The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-17
JUDGE RANKIN'S VIM
He Elnquemly Euloglzes
Thompson Before the In
vestigating Com
mittee.
WHAT is LEGAL VOTING /?
Claims the Duke Had 2S6 Majority
After Thowing Out the sus-
pected Precincts.
WHAT is LEGAL VOTING ?

ihCAApnOil 1lNtSliS&llIS r SOlIitiltltS Z
convened after recess yesterday after
noon, Judge William B. Rankin of Jer-
sey City began his argument for Mr..
Thompson. The Judge spoke with all
his old time vim and vigor, but unfor-
~tunately his articulation was very indis-
tinct, and it was difficult for those who
sat some distance from him to under
stand what he said.
JUDGE RANKIN'S SPEECH.
1T is always a pleasure" he began,
ito meet in an argument like this a
gentleman, and l would not say a word
about my friend on the other side had
1t not been for the stupid, brutal and
miserable attack made upon my Client.
When this comes from a man who pro
fesses to act in accordance with law
and courtesy, I can only say he had
better go back and study over again;
Before / come to the case itself l will
discuss a few points about voting. The
idea of saying a man must vote where
he lives is ridiculous. | can reside IN
New York if l have previously made
hat place my home. The law upon this
is fixed and unalterable. and when the
gentleman a differently he misstates
law as he misstates facts. But before
l am through I'll tear every fragment
of his case, into shreds. He speaks of
Markham's testimony about corruption
at the polls, and knocking q man down.
Gentlemen, that man Markham was Mr..
Thompson's bitter enemy, having just
been beaten in a lawsuit for $1,000; and
his attacks upon poor Fitzgerald; VINO
doubts but he was free to do as he
LONG DRAWN OUT.
This case has been in progress since
March G.. There was a great deal SAID
about fraud, and evil-nlinded people
whispered into the reporters ears that
tomorrow great frauds were to be I'M
earthed. Let us see. When those tive
boxes were brought in fraud was the
cry. Here were two boxes. Both had
been in a house since election day, where
And what was in them? Why. a major
ity in each ease fer Lippincott, but
suppose it had been in favor of VII,
liam J. Thompson, what then? VIII
say right here that the Gloucester ballot
boxes were as pure and honest as any
ballot box ever was, and as to that
broken one, you heard the chairman
swear that the box was broken at the
previous election. The discarded and
mutilated tickets were also fully ex-
planned. 1t is not fair to say there was
ing places. They have pictured Thomp-
son as an incarnate fiend UNFIT for decent
society. instead of the maker OF a
community and a friend OF the poor,
saying everyone around the polls had
a pocket full of envelopes. These cases
cannot be proved upon superstition. we
must nave facts. In England, in a case
like this, if one ballot in a box is found
to be fraudulent. out goes the whole
box. They. therefore, are careful, and
ing of the fraudulent voters. that col
ored man swore he wed in Camden
and voted at Gloucester. and that W.
J.. Thompson paid him for it; Camp
man had worked at Gloucester for three
years and always voted there: This
just shows the means resorted to. NC
one ever swore Thompson ever paid a
cent, but on the other hand one mar
swears Thompson knocked hin down
because he asked for money. This is
an attempt made by paid perjurers to
Dust a man from his rightful seat.
NO EVIDENCE OF FRAUD.
Nov it was said thirteen OF the Hickes
were purchased and witnesses swore the
Hickes admitted it, but when the Hickes
were brought here and put on the tand
every one from the lad of twenty-one
to the gray haired man of seventy-eight
who was lettering from the verge of
life into the shades. of eternity, swore
they never voted a Democratic ticket in
their life, and every one of them came
a Republican Senator. There were sew
eral more of the disciples of the clan
here to testify who told their story and
then disappeared not leaving the slight
est trace behind them. Who they were
and what they were l can only con-
lecture. You remember Daisy. Samuel
Daisy telling Us how the Democratic
candidate told him, a Republican, and as
he says the only one in Gloucester, how
he was going to buy votes for one dollar.
And now, coming to the last scene of
his farce upon the ballot box; the ar
gument upon what so many people were
doing at the track. Why, Gould, the
manage or superintendent, says there
were 1900 horses there and his took All
army of men. In 1890 there We're 337 men
there and last year there were several
hundred more, and besides these the
sporting houses there handled big crowds
Why, if you throw out the entire race
track, wards and precincts, Thompson
had a majority of 2s6 by our own Of
fetal count. So that, l now leave the
case with you, and ask you upon your
judicial position to consider the case as
carefully as | have"
WARTMAN CONCLUDES.
Mr.. Wartman concluded his case by
briefly running over the evidence, and
attacking the case as presented by eX-
Judge Rankin. He dwelt at great
length upon the number of votes cast,
and said Thompson's will was law, and
he overcame all in his locality by threats
and trickery, and then he concluded by
saying the fair fame of the State had
been besmirched and defiled, and it was
the committees duty to rebuke the law
breaker.
Chairman Storrs instructed both law
ycrs to hand in on briefs their areu-
ments and authorities for their state
ments as regards the rule of voting,
and they would be considered at leis-
-