Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 May 1890 — STEALING SENATORSHIPS. [ARTICLE]

STEALING SENATORSHIPS.

In his apesch on the Montana senatorial steal, Senator Tarpie draws the following word■>portrait of one of the republican claimants; “There is a very curious post** script to this history, a postscript very nearly related aid bearing as evidence directly upon the vote of precinct No. 34. We, of the minority here, have &huded to this testimony, it is a considerable tract of testimony. It is published at the end of our portion of the report. Wq ssy that where a par* ty undertakes by irregular meand to vitiate or destroy a record, or the evidence of it, the f*ct that he uses sueh means is not only criminative testimony against himself, but it is evidence of the beet character as to the truth of the record which he attempts to destroy.— Here is an affidavit of Mr. Galla* ger attached to the report, showing that he was a voter and legal resident of precinct No. 34, showthat he was approached and offer** ed, if he would furnish evidence to defeat the return of the preoinct, first SI,OOO, $2,000, even $3,000, «o all of which he answered he was not in that kind of business. Mr. George—Who made that offer 0 Mr. Turpie—Some person who was interested in defeating that return. Here is another affidavit of a person named Whalen, who was offered in tlie same manner a reward for swearing that he had voted a straight republican ticket, and he declined it in the same way, evidently having for its object to impeach the returns. There are six affidavits of voters and residents, among others of Lewis Fish, testifying to conduct of the same kind, showing a prolonged and continuous series ot action by some party in the Territory designed to impeach, to impugn, and to vinate the integrity of the retun from precinct No. 34. There is another affidavit also, made by Mr. Pennycook, one of the judges of e action at precinct No. 34

AFFIDVIT OF W. A. PENNYCOOK. In the matter of the election in preoinct No 34, Silver Bow County, State of Montana. State of Montana, County of Lewis and Clarke: William A Pannycook, being first duly sworn, en oath says that he w s one of the judges that con ducted the election held at precinct 34, countv of Silver Bow, State of Montana, on the Ist day of October, 1889, Tfiat he is orer the age of 21 years, and has declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States, and is a resident of said Silver Bow county, State of Montanai That Mr, Thomas C* Power, of Helena, Mont., the same person claiming to be elected United States Senator from Montana, sent word to him by a friend, to come over to Helena, Moni; that he wanted to see him. That he came over to Helena, on the 9th day of January, 1890, aud saw Mr. Thomas C, Power, at his office, in said city of Helena Mr, Power told affiant that he (Power) wanted to see him about the election at precinct No. 34. Silver Bow county, and that he wanted affiant to throw out precinct 34. That affiant c uld do it easier than what they could. He said he wonld pay all the expenses, and pay affiant for all the time be lost; he showed aflknt a list of names of men who had voted at precinct No 34, and had not been in the Territory fsr six months. _ Affi* ant examined the names and knows that a large number of them had been in the Territory ho ore than two years, he, affiant, being personally acquai*. ted with them for that period, and affiant so teldJMr. Power,- Power repeatedly told affiant that all he wanted affiant to do was to throw out the preoinct, using whatever means he lik d. Said Power talked the mattei over far soma time, the foregoing being the substance of the conver-

sation, affiant listening patiently; but as affiant was cognizant of the fact that said election was con > ducted fairly, and the voters at said precinot being duly qualified so to do, as affiant confidently believe?, affiant told Mr. p ower that he wo’d see about it, and shortly after affi ant left Mr Power’s office. He also told affiant that fie fid been corresponding with u. H. Wallow, at St. Paul, concerning the men sent out by him from St Paul, and who were not in the Territory six months prior to the election, and that this he eould prove through Wallow, but that Wallow wanted too much money. [Signed J W. A. Pennycook. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 14th day of January, a. d. 1890. H. ft. Oomly, j l. s.] Notai y Public in and for Lewis and Clarke Co., Montana. It seems after all that there was one person in Montana, and he a Republican, who. was dissatisfied with the action of the Territorial returning board, who was fully convinced that there was nothing of value or valid ‘ty in any of the objections that had been made to the return of precinot No 34, and who was determined as far as he was concerned, in the language of the old conveyancers, to have a “covenant of further assurance.” We know nothing of Thomas C. Power except what this record shows. It seems he is a man of wealth. He is an old resident in the Territory, He is a man|o£ a good deal of prominence. The returns in this election show that he was an unsuccessful candidate for a very high office. He had an office in Helena. He sent a mes*» senger to Mr. Pennycook. He was leader in th* party to whi.h both of these persons belonged. Mr. Pennycook obeyed the summons. He went to the office of Mr. Power at Helena. Mr. Power told him that he wished to see him about the vote of precinct 34; that he wanted that precinct thrown out; he did not caro what means might be used to do it; and that he would pay him for his time and pay him for his expenses and pay him for all the expenses occurring in what might be necessa* ry to throw it out at whatever cost. Now, what would have been a reasonable account of expenses in such a transaction ? There would have been the cost of a journey to ' the capital and retu.n, including railroad fare bo s h ways. There would have been the cost of the sojourn there, including hotel Dills during his stay. Then it would have cost him the falsification of his official oath. It would Lave cost him the betrayal of the trust which the appointing authorities had placed in him in g ving him that position. It would have cost him the denial of his lawful re* tun, sworn to as genuine and true of that precinct It wonld have cost him the disfranchisement of all his friends, and neighbors, and acquaintances who had voted at the polls over which he presided It would have cost him the branding with lasting disgrace—a disgrace that no gold could gild and no shameless indifference could hide or cover The younger of these two list* ened to these propos&L patiently, but he decided that although this C cesus or Crassus of Montana might count his wealth by millions, he did not have enough to defray the expenses of a journey undertaken upon such a design. The tempter had approached Mr Pennycook very warily, especially on the subject of expenditure He did not expe ct a refusal, but he must not make his charges too high; that Wallow’s charges were exorbitant The natural tendency and bias of this somewhat remarkable character to corruption seem* ed to have been tempered by the shrewdest and most prudent pare simony He may have been a dis* honest man, somewhat u scrupulous, unprincipled, impure, defiled; he may be a political and social leper, loathsome, with the stench

and odor of a plague worse than his who washed seven times -iu Jordan to be cleansed; but he was no spendthrift | Laught r ] He was trained to the most rigid habits of economy in the art and mystery of iniquity which he professed and practiced He might be mistaked about what had been done for them at the county seat of Butte He and those for whom he was laboring might be disappo nted in the effect of that which had been done for them at Helena; but one thing he had made up his mind to do: he wouh' have no more to do with Wallow; Wallow wanted too much money. The panderer to polit,cal self-polution, is sometimes mistaken in his objects. The regular course of procedure in that hideous farce at Helena, the murder of the ballot,(the assassination of the free vote of the peo 4 * pie, had been hitherto extremely cheap, exceedinfily inexpensive.— What he wanted with Mr. Pennycook was that he would throw out the vote of precinct No. 34. The Territorial board of scriveners, ccnvassers and accountants, that trip’e coil of adders, the chief justice recently eppointed from Yerulam, that secretary from Sods om, that governor from Gomorroh, had tnrown out precinct No. 34, without money? * without price? without any reward or the hopes thereof? This tribunal, soocalled, high and mighty, this central authoritative, superior, supreme tribunal had taxen upon themselves the form of servants, of servants without hire; they had become slaves to do his bidding. Was it any wonder, then, that this prince and power of darkness, chaffering here and. there to one and to anoth er the Judas silver which he bore, that in the judge of the election precinct at No. 34 he at last met a man above his measure, and like one of old he was “troubled in his presence.” He was troubled,sorely trout led m the presence of one who rejected the wages of the baffled procurer, who turned his back upon the proffered treasure of this paltering fiend, who declined to fix the price for which Le would rarter his conscience and his honor. An endless variety or sateens and the new styles of henrietta finished sateens, Bouncings and white dress goods at prices below all competiou. Chicago Bargain Store