The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-28
MR.. GOWDY'S NEWLETTER
PERTAINS TO THE SEPARATE COUNT
ING OF POPOCRATIC TICKETS.
Courts to Decide Whether Fusion Is
Legal-Excuse for PopuIists to
Abandon State Nominees.

] Chairman Gowdy of the Republican State
committee, has sent letter to county
chairmen throughout the State advising
| them to insist that the judges and clerks
| of election, where fusion tickets are voted
| with the names appearing twice upon the
ballot sheet, count such ballots as cast for
| separate candidates. If this plan were fol-
lowed the votes cast for an eector who is
named on both tickets would be counted
| as so many for him a Democratic cam
didate and so many for him as Populist
candidate as though he were two different
| men. The letter Is follows:
THE Australian ballot law was intended
| to give to each voter the right to cast one
untrammeled ballot, and to nave it fairly
counted.
Because of fusion between the Demo-
Gratis and Populists in Indiana, candidates
Ior electors in the several districts of the
rooster and the plow-the Democratic and
Popuiist emblems, respectively. 1t is clear
ly the intention of the law that the name of
a candidate shall not appear upon the ballot
more than once. We urgently request that
you instruct the Republican inspectors and
judges to refuse to count the votes under
the Democratic and Populist emblems to-
gether. In other words, the votes cast for
the candidate under the Populist emblem
should be counted as the total vote for the
Populfst candidate, and the votes under the
the total vote for the Democratic candidate.
The total should not aggregate the votes
cast under both emblems.
Instruct your inspectors and judges to
firmly refuse to add the total votes together
in any event under the Populist and Dem
ocratic emblems.''
Such Republican lawyers as were seen by
the Journal last evening held a different
view from the chairman, but admitted that
there much doubt as to the validity
of fusion under the Australian law. Mr..
Gowdy stated that he had not taken legal
advice upon the subject, but believed this
the proper way of getting definite settle
n.ent of the question in the courts.
This letter gave the fusonists the oppor-
tunity they have long sought of undoing the
work and overthrowing the influence of the
middle observation-disclosures in keeping the
State ticket in the field. Last night the
Popocratic campaign committee met at the
Grand, and many fusion Populsts
could be reached met at the English hotel
with 7. E. Johnson thalf breed) acting
go-between The result of the delibera-
lions was ''proclama ton" recting this
letter in full and calling upon all Popuists
to stamp the rooster and vote the Popo-
cratic ticket straight
The document is q long-winded affair
containing much blather about English
money bosses and the money power and
that sort of thing. 1t was prepared by
johnson and is signed by Julius Rosen-
heimer and D. F. Craig, chairman and Sec
rotary of the State committee, and ap-
proved by S. NJ Shepard, Richard Gregg
ID. f. Kennedy and l.. W. Hubbell. 1t was
submitted to the Popocratc campaign COM
mittee for approval before being given out
for publication.