The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-03-28
vINDICATES HIM.
Populist Senate's Investigation
Proves That Cyrus Leland
Was in No Way Involved in
Election Frauds
In the Stuart-FallOon Judicial
Contest.
THERE WAS NO FRAUD.
Mr.. Leland i'm This Particular
Was Much Maligned.
Counting of All the Ballots by
the Senate
SHOWS THAT STUART
Was RightfulIy Elected Judge
of the District.
FOOlishness of the Investigation
Amply Proven.
SHOWS THAT STUART
Was RightfulIy Elected Judge
of the District.
FOOlishness of the Investigation
Amply Proven.

aha counties in the FallOOn-Stuart con-
test practically vindicates Cyrus Leland
of being mixed up in the charges of
Illegal returns, fraudulent counting, and
various other election crimes which
were charged against him by the Popu-
lists in connection with the election last
fall.
While the alleged purpose of the con-
! test to ascertain whether Mr.
Stuart or Mr.. Falcon was entitled to sit
| as judge in the Twenty-second judicial
district, the real purpose in the minds
| of many of the Populist senators was to
| investigate Cy Leland'S election meth
DDS and to prove him guilty. 1t was
confidently expected that the inVesti-
cation would disclose a bad state of af-
| fairs in DOniphan county.
While the witnesses have been exam
| ined with the alleged purpose of show
| ing that Stuart was not legally ELECTED,
| Mr.. Leland was the real defendant be-
! fore the bar in the minds of the sena-
! tors, and any information regarding him
| has been eagerly sought after
In all of which the senate has been
compelled to admit defeat. 1t has been
| shown that elections are conducted at
Troy much the same as in other cOun-
| try districts and that people counted
| the ballots just as honestly and con-
scientiously they do in other places.
| The senate has demonstrated that Le-
| land has enough influence in his own
| county to carry it about as he pleases,
and the only illegal proceeding in which
| he has been proven directly connected
| was in persuading the boy Anderson
| to swear in his vote when he was under
| age.
| Throughout all the testimony Mr.. Le-
| land has sat in one corner of the senate
| chamber silently listening, his face as
| expressionless as that of the Sphinx
| itself.
| The result is that Leland will come out
| of the contest stronger than when he
went in Practically nothing of very
| DANA ging character has been proven
| against him, but the contrary it has
| given his friends an opportunity to point
! to heAn a much prosecuted mana
| martyr account of his loyalty to
| his friends. His enemies will still claim
| that he owns the district judge and
| that can get justice in a suit
! against him.
The spectacle of Populist senate
| Investigating" Cy Leland and then
| practically giving him a certificate of
| good character is surprise not only
| to the POpulists but to the Republicans
! as well. In fact it is a great political
| Joke; it is also a farce and waste OF
time and money the State Journal
| said it would be.
| The counting of the Nemaha county
ballots was completed at $50 last even
| ing. There were a number of changes
| in the different precincts, but the ma
! jority was just changed one vote
| Falcon had 10 majority instead of 20.
| During the first part of the count
| Stuart made all the gains, running five
| or six votes ahead, but there were 9TH
| ers thrown out, so that when the count
! 2,179 the original count. In one pre-
| cinct Falcon gained three votes on bal
| lots whose voters, in order to be sure
| of voting for him, had voted in both the
PopuliSt and Democratic columns. These
/ had been rejected on the original count.
| Falcons vote by the senate count was
| 2,201 against 2,199 on the original count.
| By spending the greater part of three
| days in counting the ballots of the en-
tire district the senate has demonstrate d
| that there was fraud in the counting
| of the ballots. and has changed Stna RI
| majority from 257 to 243-14 votes. He
| lost Is in Doniphan, gained 1 in Nema-
ha, while Brown county came out the
same as on the original count.
| The senators are now satisfied that
they have been wasting their time in
| counting the ballots, and that none of
| the alleged frauds existed that were
| claimed in Doniphan county. The only
| thing in the way of fraud that has been
discovered in the entire contest has
| been the fraudulent voting of the An
! derson boy at Troy precinct.
| Nearly every one is now satisfied that
| the investigation has proven the farce
| it was claimed it would be. There is no
| doubt but Mr.. Falcon went into
| the contest believing that he had been
| wronged and that the office of Judge
| rightfully belonged to him. He has paid
| out money for attorneys fees and to
bring witnesses to Topeka. That he no
| longer has any faith in being able to
show that he ought to have the office is
| evidenced by the fact that he refuses to
| pay the expenses of any more witnesses
| to Topeka, although he has subpoenaes
| out for many more.
| Mr.. Stuart does not believe that the
| senate will unseat him.
| They have not shown that I have
| done anything Illegal he said Even
| if they accept Grinstead's word that I
| paid him S40 Grinstead himself says IT
| was paid to him while he was support
| ing me. I have not been connected with
| giving away either cigars or liquor ex-
| cept one cigar, a week before election,
| which is not illegal. The law prohibits
| giving away such things election
| day.
@FALLOON WHISKY"