The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-04

Two Of Tuesdays municipal elections are
significant and may be instructive if people
elsewhere are seeking instruction. In Chi
cago. Mayor Harrison is elected for a
third term. Except for his stand on the
street-railway franchises Mr.. Harrison has
been about as inefficient a mayor as a city
could have. The Independent papers, which
finally supported him, exposed the ineffi-
cheney and corruption of the police force,
which permitted conditions to grow up I'M
der which life has not been secure for
months. For a year there was a stagna-
>tion in the building trades because the
Harrison officials were using a labor or
ganization for political purposes which
the unions themselves finally ignored. Not
long ago a writer, whose speciality is
tramps. being. for his own purposes. one of
them. declared that Chicago is the city of
refuge of all criminal tramps and that two
years ago they gave Harrison thousands
of votes. Newspapers which finally sup
ported him denounced him three months
ago because he half defended the criminal
ity of Chicago. The Board of Aldermen is
INcPubhtdiB IL tnt 0CIioNldlS WIN ran Win
Harrison had been elected the VIGOROUSLY
most corrupt men in local politics would
have been elected. The Republican alder
men and not the mayor Will take care OF
the street-railway franchises. Why was
Harrison reelected? Because of the boss
ism of ex-Representative Lorimer, who
has made himself thoroughly obnoxious TO
a large body of Republicans, who defeated
him for the House last fall. The majority
of Republicans, as shown by the vote OF
the primaries. desired the nomination of
Mr.. Harlan. More Republicans voted for
candidates. If the nomination had been
made by a direct vote at the primaries.
Mr.. Harlan would have been nominated
and elected. But Mr.. Lorimer went into
the convention and. with others. controlled
the delegates and nominated a good man
who had few delegates elected for him.
Being a good man did not save him. Some
Republicans and Independents voted for
Harrison, but many thousands did not so
TO the polls. That is, Lorimer and his sup
porters elected Carter Harrison. The Incl
dent is worth remembering.
1t was different in st. Louis. 1t is a Re-
publican city. but under the Nesbit law an
honest election is no longer possible. 1t
has been proved by a nonpartisan can
vass that 5000 fraudulent votes were
counted in one congressional district. in
November. \ grand jury reported. just be-
fore the election of Tuesday. that the
registration lists were entirely unreliable.
While Republicans are given. under the
law. a minority representation on election
boards. the vicious law was ignored by
filling the places by men not Republicans.
The reports of the election show that
frauds OF the most open and reckless char
acter were practiced. Gangs of repeaters
went from voting place TO voting place.
voting the Democratic ticket. many of the
voters being negroes employed to repeat.
Ballots of Republicans and OF those other
than Democrats were unfolded by precinct
officers and torn In pieces before the face
OF the voters. The significant part Of this
performance is that the Democratic ticket
was opposed by Mr.. Bryan and his as
sociates because the head of the Demo-
cratic ticket voted for Mckinley last No
vember. So far as IL has significance, the
anti-Bryan leaders. led by Ex-Governor
Francis. will control Missouri against Mr..
Bryan and his pet policies. II should be
added that this glaringIy fraudulent cleo
ton of Tuesday places a traudulently