The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-25
INFAMOUS POLITICAL SCHEME
REASONS WHY DEMOCRATS ARE DE-
HANDING DISFRANCHISEMENT
Hope to Weaken Representative
Steele, and to Injure Republican
State and Legislative Tickets.

through the central committees agency In
this city. Though their fight in Indiana this
campaign is being waged along the lines
OF arraigning the party for alleged careless
ness in caring for the soldiers lii the cam
palgn Just closed and for alleged tightening
or pension lines the Democratic central
committee is attempting to withdraw the
privilege OF the ballot from the $500 blue
coated veterans who reside in the National
Soldiers Home at this point. With the ex-
ception of a similar incident conducted by
the Ohio central committee some time ago.
the history of the world does not disclose
an act of such rank ingratitude as that at
tempted for the sake of advancing the polit-
ical cause of Indiana Democracy. Neither
does the history of the world disclose an
other instance in which the veterans of her
greatest war were. by reason of their serv-
ice in behalf of their country, debarred from
voice in it's affairs.
Attorney John kersey, of this city, who,
by the way, is a candidate on the county
ticket, is the representative of the central
committee. He not only brought action in
the courts here to disfranchise the old vet
Grams, but has filed it in the Supreme Court
and announces that unless that high tri-
bunal makes ruling by election day the
injunction will be resorted to to keep the
soldiers from voting. In light of the fact
that the Ohio Democracy did disfranchise
veterans in the Dayton home several years
ago, the result of the legal issue is not GER
tain. From beginning to end the case is a
most complicated one. The central commit
tee hopes, in prosecuting it, to not only
weaken Representative Steele and possibly
eject G. W. Michaels, of Logansport, but
17pxr axxyko
or three members in the Indiana Legisla-
ture. and thus possibly elect Democratic
United States senator to succeed Senator
Turpie. They also claim to have the hope
that the 1000 or 1900 Republican majority
they can knock out thus at this point will
have great bearing on the result on the
state ticket Thus the matter is not only
OF county, district or State, but also of ma
tonal interest
The vote in the Marion branch, National
Soldiers Home. is always good for a full
1000 and possibly a 1,50O Republican major
ity, dependent on the number absent from
the institution on furlough. At the last
election, of the 1900 veterans enrolled, 156
voted for Bryan and one for the Prohibition
candidate The rest of the vote went to
Mckinley and was exactly eleven to one
In favor of the Republicans. Indiana is al
ways a close State, and bunch of even
LOCO votes often decides the district and
state elections, and that number is almost
always an assurance of legislative and
county success.
ORIGIN OF THE SCHEME.
During the war times, when no one was
paying attention to political moves or in
trigues, mandamus proceeding, under the
very innocent-appearing caption of 1.-THE
State of Indiana on the Relation of William
eastman and Joseph Farley VS.. the Board
of Commissioners of Grant County," was
filed in the Grant county Circuit Court by
Attorney Kersey. Though mandamus pro-
ceeding, the papers lay unnoticed for sew
eral weeks, until taken up recently by
Judge Custer. Then, upon investigation and
delving into it's intricate ways, it was
found that it was an attempt to cut the
Soldiers Home entirely out of the State of
Indiana and take from it not only the polls
In state. but also in national elections 1t
has since been a'scertained that the Demo-
cratic central committee has been planning
such a move for several campaigns but
feared the tidal wave of reproof that would
follow the movement. The war this year
ofered the opportunity, and while attention
was distracted the case was slid in and
election time almost at hand before as
they planned, the case was brought to light.
Judge Custer has rendered an unimportant
decision against the move, as they planned,
and now 1t has been filed in the Supreme
Court This, upon the very eve of election.
will enable them, Kersey states. to bring
the injunction into use. They cannot hope
for a permanent Acknowledgement even if
the Supreme Court should sustain their
move, and the only hope is that it may in
fiuence the election this year, when the
state ticket. and greatest of all the United
States senator for the next six years is at
stake. -
The national home at this point was the
seventh national institution of the kind to
be built by the government. Its location
was secured by the passage of a bill framed
from the bill by which the national home
at Dayton o., had been located. This was,
in this case, a concession of 304 acres of
land. lying south of this city. The land
ment in 1889. but the Legislature that year
followed out the requirements of the bill
and coded II to the government. The home
erected and is just now being COM
pleted at cost of $100O.O00 in buildings and
equipment. A vast army of blue-coated vet
Grams who fought all the way from Phiippi
April 49, 1861 to Palm Beach. May ~ 1865.
are gathered within the pretty barracks
homes. They have participated in all cleo
tons which have been held in the past ten
years. and no question as to their right to
voice in the. government of township.
county. district; state or nation has ever
been raised until the present.
BASIS OF THE SUIT
The suit which has been filed attempts to
disfranchise them on the grounds that they
are temporary residents; that they are not
residents of the State of Indiana but live
on a government reservation: that they are
not freehOders, therefore, under Indiana
laws, debarred-by most remarkable pro-
cedure-from the ballot. 1t is held that the
State relinquished all rights to the 3O4 acres
when the Legislature ceded it to the govern
ment and it is claimed that the State would
not be able to go on to the premises even
to arrest a murderer, but would have 10
get requisition from the government, the
same as though going into the District of
Columbia on a similar mission. This point,
however had never been brought up, but
if it had and the accused should have fought
extradition, 1t is claimed. this very delicate
point of relation between State and the 304
acres would have been established. 1t is,
therefore. claimed on this one account. that
the residents of the home are not entitled
to participate in the elections.
But still greater point is raised under a
section of Indiana freehoider law. which
becomes quite a puzzle when brought out
this way. The Legislature of 1860 passed
law in which the organization of precincts
was regulated. 1t required that every vot-
ing precinct have at least two freeholders
to act as election clerks. In the 314 acres
included in the Marion branch National Sol
6ieIs Home though il is the homeland
there is no doubt about Ii legally being the
permanent home though that point is con-
tested--of $500 men of voting age, not one
Of them is freeholder of land within the
boundaries of his residence. This was read
ly circumvented in the past however, by
she election boards notwithstanding the en-
tire township. Long precincts, extending