The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-02
HEARD THE ARGUMENT
ORATORY IN THE STONER-CREGOR
ELECTION CONTEST.
Committee Will Probably Not Make
Its Report for Several Days
Last Nights Session.

The closing arguments were made in the
| Cregor-Stoner contest last night and the
Senate elections committee has the matter
in charge. The method of argument adopted
by the attorneys on both sides was prac-
tically that used before any court of justice,
except that no attempt was made to inter-
pref the law on any of the points, is
frequently done before juries.
Attorney Greenlee, in opening the argu-
ment for Stoner, said he had entered the
case with considerable timidity because he
felt that it would be impossible for Stoner's
side to produce enough evidence, under the
provisions of the Australian ballot system
to be of any use in proving his right to his
seat in the Senate. He said that while he
expected the committee to take into consid-
Grafton the credibility of witnesses who tes-
titled that they had sold their votes, he
wished to suggest the thought that no man
of principle would sell his vote and that
therefore only witnesses of questionable
character could be bought up by party
workers and that, under the circumstances,
their direct testimony should be considered
as good. He then presented the claims Of
Stoner as to Republican votes bought by
Democrats and asserted that the testimony
clearly showed that Stoner should have been
elected by a clear majority.
Captain Black of Greenfield, in opening
the argument for Cregor, said that, as he
was about to present phase of the case
with which he was most familiar he thought
that, as a Republican of many years stand
ing he ought to explain his attitude in the
case. He said he felt that StOner secured his
nomination by corrupt and unfair methods
and that because of this he and several
other Republicans worked to defeat him.
He said he had kept aloof from the party
and was not advised of it's secrets. The
phase of the case which he proposed 10 eX-
hibit was, he said, the ineligibility OF Ston-
er. He said, in his opinion, Stoner was gulty
of a felony and ought not to be seated IN
quoting the statutes bearing on the dlSqual-
ification of corrupt candidates he SAID that
to prove Stoners ineHgibility 1t should not
be necessary to show that a bride had been
accepted had influenced a. vote, put thaC
the offer of money in itself was crime.
In closing Captain Black said that Stoner
deserved a seat in the penitentiary rather
than in the Senate and that his attitude as
a Republican was upheld by majority or
the Republicans of hancock county.
CAPTAIN Curtis, for Cregor, attacked the
credfbtlitv of Stoner'S witnesses from Madi-
son county and said that when the evidence
on both sides had been weighed by the COM
mittee, he felt certain that Cregors major
ity would be increased from 81 TO 80. Whlle
Captain Curtis was attacking the character
of Harry Honeycutt, Captain Black casu-
ally but audibly remarked that he mad sent
him to the penitentiary once"
In a second Attorney Foley locked horns
with the Greenfield attorney with the re-
mark You never did anything of the
kind Things looked squally for minute
until Senators Gilbert and Brooks reminded
the attorneys that that question was not uIl-
der consideration, and both attorneys sub
sided muttering unpleasant things at each
other.
Attorney Hough closed the argument for
Stoner and claimed that the charges of con-
spiracy had been substantiated by the evil
dence of witnesses. He reiterated the state
ment that in Madison county the conspiracy
was to keep Republican voters away from
the polls as the safest way to buy their
votes. and that in Hancock county the con-
spiracy took the shape of d scheme to cor
rupt the election board. In attacking Capt.
Blacks statement that a large number of
Republicans of Hancock county were
against Stoner, Attorney Hough said that
CAPTAIN Blacks enmity dated back to the
time when Stoner defeated him for office
and that the statement that Stoner was in
bad repute with his party could be specffl-
cally denied by the fact that Stoner ran 120
votes ahead of the Republican state ticket
in Hancock county, indicating that he was
liked, not only by Republicans, but by many
Democrats as well.
At the conclusion of the arguments, Chair
man Gilbert announced that the committee
was prepared to receive the statements of
the contestants in the case as to the
and would recommend their repayment so
far as the amounts related to witnesses who
appeared before the committee and gave
competent testimony. 1t is not expected
that the committee will make any report
on the case for several days.