The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-04-10
Shue claimed the Indian vote, and
the Indian farmer agreed to deliver

he had men among the Indians for
several days. The Indians were fed
ard banqueted said the Colonel:
"Their stomachs were never as full
as we filed them. At one meal the
redskins ate $50 hard boiled eggs,
and they had every other kind Of
]delicacy. They were brought in
from the reservation iii wagons and
carriages, and were given every ac-
comodation free at the best hotel in
the place. Every redskin was "big
Injun me" until after their votes
were counted. Front the hotel they
were conducted to barn where they
were ''seen" by the election man
aoers, and then started for the polls.
Indian Farmer Rodman did not vote
his men that day, but most of Them
voted the other ticket. All sides
I. deny buying the votes, but every
Indian had money that day, some
had crisp five dollar bills, and others
had ten dollar bills. And the Shue
people claim that Colonel Mccormick
spent four to five thousand dollars
on the election. The Colonel's
friends say the amount was too high,
"but that Shue's people spent more
money than we did," Every vote
cast represented all the way from
j five to ten dollars in the aggregate.
j Colonel Mccormick won great vic
tory, carrying al his men by over
$50 majority Colonel Mccormick
hao been made the target of the old
crowd, who had been in office for
years, until he had to turn them
/ down to vindicate himself with his
neighbors.
The Colonel was asked his specific
reasons for revolutionizing Hayward
and Sawyer county politics, and his
explanation was that corruption had
existed SO long that a complete re-
novating process was absolutely
necessary. He said: sThe taxes of
/ the North Wisconsin Lumber Com
pany were forty-three percent high
er this year than last. The county
is in debt $50, 600; county orders are
begging for purchasers. Our public
expenses last year exceeded $4,000,
while the population of Sawyer
county is but $500; the supervisors
drew on an average of over three
dollars each for every day in the
year, last year, and suits have been
instigated to recover from them
$4,000 which they have Illegally
audited in their cwn favor. We
have affidavits that road orders have
been 10 some instances issued for no
other than political purposes. !"
Colonel Mccormick says that in
1892 he became chairman of the town
of Hayward, which is also the chair
manship of the county board, and
chat in two years he wiped out
public Indebtedness of 1000, and
left the public free of debt. Since
that time, he says, matters have been
run in a reckless and extravaganza
manner, ard he finally concluded
that the time was ripe for complete
cleaning up,'' as he expresses it.
The difficulty and threatened riots
were due to the refusal of the Shue
election board to certify the election
of the Mccormick and Peck ticket,
and the claim of both sets of officers
to the offices.
Young Mr.. Schei has plenty of
friends now days, and things are
coming his way. He has won out
against perhaps the most persistent
opposition and persecution ever
heaped upon a newspaper in Wiscon
sin. He will perhaps let up on his
warfare and reap the fruits OF vic
tory. It is doubtful if there ever
was new county or town where
more corruption was manifested in
public matters than in Sawyer coun-
ty, and Hayward, it's only town.
The movement which elected the
present town officials was styled a
Reform" affair. While there has
been no reform that can be dis
covered, in the conduct of the cleo
ton, yet Colonel Mccormick is I'M
doubtedly right when he says that
"the old crowd were licked by their
own methods, and that was the only
way in which we could possibly
win.' Every voter in Sawyer coun-
ty is now thoroughly alive TO the