Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-12-15
Calamity and Fraud. "


Calamity and Fraud"
It is curious fact that the members
of the Populist organization are 30
peculiarly constituted that they imay'
Inc that at every succeeding election
they are IN danger OF being defrauded
Of their political rights. Two years
ago the Populist State central commit
tee instructed the county organizations
TO have at least three watchers placed
over each county canvassing board to
prevent the INSCRIPTIONS Republicans
from counting out the Populist candi-
dates. Their whole State committee
stood over the State board Of Canvass
ers with club and without being able
to point TO single precinct In the
state where they even suspected sem
blance Of fraud, they for three weeks
after the votes were counted and Ger
tincates Of election issued persistently
and vehemently claimed the election OF
Willis and their whole State ticket.
When the legislature met in January
1891 they ordered,a detail OF three men
out from from each county TO so To
Topeka 10 shadow their own party
legislators, lest some terrible Republic
cans should lie in wait 10 entice, In
veigle, honswoggle and abduct them
TO some quiet spot and then and there
with criminal intent and malice pre-
pense, encompass about and with
threats and brides, greenbacks and
other collateral brtray, ruin, circum-
vent and utterly destroy and overthrow
their honor, virtue, chastity and
scruples.
The same hue and cry Of fraud comes
up from Alabama. POpulist Kolb WAS
beaten at the October election 10000
votes for governor. He pretends to
claim his election on the ground OF
fraud. For twenty years Kolb and his
Democratic associates have maintained
themselves in power In that State by
means OF the most glazing and open
corruption that ever characterized u
political commonwealth. They taught
the voters that II was their duty to
suppress votes and make false returns
IN order to defeat Republicans. 1t is
doubtful II there was any unusual
fraud In the Alabama election and II l.
morally certain that Kolb will not b.
the next governor Of that Democratic
State.
This fraudulent yelp is being re-
peated In this State by these calamity
howers this year. with their useless
majority of 95 In the house Of repre-.
sentatives In 1891 reduced to n minor.
ity, they pretend to believe that some
body In heaven, on earth or in III,
earth is trying to swindle them out OF
the organization Of that body. AS H.
all their former yelps they do net point
out any place where any fraud has
been perpetrated OF is likely to be, but
with their peculiar constitution they
scent fraud everywhere.
With the decision OF the tie on
representative from CVffey county
according to the constitution and lawt
of the State, they pretend to believe
that the slot" should have come their
way only for fraud.
With the counting OF the votes from
Haskell county In exact conformity
with the laws Of the State aud the oatl
that each member Of the State canvas
sing board had taken, they accuse thu
board with intent to steal, rob and
defTaud.
The fact that 1t WAS clearly showI
that the mistake, II any there be, wa,
that OF the county clerk OF Haskel
county, and q mistake which the Stat,
board OF canvassers had no legal mean
of correcting, did not in the leas
protect the State board from the yelp
ing Of these calamity howlers. IL Mr.
Rpsenthal was elected, which seem,
altogether probable, he will get his sea
in the legislature with out the leas
opposition from the Republicans IL
that body. The rattletrap noise abou
the county clerk of Haskell county try
ing to defeat Rosenthal is 30 mucl
demagogical nonsense.
so far AS the Republican party is con
cerned It is opposed To all species O.
fraud. 1t has advocated honest elec
lions from the day of its advent int,
power until the close of the year 1892
The only political party that we know
OF that has openly advocated the use o
fraud at the ballot box is the Demo
cratic patty, for the practices of which
great number Of that party are nos
serving In States prison In Illlnol
Indiana, Ohio and New York. Tn
Peoples Party and Democrats appea
TO be in perfect accord In this State.
-
While Cleveland carried New Yor
by plurality of AZ 1000, he did nc
receive aa many votes In As out Of tn
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