South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-09-01
REPUBLICAN States
ARE FIR FROM CLEAN
Sen. Kern Has Some Comment
to Make on Election
Fraud Cases.

INDIANAPOLIS. sept. /. - Sen.
John w. Kern has made some very
interesting comments concerning the
Marion county election indictments.
He especially pays his compliments
to the republican state organization
which seeks 10 make political capital
out Of the fact that these indictments
have been returned.
While assuring the public that he
has nothing but severest eondemna-
ton to offer for any onense against
the ballot, no matter boy what parry
committed, and while he says ne nat
urally can have no means OF nOWln
the nature OF the evidence of the state
in the Mayor Joseph y. Bell case, he
adds. but knowing as intimately as
1 do, / shall be greatly surprised II
any case is made out against him by
reputable witnesses. Sen. Kern says
also:
Il have known Mr.. Bell ever since
he came TO this city. During the four,
years / was city attorney Mr.. Bell was
my deputy, and we occupied the same
Office for more than L years, our re
lations being very intimate
The Indianapolis star asked Sen.
Null nat h+L %AAD4zAAN HCNtA1 ~ N1~
political effect OF the indictments
against National Committeeman
Thomas Taggart and Mayor Bell. In
answer he said in part:
Recalls History.
1T is TO be regretted hat efforts
are being made in various parts of
the state by certain republican poll
ticians to make political capital out
of trese prosecutions against two
M-A--Ha.-# Inv.mnpnHn Fnrs na "a .ngfTNf
the memory OF the people will be re
freshed as to certain chapters OF In
diana's political history.
Everybody knows that the gross
est election frauds of the century
have been perpetrated in Indiana in
the interest of candidates on the re
publican ticket, and every Ody has
equal knowledge that no republican
prosecuting officer has ever made the
slightest effort To expose or punish
the perpetrators.
What man of middle age has for
gotten tie wholesale d~ebauchery of
the state in 1882
William p. Fishback. one Of Indi-
ana's ablest republicans, a law part
ner and close friend of Gen. Harrison,
wrote an open letter to stanton j.
Peelle, then in congress, dated March
80, 1888. and published in the Ind
napOlis News about that date, in
W0lCn. eIlUlON1fEE the NlEOiOuS LIS
lish for which he was famous. ne
called attention TO the source of the
great republican campaign funds, aud
how they =ere spent in Indiana.
Mr.. Ffshback said: such laws
put money in the pockets of bankers
and manufacturers. Bankers and
manufacturer Will contribute of that
money 10 the campaign fund, and
men like Dorsey viii come To Indi-
ana again as they came in 1880 and
disburse $400. 600 in the DenisOn
house parlors to be used in buying
votes. hiring repeatcrs, bribing cleo
ton officers TO stuff the ballot boxes
and falsify election returns. You
know that there are men high in Of
fee. because they connived at these
crimes"
According to this statement of
his very prominent republican, the
men who connived at these Infamous
crimes were not only not denounced
ror prosecuted, but rewarded with
public office.
Blocks of Five"
And then a little later came Dud-
ley WITH MS Blocks of Five and
frauds against the ballot committed
in ever part Of the state, which COM
pletely eclipsed the work of Dorsey,
SO vigorously denounced by Mr.. Fish
back. The frauds being exposed, a
ALAAlONA ANAG MAoAA ANNOA AINg A4lAltA -
took TO prosecute Dudley. but a re-
publican United States judge effec-
tually blocked every effort TO bring
him TO justice.
And again in 1896 election frauds
of every kind were open and notorious
and boosted of and yet no thought of
prosecution ever entered the mind of
any republican prosecutor or Judge.
And so on and So on. What res
ident of indianapolis does not know
or has not heard of the gangs OF
negro repeaters who have operated
here election after election2 All these
performances were treated as great
Jokes on the democrats, who were in
the minority
Sen. Kern might have gon on down
the line OF elections. He miGht have
included the notorious republican
primaries of 1912, which were con-
Quoted under the guidance of the
same men who are now i'm full con-
troll OF the party I'm Indiana. Tt was
the results of such elections as that.
when sustained ty the national con-
venticn under control of the same
corrupt Influences. that resulted in
TIE progressive revolt. Ne more cor