The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-10-03

With UIlc ST. Fdul q IdClUC tIdllrOdu
company, which was then construct
ing railroad through said county, to
get out cord wood for the use
OF the railroad company. Between
the dates named they collected TO-
the city of Minneapolis and proceeded
to Kittson county to cut this cord
wood. The men so hired were princi-
pally harvest hands and tramps, who
had not been in the state long enough
to vote; they were in KittsOn county
for temporary purpose, and were,
therefore, not entitled to vote under
the laws of Minnesota, (see Rev, Stat.
Mimi, sec. SO, p. 66), the county was
unOrganiZed and the election precincts
were established in the county 10 days
before the election. by the governor,
without authority Of law, and were,
therefore, legally not election pre-
cinctS: there were no registration lists
at the polling places; the voting took
place in railroad depots on an railroad
ears; there were no proper ballot boxes
(cigar boxes and candle boxes without
locks and keys, as required by law, be-
ing used as ballot boxes; the judges
were not sworn, and, in short, almost
all the requirements of the laws of the
state for the holding of elections were
ignored.
At one of the precincts, to wit, Tam
arack River, these so or 80 wood chop
voted. There were only four actual
settlers Up. 1851 in the precinct; and
these alone were presumably entitled
to vote. The vote was 100 for Wash
burn and l for Donnelly. The testi-
mony of George c.. Morton Go. 1857,
John Mulvey (p. 1907, Arthur j. White
Up. 40o), and E. P. Webster (p. 297)
shows that these 80 or 90 wood chop
pers were urged and requested by
Webster and White, the wood con-
tractors, to vote for Washburn: they
were told that if they voted for Wash
burn they would be paid (p. 1850, from
$l.6o to 1920 each for their votes; they
did vote and they voted for Washburn
and they were so paid; and they refused
to vote at all unless they were paid,
Up. 297). The total sum paid by Web
ster and White to these men for their
votes was $l6O or $40, %. 300. 1t fur
ther appears, by the admission of
Webster, that the contractors expect
ed to be repaid this money p. 297) so
paid out for these votes.
1t also appears (See p.l2D that in ad-
dition to the so or 90 wood choppers so
bribed to vote for Washburn, the con-
tractors, Webster and White, gave two
trappers their board for a week. on
condition that they would vote for
Washburn; and they did so vote.
George c. Morton testities Up. 1869
that White told him in the presence
of Webster that they, Webster and
White, were to get 5000 for their serv-
ices at the election, in behalf of Wash
| burn. The money paid out by them
was repaid to White, one of the firm,
(see p. l27), by Major Hale, of Mime
apolis, the business manager of the
| contestee, Washburn, eight days after
the election, by check for $lS2: and
the check was cashed for White by one
George B. Webster, the paymaster of
the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
company, Of which the contestee,
Washburn, was and is president.
White admits, Up. 3O7) that he was re-
paid the sum of $l6S or $l72, being the
money so paid for these SO or 80 votes.
by said George B. Webster. paymaster
ofcontestee's railroad company. There
was no connection between the St.
Paul & Pacific railroad for which the
wood was cut, and the Minneapolis &
st. Louis railroad, of which contestee
is presided; the one runs from st. Paul
enthusiastically to British America
or Manitoba; the other runs from
Minneapolis southwardly towards
St. Louis; and the place where
the wood was cut was between 400 and
500 miles distant from Minneapolis.
Here, then, is case of bribery by
the wholesale, and it clearly appears
that the money that was paid for the
bribed votes was repaid IN Wushbuan' s
office by has business manager, by a check
which is cashed by the paymaster of
his railroad company.
BUYING UP A WORKER OR DoNNELLY.
Emil Shagren, Swede. a Green
hacker, laboring man, resided at the
date of the election in question at
Minneapolis, Mimi, (p. 15). He was
an active supporter of the contestant,
Donnelly, and had been a delegate to
Greenback Congressional convention.
About the 18th of October, 1878, a
friend Of Washburn, named William
Chase, urged him to go to WaShburn S
office to see Major Hale, his business
manager (the same person who paid
for the so or 90 bribed votes at Tama-
rack River, because Major Hale would
convince" him that he should vote
for Washburn. Shagren declined to
go. The Invitation was several times
repeated. At length Shagren went to
Washburn's office. He was met by
Major Hale, who was evidently pre-
pared by Chase for the interview.
Hale commenced by asking him if he
wanted green5acks. He, Hale, then
referred to the fact that Shagren had
been delegate to the Green back con-
yention and was a supporter of con-
testant, Donnelly. Hale told him that
he would see that he, Shagren, voted
| for Washburn. This ended the first
interview with Hale. Soon after Sha-
| gren got out of work. Chase urged
him to 60 to see Hale and he, Hale,
would give him ga job: and he gave
him a sealed letter to Hale. On the
10th of October Shagren went to
.Washburn's office again. He gave the
letter to Hale: Hale read it and went
into another room and conferred in
whispers, which the witness overheard,
with c. G. Washburn, brother of the
sitting member and ex-governor of
Wisconsin,. Hale then came out of
this room with s. note folded be-
tween his fingers; sat down besides
Shagren, put his hand on his lap, and
said: Emil, | will tell you what L
want of you; [ want you to vote for
w. Washburn, (the sitting member),
and l will pay you s. day from now
to the close of the election;" and she
figured it up and said it would be $36,
besides my expenses and money to
spend among the boys "He told me
to bring my bill there to Mr.. Wash
burns Office the day after the election