Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-01
Would Win Coming Election for
Bryan By Unfair Means.
PROPOSES RED SHIRT WORK Al POLLS
Ex-Governor of Illinois Would Terror
ize Voters and Election Judges by
Employing Bands of Toughs Around
the Election Booths.


Grant howlers about "Hanna's big COR
Iruptlon fund.-" is Altgeld, of Illinois.
He affects to believe that democrats
are purchasable and that the horrible
Hanna (who is lovely, companion
able gentleman as personally know
is going to buy up democrats like
sheep. He tells people that Hanna
will buy democratic judges of elections
and do all manner of dire deeds with
money.
This practical friend of the rag-tag
and bobtail, of tramps and anarchists,
says that he had ascertained that the
republicans have collected twenty-five
| planned to corrupt the suffrage this
year on large scale. He declares
that they were guilty of like offense
in 1896 and in that way elected Mr..
Mckinley. The democrats, therefore,
to checkmate this meditated scoun-
drelism-or they will again suffer the
pangs of defeat.
The Illinois leader IS nothing if not
| direct-nothing if not extreme. From
making charges as private citizen to
pardoning anarchists as the governor
| Va q ooNSiSlGoll 0IulC uC pldyo ilS llllllL
| Hear him then without surprise on the
subject of how the republicans may be
and shall be thwarted:
We feel these crimes can be pre-
vented. l believe that if our people
will form vigilance committees in eve
ry precinct of this country, make care
full lists of all legal voters, and then
take position inside the booths when
rtr,fi ,,er i, IN,
tAat there is no false count made and
that the votes cast 4or the democratic
ticket are not counted for republican
candidates, and that there is an hon
| est return, we will sweep the country
from one end to the olAer and the re-
publicans will not be able to carry
eight states in the Union"
| Is this proposition to redshirt the
country on the night of election? Are
bands of toughs, with no excuse for
organization but this charge of an ag-
itator, to surround the polling places,
and, under the preteXt of insisting on
fair count, force false one? Mr..
| Altgeld says eve feel" Does he mean
that Mr.. Tillman, of South Carolina,
lGovernor-elect Aycock, of North Caro-
lima and Mr.. Croker, of New York,
share this anxiety as to the suffrage
with him? And do they approve of
the plan he presents for securing a
count favorable to Mr.. Bryan?
1t may be indeed, that, after all, Mr..
Altgeld is but the mouthpiece in this
manner for others. The plan may not
have originated with MIN. He may
merely have approved it and announc-
ed it. 1t may have grown out of a
conference between Mr.. Tillman and
Mr.. Aycock. They are experts at safe
guarding the suffrage. Mr.. Tillman
has boosted in the open senate of his
skill, and Mr.. Aycock has but recently
given convincing evidence of his.
Their plans are the same, and both
have worked to charm. It is as easy
for camel to pass thru the eye of a
needle as for republican to enter Of
fee in either of the Carolinas now.
SO why not spread this plan over the
country? Why not try to secure ma
tional results by process which has
answered so very satisfactorily in
state affairs?
The audacity, impudence, and gall
of Bryan, Altgeld and their ilk is amaz.
country, and they will find that in the
northern states, If necessary. the puri
ty of the ballot will be maintained
with the bullet. They can redshirt
the southern states and steal 1873 cleo
toral votes by terrorizing peaceable
docile negroes-but that plan won't
work in our neighborhood. Not much
Smith D. Fry.