The Forrest City times., 1890-02-01
FEATHERS TON vS CATE.
The Whole Question Reviewed
 in the Contest.
The Case Argued for the Former by Poker Jack Mcclure. w. w. Dud- ley and other Honest CD
 Republicans.
JUDGE CATE HIS OWN LAWYER.
The Story of a ooubIo.Actior Ballot Box.

THE TIMKS has sought diligently for true report of the progress of the FeatheYsypn-Cate contest, but has found nothing which seems to have been authorized.
 The eGlube-Democrat. of the 18th of January, gives nearly three colums to a special dispatch from Washington on this subject, and as this is the only source of information we quote from that special, boiling it down as much a, possible by emitting several mere opinions of the correspondent, which have no foundation upon fact.
 "wAsnlyoroS. D. C.. January T.-Thc Feathcrston-Cat> contested election case, from tho First Congressional District of Ar committee on elections to-day. Chairman Roweli csllcd the committee to order at 10 o'ciocs sud formaliv submitted the briefs and fecop,ls n the notice of contest. datcd at fcrfasl astr. Ark, December F. lsss Hon l. ? festhar on. the contestant, sets forth sixty charges As returned by the state board ot votes and Festhcrston, independent union labor, 14. sts votes. Cato Is therefore certified as having received l34S moro votes than Fcath- erston. There are seventeen counties in tho district and fraud. mistake or improper con duet Is charged in fifteen of them. No testi- nony WAS taken or attempted, however, ex. cept in four of these counties
 "rhe contest is hssod upon the charges of fraud in the fifteen counties of Crtftouden, Lee Cross, St Francis, Phillips. Jackson, Green. Independence. Clay. sharp Misc ppt. Desha, thicot. CrsiRhead and Poinsett, and the sixty oharges set forth and specifically mention various townships and precincts In which fraud is alleged.
 "It is sll-aed that the principal frauds an- pesr to have been iu Crittenden. Lee St Fran cis and tr0As counties and in these counties the testimony was taken that 10 now offered in evidence before the committee. Error Is aa- mittcd by the contcstce in Phillips countY, and an agreement catered iuts hv the contest ant and tho contcstcc, through their attor- ncys, sets forth the fact of error in various precincts. In tiacksvilie precinct, Hickory township. II ts agreed, ts votes were csst. of which Festhcfston received 8 and Cate l5 and the judges of election in making the turns so certiA~i. The bsllots by mistake were sealed up with the rcftfrns. and for this rcason the state board Of eSutassers refused to count tbe votes Thu Fcathcrston ~ss de prived of majority of is yotee in this town. ship. AS to Lake township. it is agreed that of lS1 votes csEt, Featherston got l27. and Catc i9. Ky mt-iAke the county clerk certified that fcnthcrstan received only 70 aud Gate as. Thus Featherstun was deprived of majority of II, in thts township. Iu SssI Anguilte townshln no election was held owing to the failure of the judge. who hsd charge of the poil-hooks to deliver them st tho polling places. It is agreed that. had an election h-ei held Featherston would have received 4s ma jorty in this township. According to this agreement at to Phillips county. therefore the majority of Cate ia the distrct is reduced from lSts 10 lI57
 The eontcst. so far as evidence ts taken. is therefore. confined 10 the four couuties men. toned
 ..It is also alleged that fraudulent ballot. boxes were used lu trittsnjcn county, and that similar frauds perhaps not gutte so Siar- ing. were praCttc-d in tue other three couns fi,ss hn n Inv he
 "tt is sl.~gei that irreguisrtle. were ob- served throughout all tae fifteen counties named.
 MI. s'CLuBks ARoUgKsT
 The arsum- -at ln the case wss opened st l3,b hy Hon. John Mcclure. of Arkauss- uf counsel far thc contestant. He began hg stating that the contestant, MT keathvrsg0n. had uut hoeis rcpuhtican, bat an Euicpuns denL He hal orgauiresl tho wheel iu kvsa8. sas asd hsd been its president. The wheel wHs orssnis-d ,u tae iaterest of reform iu Arkansas. and contained probably morc ,,eme- cpats than republicans, Tue democratic party ' had been in Absutute control iu ArkAuss. fef foartcen seses. and their Insiadsainistratton of public affairs bad created v ite dtecontcnt iu the state, FslioisbuE ~tafing. ieriSatian tu the interest of corporations, defs eaiipns q: tse state treasurer aud other officers hsd lel to thc movement 'nf reform tma}iEarNfH bN the wheel Mo-t of its mclntETs had irft tu democratic paIty to tunlt, and they acsna nted \ yetlFn to hohrst elections and fair tuuuts iAc shCsi bad uutainatusi for uNeruoT Mir, Notrsssd a man who had been bravo coufca' crate sUicier. and whu had lslrt leg a' htca, msuEa lie asd not been rcpahicun hai was Il drtnucgat The republican, party uf tae sia;r di not join tn ti~ nomination of Saf- wood. bat giyisCd sts members tu support tsn tieket in Inc ia,orest oF sn hpneet election and far count Norso,td, after the election. when it ssH ssc~ rtAttsr that hr had hrem lr- f~stsd hy the same ffauds which were sabs4- qusntiY usesi 10 drt-af testhegstou. appealed to the democratic legislature to contest the alleged clecttou of Gov. Eagle. Tho house granted tue right. but the srnate required that Norvooi itie bond to the amount of Siao1 ot s4atso to pay the ous.A ip the exvut that ne should not see,irc the scat The state election was hold in September. and the congressional election took place sn thn following NoFea- Der Tho frauds against Nurwosst and tbe in. dcpendent state ticket were so apparent and siaring al tae September election that they were not forgotten when November came. Tue democrats who had st pported Norwcod scrr not in n mood to return tu the support Of tarlr party. and they lid not
 AnrY were incrnsct st the treatment they mad rss-eised at the hands of the democracy. and lt is not reasonable to suppose that shes would iuin lth the democrats in an election only two mouths later.
 At this point Nr o'Ferrail of Virginia in. qu,rcd W hat |. the politics uf featherrtonY'
 He is s democrat said MT. Mcclure. lie mover vasa republican,
 "'i thought he was republican. said Q Fer rsll.
 ''ro this Mir Mcclure responded; What would De the use of nominating republican in Arkansasg
 
 continued his argument. He referred at tcugth To the trtttendeu county frauds praoticcd tn November. iN,s. and declared that the lrrvsu- iSrities observed were nnt the rc-uit of ucrw neglect of iam. but of deliberate intention to deiraud the voters and defeat the will cf the majority. The county officers had been inanSuEstr,i hy violence and had pcfpets uated themselves in otlice hy violence. Even the fraudulent ballot boxes used had been made by direction of eeunty officials, aud had been delivered se the sAeFilI.
 rHx CROOKED BALLOT BOX.
 Here haiiot-boI of the kind alleged ,o have bcenlusesi wAserhihttesi to the committee II vas made of tn. aad shaped somewhat like . utted states maithox. In tho top ls hole m when tn place the ballots Around thls hole IS range one third Of an Inch in hcight tPon thls usngc ss ntted a cap about an in0h In length aud somewhat wider than the sils- tsnce across tho nange Fms cap. too, is often at Inc tnp. and Is placed over the tiange which suTruunds tue opening tu the top nf tho box. It is SD adjusted that tue judge receiving tho ucAe, may push 1t through the cap dow aafd into the boI or between tue cap aud the iinpsu ou the outside of inc tax. To the voter stand tug in front and observing the operation the ballot would appear to ga into tue bor; IL ~as demonstrated to tho committee just how the voting was done. and tickets which appeared to go into the box every titac were voted in or out at tee will of the operator representing the judge who received the ballot
 "While thts demonstration was in progress undcr the direction Of MT Mctlure, Mr. Gate satd he had never before had nu opportuuttY to observe . oontrisancc of the kind, anu would like to scc it.
 MT. Mcclure called attention to the evl- dence of k u. James. of Memphis, Tcon., in which hc said that twepty-one of these ballot boxes wore shipped 10 the shcriii ef Critien- icn county, and presumably usei it The cies~ tion.
 c. Win you please examine that box and see II Il Is exactly the same as thnse twenty one that you shipped la Marion for MT wer. ger. tue sherif oi grtt,eudcn couaty. A. Welt
 ean sa5 that | $ exactly ehe saFno, but u's almost . fac-simile"
 The witness also testified that the box exhibited might he little differ ent, and answered other unimportsnt questions.
 Several negros were here examined. who THOUGHT they bad seen the box before.
 INTERPOLATION
 That there was intimidation of voters ais, in this opnaty Ia also shown by the evidence aud upon this fact MT Mcclure lztd much stress According tn the testimony ol Milton HWWcli, of Independence township Ice esltN, H votes were cast by colored men lar oatliesxtnn. He knew this by the color of shss q