Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1887 — A Temporary Triumph or Fraud. [ARTICLE]

A Temporary Triumph or Fraud.

Indianapolis Journal. The democratic drama of fraud culminated yesterday in the pretended election of Mr. ©avid Turpie to the United States Senate. We -r say it culminated, because there is nothing else in sight, at present, which they could steaj, except the three State offices to which Republicans were elected last fall, and it will take some tim e to “prepare the papers” in those cases. Perhaps they will feel like resting awhile. A conspiracy occupying nearly three months in: its unfolding and developement is a heavy strain on those engdged in it. The alleged election of Mr. Xurpie is the outcome of such a conspiracy. The egg was laid nearly three months ago, and it has been so long hatching. The senatorship was stolen yesterday, so far as the Democrats could do it, but the preliminary arrangements for the theft were begun within forty-eight hours after the N el ection.--Ono-eiime generally carries others in its belTy, and it Was so in this case. The stealing of the senatorship necessitated several other crimes and frauds. The managers of the job were ecpral to the occasion. Luckily it required no high qualities nor any great ability—nothing but phase sascality, such as election frauds, forgery, perjury and bribery. This was easy,. If the gerrymander had worked as they expected, they would have been saved all this after trouble; but as tiio people broke through that and elected a Republican Legislature, it- became necessary to reverse this result. This was to be accomplished by counting out Republicans who were fairly elected. In at least two localities this was done. It came near being successful in this county, where the fSim Coy gang altered the tally-sheets and forged returns for the pur- i pose, among others, of defeating i Mr. Griffiths, but their gun missed fire. These crimes were followed ‘ in order by the springing of Green ! Smith’s claim, by his of power in organizing the Senate, j by his attempted theft of the Lieu- j tenant-governorship, by the unseat-; ing of Senator McDonald and the 1 seating of Branamau, by the efforts to purchase a vote to' make the required seventy-six. Thus the alleged election of Mr. | Turpie is the culmination in regu- j lar sequence of a series of frauds ; and crimes covering a period of nearly three months. The protended election is not merely taint- j ed with fraud; it is a fraud. It is j the result of a revolution —blood- | less, it is true, but noue the less a j revolution—by which popular gov- ; ernment in Indiana has been for j the time overthrown, and violent | and arbitrary methods have taken j the place of those prescribed by the Constitution amt laws? A lew j bold, adroit, unscrupulous men j have succeeded in changing the j result of a popular election, and ] by a quasi election under the mu- j tiiatedforms of law have assumed ; to give Mr. Turpie ah office which, if he ever gets, he will hold by a title reeking with rascality and festering with fraud. .v Mr. Turpier’s title is fraudulent; first, because Green Smith, pretending and assuming to be. Lieu-tenant-governor, also voted for Mr. Turpie; second, because Mr. McDonald voted for him, when his election last November was invalid pthird, because Mr. Branaman, an illegal and fraudulent Senator, voted for him; fourth, because ai least one other vote cast for him was undoubtedly obtained by corrupt means.