Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-05-23

sYayo OF ms repup,lc haa the lawful right
10 pass any act which commended itself
to it's Judgment. acting through the law
making power.
Again 1t is contended that the legisla-
ture of Missouri wickedly enacted another
law in reference to the police of the city.
It Is claimed that this was the result of a
conspiracy on the part of the managers of
the Democratic party, that the police
force was greatly enlarged in number and
their pay Increased and that the police
force was reorganized under that law In
the interest of the Democratic party.
The evidence in the record in this case
completely refutes this proposition. The
contestant himself caused to be examined
In his own behalf and literally quotes
from the testimony Of Mr.. Harry Hawes,
the president Of the police board Mr..
Halves. on page 113 of the record, ct sea-,
shows the reasons for the passage of this
law. It appears from his testimony that
the city Of St Louis had nearly one-third
less police than any other city of its class
In the United States. There were con-
slant complaints made of the fact that
policemen did not appear In neighbour
hoods, that many Of the policemen were
required to work frequently from four
teen to eighteen hours day, that the law
previous to that had been adopted in 1861.
and under It's provisions tho house or dole
gates ana council of the city were con-
stantly making demands upon the board
of police commissioners to name the new
appointees when they were made
Mr.. Bowie then quotes Mt length from
the fair and stringent provisions Of
the Nesbit election law and begins his
comment thereon as follows:
1t Is impossible to conceive any statute
which would make false registration more
difficult or more sure Of detection than the
provisions of this statute which we have
Just quoted. and yet, according to the
notwithstanding the purging Of the lists
which was done by these clerks in every
precinct OF the district, there were still
over 1900 men left there who fraudulent
ly registered. If the McBurney canvass is
reliable.
The "McBurney" canvass was made
for the purpose Of showing that Butler
had registered $4,000 straw voters!
Evidently there were few cases of
fraudulent registration. for here is evil
dence of it:
Hardly Democratic Votes.
One OF the worst cases reported is
shown in the testimony of Prentiss Trow-
bridge He says that there were fifteen
men registered at 3OA Manchester avenue;
| that he was Informed by I. H. Bradbury,
who lived there. that ten of the men did
| not live there. This was the headquarters
OF tho Republican party In that precinct.
| Under the peculiar legal eonstruc-
tons mode by Republicans sor cam
paisn purposes Y eaems that it s even
criminal b de % spn after an cleo
ton that uB htssd pnnvasser fails to
find the wef at his home. whereat he
Is put down as having been falsely reg
tsaered Ms. Bowie says.
Mr.. Shapleigh. man who was known
all over the United States, is put down as
| fraud In this canvass. He was guilty Of
| no other offense than that he died two
| months after the election. Mr.. Thomas c.
Henning, q lawyer Of the city OF st. Louis,
| who resided at the Jefferson club, was put
down as a fraud because the canvasser err
| roneously marked him rs '"T. Henning."
Young Mr.. Henning is q close per-
sonal friend of Colonel Harry 3.
HIVES and Is well known stump Or
ator. Mr.. Shapleigh was at the head
of the great Shapleigh Hardware COM
pany.
Some of the challengers on the day
of the election had list and started
to challenge every man who offered to
vote. Public feeling ran very high be-
cause Of this outrage. and very natural
ly meeting Of representative Demo
Gratis, most OF whom were lawyers.
was called at the Southern hotel two
OF Gee nights before the election
(sone witnesses say 1t was Sunday
night, others give different date tc
discuss and consider what rights the
Democratic party had left in st. Louis
If any.
Since that meeting ut the Southern
hotel the situation has been relieved tt
some extent, as number Of the Re
publican tricksters are under indict
ment for fraud and bribery. one is un
der penitentiary sentence. while two
other ringleaders skipped their bono
and are now hiding in old Mexico. The
atmosphere is being cleared gradually
and the situation has been somewhat
relieved. A number OF the men WIKI
made it practically impossible for s
Democrat to be elected to Office in st
Louis under the corrupt Republican
ring rule will soon be receiving theil
: mail in care of the warden of one Of
the finest penitentiaries in the world.