The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-25
STONER-CREGOR CONTEST
NOTHING STARTLING BROUGHT OUT
IN YESTERDAYS PROCEEDINGS.
Probable Ruling of the Committee
What Senators Have to Say
of the Contest.

The Stoner- Cregor contested election con-
sumed little time yesterday afternoon. Sem
ator Hugg was the only member of the
Senate elections committee to report for
duty when the testimony began, but by con-
sent of the rest of the members, he was al
lowed to represent the entire committee.
1t became known early in the afternoon
that the committee would rule against al
lowing the Cregorites to bring in all the
voters in the Elwood precinct in which it
is claimed that the votes of the two can
didates We're reversed and Stoner was given
a majority when it should have been given
to Cregor. While nothing was said by the
committee in this connection, it is under
stood that such will be the ruling.
Isaac T.. May Democratic clerk of Mad
ison county, who has trunk full of election
returns stored in the committee room for
several days past, was called to the stand
and asked to produce the sealed packages
of votes turred over to him by his pred
ecessor. He said he had brought over from
Anderson the packages from only the pre-
cincts in which there had been dispute as
to the legality of some of the votes cast
In Center precinct of Adams township
there had been five disputed ballots and
these were handed to the committee the
members of which at once decided that the
ballots were marked in manner which was
palpably illegal and refused to count the
votes for Cregor. One was decorated with
a dot. another with double cross and one
with only part of a cross.
In view of this ruling by the committee,
Judge Ballard decided that it would be USE
less to open any more packages, as he did
not expect to ind ballots in any of them
E.ore entitled to consideration from the
Cregor point of view than the five taken
from the first package. lie asked, however,
to be allowed to offer the i've ballots in cyl
dence, so that in event of tie vote in the
Senate Senator Cregor might have the ben
eft of these votes with the consent of the
Senate. This claim was allowed.
Judge Ballard explained that Captain
Curtis, the leading counsel for Cregor, was
called to the bedside OF his rather, VINO
was reported to be dying at Rushville, and
asked that an adjournment OF the case be
taken until il could be ascertained when It
would be possible for him to return. Sen
atOr Gilbert suggested, however, that the
committee wished to close the case this
week, and that if it would be possible for
Captain Curtis to be present the committee
would expect the defense TO close its case
by Thursday afternoon and the rebuttal by
Stoner TO be in by Friday afternoon.
With this understanding, the committee
adjourned until Thursday afternoon. The
only other witnesses We're Theodore New
man, of Rushville who said he had been
paid s. for voting the Republican ticket,
and James j. Netterville. of Anderson, who,
as a member of the executive council of the
Democratic county central committee. said
that John Boland, Harry Honeycutt, Jo-
seph Laney and John Shawhan We're not
Connected in any way with the committee,
and had not been, to his knowledge, COM
missioned by the committee to buy any
votes.
SENATORS AWAKENED.
The testimony brought out in the Stoner-
Cregor contest has awakened several of the
senators to a realization of the necessity Of
greater purity in elections and a consequent
amendment TO the present election laws
Both sides in the contest now before the
Senate election committee have shown that
votes were purchased by the other through
the collision of the election officers The
general plan followed by the purchasers OF
votes was to have a 'floater" enter tho vOt-
ing place and announce that he not able
TO mark his own ticket md request the
clerk of the party to when he had sold his
vote to mark his ticket for nm This cone,
the clerk then announce by signal 10 those
outside. that the man had voted properly
and the price OF the vote wodl1 lie paid / Y
the worker outside.
This scheme has sugges I'd TO -everal SER
ators of both parties plan 10 counttrac- II,
and Senator Str0up, Democrat will shortly
introduce a bill providing rnat ia every in
stance where a voter announces that he j.
unable 70 mark his own ballot, he must
make affidavit to the fact and be liable for
prosecution If il develops that he perjured
himself. AS il is in no sense a party meas
ure It Is felt that It will pass By big
vote.