Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-01-29
WAS VICTORY STOLEN
STARTLING INVESTIGATION BY
THE SENATE.
There Seems to BE Ground for Belief
That Great Criminal Conspiracy
Existed In Several States-Win Push
Inquiry.

William Mckinley will receive ma
jority of the electoral votes for Presi-
dent, and If he lives until The 4th Of
March will be inaugurated; but that
Is no reason why the mysteries sur
rounding his election should not be
explored. That they are to be explored
we are assured by Senator Jones; and
the activity of Senator Allen confirms
the assurance.
Mr.. Jones states that the fact that a
change of 10000 votes, if distributed
among six states, would have resulted
in Bryan's election, has been taken as
starting point, and the vote and cam
paign proceedings in those states are
being carefully sifted. The informa-
ton thus far secured is said to expose
the peculiar manipulations on the part
OF Hanna managers, in consequence or
which Senator Allen has moved SEN
atorial inquiry. His resolution is now
in committee, but he has given notice
in open senate that it is not intended
as child's play. A glance at the popu-
lar vote will give some indication OF
the mysteries to which we have re-
ferred. Compare the vote of 1892 in
different states with that of 1896. For
example, Cleveland carried California
by lat, yet Bryan lost the state, though
he, polled $4,000 more votes than Cleve-
land did. Cleveland carried Illinois by
$4,000, yet Bryan lost the state, though
he polled $4,000 more votes than Cleve-
land did. Cleveland carried Indiana by
7,125, yet Bryan lost the state, though
he polled 47OOs more votes than Cleve-
land did Cleveland carried Kentucky
by 10000, yet Bryan lost the state,
though he polled 10000 more votes than
Cleveland did. The question is, where
did Hanna get all the votes necessary
to neutralize Bryan's great gains? NO
ordinary increase OF population could
begin to account for the mystery.
Neither did the general voting gain in
the non-pivotal states compare with
that in the pivotal states. New York
gained only 10000 votes over 1892;
Kansas gained only 10000; Texas
gained only 100000; Massachusetts,
gained only 1000 Mr.. Hanna made no
special eXertions in those states. They
were regarded as certain. Neverthe-
less there is no reason to doubt, ard
there is every reason to believe, that
all Of them polled a full vote. But in
the pivotal states the voting gain is in
comprehensive. In Illinois the increase
was 100000; in Ohio 1t was 100000; in
Kentucky 1t was 100000; in Indiana
it was 10000.
The Farm, Field and Fireside, of
Chicago, from which we quote the
foregoing calculations, we'll asks:
why have the pivotal states made
such. tremendous gains in voting
strength? Is it legitimate, or has there
been some new secret-fraudulen
device for making and swelling major
tiles where they are most needed?"
1t is not easy to understand how
fraud upon so large a scale could have
been perpetrated. Yet it is impossible
to believe that the enormously excep-
tional gains in the pivotal states were
legitimate While the vast campaign
funds which Mr.. Hanna raised remain
unaccounted for, suspicion will rest
inevitably upon the character of his
management