Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-01
NORRIS No PARTY TO FRAUD
Conclusive Answer to Charges Made
Against Republican Candidate.
REPUTATION FROM OPPOSITION CAMP
Judge weIty, who was Candidate
Against Norris I'm Judicial Fight,
Tells what He Knows
About the Contest.

BEAVER CITY. Neb.. oct s1-(special.)
Statements have appeared in print re-
garding the election in which Judge Norris,
republican candidate for congress in the
Fifth district, was accused Of being the
beneficiary Of election frauds. Judge welty,
who was his opponent in hat campaign,
has issued the following open letter over
his own signature, which effectually dis
poses OF the charge:
To the Voters OF the Fifth Congressional
District: II is evident from some of the
insinuations and Innuendoes contained in
gressional district that an attempt is being
made to cause the people to believe that
Judge Norris was guilty OF fraud in OBJ
tanning the office of district Judge the first
time he was a candidate for that position.
In making this charge they appear to be
and appear to have sympathy for me on
account Of my having been, as they
oFfga s q nnt W{{lli1 1ref ibst pu sbogla he
made a tool of for the purpose of pulling
democratic chestnuts out of the fire or for
Fostering up. a weak cause, especially
when such charges contain dishonorable
insinuations against a man whom l believe
to be upright and honorable.
At the time of the election in 1895, I was
holding the Office OF district Judge of the
Fourteenth judicial district, having been
elected TO that position as a populist, and
in the campaign l was renominated by the
populists as their candidate for reelection.
Better Posted Than A~ccusers.
1 think 1 know more about h cam
paign and the contest that followed than
any of the present accusers Of Judge
lieved that I was elected, and there is no
doubt but what Judge Norris was equally
and II is NOT TO he Wondered al tbst an
election so close as that should result in a
good deal of bitterness in the contest which
followed. In that contest We were both
looking for fraudulent votes hat might
have been cast for the other party and for
Irregularities that in law would be fraud
The opponents of Judge Norris are trying
to make capital out of a change in the
vote in Union precinct, in Furnas county.
1t was evident from the. canvass books
that some one had changed a cipher into q
six. and this change occurred in Judge
change l was honest in the belief that II
had been made fraudulently and Intention
Lca4vassins board made afHdayits stating
that this change had been made by them
and stating that the same. was an honest
rected on a recanvass of the vote OF thai
county. This ~recanvass wac brought about
by me on an application in the supreme
court against the canvassing board, an &C.
ton in which Judge Norris was not 9
party and in which the canvassing board
signed a stipulation expressing a willing
ness to ~recanvass the vote, II given au.
thority to do so by the court. This error
me In law. IL done innocently and BY mis-.
take, as though done puTpIsely and fraud
ulently. This error, however, was cor
rected before the certificate OF election wai
issued and Judge Norris received no bene
ht from this change, which was made by
Of harming anybody. 1t is also due to hin
to say that he never claimed these fraud
ulent votes, but always frankly admitted
that they should not be given to him. ant
as a matter of fact they were not given t
him. and he received absolutely no bench
therefrom.
ThreahinE over Old Straw.
There were many charges of fraud mad,
both ways in this fight and contest which
followed, but there is no doubt but wha
Judge Norris went through 1t all in al
honorable and upright manner, and tina
he came out of IL without any dishonor o.
disgrace, and after a fun investigation o
all the charges that were made pro AM
con. and running them down to the end
that election Judge Norris was fairly an
honestly elected.
he was renominated and in that election
the same charge was made by the demo
Gratis against him and the campaign wa
fought out on that issue alone; the matte
was fully discussed by the people and tn
newspapers of that districS and as a result
OF much Investigation and discussion Judg
Norris ran 1.lW votes ahead of his tickle
and was reelected, while the district wa
carried by an over vhelmingly majority b,
For four years Judge Norris practice
law constantly in the district court wher
1 was the presiding judge, and / neve
knew him to be guilty of a d~ishonorable o
unprofessional act.
He has lived in this district many year
and is perhaps better known than an,
other man in the district, and the peopl
know him to be a man whose honesty /
unouestioned and whose moral character 4
absolutely unassailable. They will resen
as they have done before, regardless Q
politics, any attempt TO injure his fai
name or to detraet from his well-earne
and good reputation. d. T. WELTY
dated at Cambridge, Neb,, this 18th da
Of October. lg02.