The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-10-17
The Report Of the Committee on
Elections of the House.
THREE HUNDRED AND FOUR
CASES OF BRIBERY.
Bulldozing and Intimidation of
Workingmen.
Loren Fletcher, Charley johnson,
Major Hale and Other Not.
ables Mixed Up in 1t.
CONCLUDED

IL appears that many of the voters
VINO cast their votes in favor of the
sitting member were inundated and
coerced into doing so. The testimony
OF Albert Church, (pp 224, 227, shows
that the railroad hands who voted for
Washburn, at Crookston, told him
that they were compelled ''to vote the
way their boss, the railroad company
told them to-; ssthey had to
vote the ticket of their own boss -
they were led up in body to the
polls, Up. 226) by their foreman
Jacobus, and he gave them the tickets
they were to vote Many of these
men were Democrats, Up. 22I. and
would probably have voted the Demo-
cratic ticket ii they had been free
from the coercion of the railroad com.
pany.
In Minneapolis this system of coer-
cion and intimidation was carried out
Systematically. The testimony shows
that the employers of labor in that
city united to raise money to buy
votes for Washburn, (p. 23); circular
was issued by the chairman of the
Republican county committee, urging
business men to lay aside their bust
ness and devote one day at the polls.
Sp; 1865: large number of employers of
labor, including many who usually
TOOK no part in such work, were at the
polls working for Washburn, 20. 1C6,:
the Workmen were sent for and
brought to the polls by their employ
ers and ballots were there placed in
their hands, folded, and voted by the
employees without being opened, 10.
lOo) the employer or his foreman fol
lowing them to the polls to see that
they deposited them, (p. 90; many of
the employees declared that they be-
lleved they would lose their means of
subsistence if trey did not vote for
Washburn, 70. 110); the employees of
the North Star Wooden Mill were
brought to the polls in squads by the
son of the proprietor Philip Gibson;
when friend OF contestant tried to
give these men ballots, Gibson Jumped
between them and tried to force the
canyasser away, declaring that he had
brought the men there himself, and
that most of the workmen voted as
their employees wanted them to, %. 96).
The foreman of this mill told one of
the workmen, Up. 81, that an employe
or the mill had, at a previous election,
voted in opposition to his wishes, and
that he would take the same man to
the polls the next day, to wit, to the
Congressional election in question,
and If he did not vote as he
wanted him to he would dis
charge him. When witnesses were
called by contestant from among the
employees of this mill to testify in
this case, the said foreman followed
them to the notary's Office and re-
manned there while they were testify
ing, (p. 9S). ''The workmen in the
Minneapolis Harvester Works who
were known to be Washburn men were
carried to the polls and returned;
While those who could not be induced
to vote for Washburn were not allow
ed to go, unless by losing their days
Up. 9S). In one case a witness, a work
man in furniture shop, swears that
he was suspended from work the dav
after election because he had voted
for Donnelly, and because it was re-
ported to his employer that he had
expressed the belief that if Donnelly
was elected the workmen would get
better wages; ten days after election
he was finally discharged, (see DID.
1929. 1t appears that "the vote of the
city was very light. Il A large
number or workmen did noe vote at
all. They were afraid of losing their
jobs if they voted for Donnelly, and
they would not vote for Washburn, (p.
49,"
In seven precincts of Minneapolis
the judges OF election placed num-
Der on the back of each ballot to cor
respond with the mum Der of the voter
on the poll-list. Let us consider the
purpose of this numbering of the bal
lots.
1,o Nf Il
Minnesota in January and February,
providing that in cities containing
more than $1,000 inhabitants the bal
lots should be numbered This law
applied, and was intended to apply,
only to the cities of ST. Paul and Min
neapolis, where the workingmen were
very numerous, and were alone the
required population existed. It was
felt by many that the provisions of
law were oppressive and unconstitu-
tional, and at the spring election in
st. Paul, held Immediately after the
law was passed, party offered to vote
without having his ballot numbered:
he was refused, and he brought an ac-
ton at once in the district court of
Ramsey county, in which Saint Paul
is situated, to test the validity of the
act. The court decided. (see Brisbin
VS.. Cleary ct al, printed test, p. 74),
that the act was unconstitutional, in
asmuch as the constitution of Mime
sofa, sec. 6, AIT. VII provides that ''all
elections shall be by ballot: that the
ballot implies secrecy, and that this
law requires every man "to vote, in
effect, ticket with his name in
dorsed on it,; and in case of contest
the ballots are to be made public.
This law" says the court, furnishes
the means of ascertaining exactly how
every elector voted; that is it's &C
knowledged purpose.
This decision of the district court of
Ramsey county was the unanimous
decision Of full bench of three
judges; it was appealed to the SUI
preme court, and was affirmed by the
supreme court, subsequently to the
election. See Northwestern Report
or, vol. ], p. IS, (foot page $3.50, Brisbin
VS.. Cleary ct al, being an appeal from
the district court of Ramsey county.
in the same case referred to above.
The supreme court sustain the de-
cision Of the district court of Ramsey
county. and say:
''The statutory provision with re-
gard to the numbering of tickets,
,bove quoted. clearly interferes with
and violates the voter ron tiOn1l