati on Oct 4, and having seen
intimations in the Commercial Gazette
Llab nlLnSelI anu MT. mcl45du UhQ Dean
involved in some ballot-box trust
which would not be a good thing
for an anti-monopoly candi-
date, he telgraphed Mr.. Mclean
and received an absolute denial of any
knowledge of such a transaction; aud that
was the last he had had to say to Mr.. Nc
Lean on the subject. just before the opera
house spesch a Cincinnati Post reporter
showed the witness a card from Mr. Hal
stead rejecting upon him, and he had
replied: "Halstead Is liar; and If he can
prove anything of that kind / will get Off
the democratic ticket.n AT Germantown
the witness saw the publication in
the Post, and also heard that Gov.
Foraker had charged him with
completely in bill having a 1,000, 600 fee
in it. He was pretty warm, and ordered
suit to be brought against the Post, and
also spoke as he did in the heat Of the mo-
ment at Germantown. The witness here
read editorials from the Commercial
Gazette, and the published account OF his
Germantown speech denouncing the state.
ments made as lies.
The committee here adjourned.
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