Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 October 1888 — A SCOUNDRELLY SCHEME. [ARTICLE]

A SCOUNDRELLY SCHEME.

Who Cut that Democratic Pole Rope. Yesterday morning it was discovered that during the previous night the rope to the Democratic pole in (his place had been cut and carried away. At first thought it was but reasonable to suppose that this outrage had been committed by some ignorant and misguided persons, probably boys, and,iperhaps of Republican sympathies.. There are many considerations and circumstances connected with the matter, however, which, make it appear aimost certain that the cutting and carrying away of the rope was a deliberate democratic scheme, gotten up for the obvious purpose of creating a feeling of exasperation against the Republicans, with the double object of ( holding the Democratic vote solid and of winning some Repicans, who would naturally be indignant at the outrageous act committed, as they believed, by their own party. Briefly slated, here are some of the considerations which lead to the conclusion that the outrage was a democratic scheme: First. The Motive: Every person of common sense knows that if it came to be generally believed that the Republicans committed the act, the result woyld be very injurious to them and do no possible harm to the democrats.

Second. The remarkable promptness and unanimity with which the Democrats sought to turn the incident to their advantage; and while they professed indignation, could fiot and.did, not repress the ‘joy they really’felt at the occurence. “It will make us 25 votes,” laid one. “We don’t want the rope put back, it is a good enougfi thing for us” said another. All day long they were boasting of the many votes they would win from the Republicans, on account of the outrage. . Third. They sought constantly to create the conviction that the act, was-not committed by irresponsible boys or hoodlums, but was either done or caused to be done by leading Republicans. They even got out an infamous, libellous circular, in the forenoon, mainly for the purpose of strengthening this belief.

Fourth. They did not want the rope restored to the pole. Early in the forenoon M. F. Chilcote, chairman of the Republican County Central Committee in the pres? ence of W. W. Watson and M. L. Spitler, proposed to G. H. Brown, Sr., who was head of the committee in charge of, the pole, and to Lee E. Glazebrook, Chairman of the democratic County Central Committe, in the further pres--ence.of C. D. Ndwels, that they (the Republicans) would at their own expense, take down the pole, replace the rope, in ample time to get the flag up before the arrival of Mr. Voorhees. The only answer of these Democratic gentlemen was that “they would take the proposition under advisement.” And they have it under advisement yet. , Fifth. A democratic saloonkeeper, who is usually credited with being first and foremost in schemes for Democratic fine work) was seen by two reputable citizens prowling about in the vicinity of the poles, at a late hour Tuesday night. Sixth. An additional reason why the democrats would want the rope removed was the pole, being an excessively limber and Spindling affair, for its height, could not, probably support the great strain of a large flag, in windy weather, and it was openly and frequenty asserted, yesterday, by one of the most reputable citizens of Barkley township, that the Democrats held a consultation on this very point, Tuesday, and concluded that the pole could not be safely trusted to sustain the strain of the flag. f

Seventh. It is an old Democratic scheme to commit some outrage, seemingly against their own paity, in order to make it appear that their opponents were the guilty parties, thus, creating a popular feeling against such opponents. These reasons, with others which might be added, lead, almost irresistibly, to the conclusion that the removing of this rope was a.democratic trick; but whether that conclusion be right or wrong, the act was a base one and the editor of The Republican hereby offers to give, out ot his own pocket, ten dollars for the arrest and convic-

tion of the perpetrators* The circular above referred to, was a small hand bill, with a glaring headline “Republican Vandalism” and was got out and circulated among the crowds, at an early hour yesterday forenoon. It contained the following matter:

The- issuing of this circular was a gross outrage. It was an act worthy of the party pt ballot-box stuffing, and election returns forging. Of the party of Joe Mackin and of Sim Coy. Of the party of Mississippi murderers and Arkansas frauds, if was worthy of the Bourbon Copperheads who planned it; of the Bourbon Copperhead who it, and of.,the Bourbon Copperheads who peddled it on the streets. Just consider the matter and spirit of the thing a little: Now the authors of this circular either know ot do not know who cut and carried away that rope. If they do not know who did the act, then it was, an outrage to assert, (without knowing) that it was an act of Republicans; and an outrage to assert, (without knowing) thal it was not done by boys, with the plain intent of implying that the leaders oi responsible men of the Republican party were those who caused the act. llf they do know who cut the rope, then they know it because they know it was done by a democrat and done in the interest of the democratic party, and in^.his l( |ase the issuing of the circular was even a greater outrage than in the other. .