The Portland daily press., 1893-04-11
THE EVOLUTION OF A FRAUD.

THE EVOLUTION OF A FRAUD.
CHAPTER 1.-THE FRAUD IGNORED.
The evolution of the fraudulent count
in Ward One may be divided into three
stages. The first stage began the morn
ing after election and lasted until Mayor
Ingrahams resignation on the following
Friday morning. This stage was marked
by the total ignoring by the Democrats SO
far as their public utterances were con-
cerned of any fraud or miscount IN
Ward one. or Of any ground for suspect
ing one. The morning following the
election the Argus contained no allusion
to the suspicious character of the Ward
one figures. It simply published them
and claimed on the strength of them
Mayor Ingraham's reelection. On
Wednesday, though the air was full OF
rumors of fraud, it still refused to admit
that there was any ground for them
whatever, declaring that
in the case of Ward one no counting out busi-
ness needed to be resorted to in order 10 wan
the election, even ii the dlSposlMon 10 AVIAN
themselves of this fav9rte KepuDilGaa s Gseice
was pre- ,ent with the Democrats. Inc SIZE OF
of their majority Is qoog accosted Jor by sne
fact that more Democratic than republican
votes were placed in the ballot box. That IS all
there Is to it,
On Thursday it was still ignoring the
possibility of any fraud or miscount, say
ing that the election of Mayor lngraham
was simply due to the fact that his
administration had been one OF equity
and fair dealing with every person.
The conduct of the leading Democrats
was in line with the Argus's utterances.
They, too, ignored the suspicion OF fraud
or miscount. Every motion in the Board
of Aldermen looking to an inquiry into
the Ward One count was promptly ruled
out of order, and the city clerk, when
appealed to by the Republicans, refused
to allow them to inspect the check list.
which would have put the miscount be-
yond all shadow of doubt. Not single
Democrat in the city of Portland during
these three days publicly expressed doubt
as to the accuracy Of the count in Ward
One, or publicly suggested an investiga-
ton to determine the facts. On the con-
trary, the most prominent Democratic
lawyers = in the city were engaged in
spinning fine legal theories by which to
deprive two Republican councilmen fairly
elected in Ward 3 Of their seats, and to
substitute in their places two Democratic
couucilmen in order to give the Demo
Gratis control of the city council. Yet
during all this time that the Democrats
were ignoring the possibility of fraud and
the Argus was alleging that the claim OF
fraud was absurd, and that the size of
the majority was wholly accuonted for
by the fact that more Republican than
Democratic votes were placed in the
| box, Mayor Ingraham, according to his
subsequent statement, was saying to
people privately that he could not be-
lieve the figures from Ward One.
He was allowing his organ to proclaim
day after day that there was no reason
BILE ground to suspect these figures, and
was looking calmly on while the Board
of Aldermen and the city clerk closed as
| far as possible all avenues of inquiry to
| determine whether these figures were
accurate or not. Neither Mr.. Ingraham
| nor the Democratic Board of Aldermen,
nor the Argus manifested the slightest
| Discrimination to accept the fruits of the
| Ward One figures up to Thursday night.
On the contrary on this last day three
! eminent Democratic lawyers had been IN
the Supreme court room defending the
certificates of THE two Democrats in
Ward 3. The first stage of 1.-THE evolution
of gthe fraud ended without single
Democrat of high or low degree protest
ing even in the feeblest manner against
accepting, acting upon and profiting by
the figures from Ward One, though Mr..
1ngraham has since declared that all the
while he felt that they were wrong, and
that he had communicated his suspicious
| to his Democratic friends.
| CHAPTER IA BRIEF SEASON OF PENI-
| TENCE.
Stage two may be called the penitent
stage. Itbegan at midnight on Thursday
when City Clerk Russell brought to the
PRESS and Argus Offices a letter from
Mr.. Ingraham addressed to the city
clerk declining his certificate because he
entertained doubt of the accuracy of
the Ward One count. The next morning
the Argus published this letter, and in its
comment said that Mayor Ingraham hao
resigned in Consideration OF !the doubt
that exists to a considerable degree Of
the accuracy of the Ward One count;
and added that later in the daT the