Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, September 30, 1894, Page 10

~ will look back Into the archives THE OMAHA DAILY BEE!; {"SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1894, L e e e e e e e - SHALL NEBRASKANS COVERN NEBRASK Shall We Profit by the Lessons of the Past and Rescue the State from the Per- nicious Influences of Boodlerism and Railroadism? LOOKING BACKWARD AND LOOKING FORWARD The Scarecrow Reports About the Destruction of the State’s Credit Effectually Exploded by Fects and Figures Gathered in Populist-Governed Kansas. SIDE LICHTSON THE RECORD OF TOM MAJORS | An Earnest Appeal to All Parties to Unite Home Rule Patriotic Citizens of in Defense of and Good Government, Friday evening Mr. Edward Rosewater ad- Aressed the people of Lincoln on the leading issues of the state campaign. The Lansing opera house was packed from pit to dome. Many prominent citizens of the capital city were present with their ladies, while hun- dreds were unable to gain admittance. Hon E. E. Brown of Lincoln, well known as a staunch republican, presided, n fit words introduced Mr. Rosewater, who, his appearance before the audience, greeted by hearty applause. Mr. Rosewater spoke for over and was listencd to with close throughout. He said Mr. Rosewater spoke as follows: Mr. President and Ladies and Gentlemen The magnificent audienca that grects me here tonight Is a testimonial to the fact that the people of Nebraska are wide awake to the very important, the very grave issucs, that are pending in the contest that is to be decided by your electors on the 6th day of Novemler next It is now forty years ago sinc: the men who sought to establish upon a portion of this continent a colony of free men, carvid out the territory of Ne- braska and made her a component part of that section of the great western territories that were to be dedicated to fre dom equality of all men, and of all races, and cf all creeds. The motto upon our state ensign 1s “Equality Before the Law,” and that in- volves not mercly the question of equality in law, but justice and integrity in its ad- ministration In all branches of the govern- ment. The founders of the territory simply wera striving to strike a blow at the institu- #%a- tion of slavery in the United States. The men‘who made Nebraska a state made her a part of the union, engraficd into her con- stitution the fundamental principles of equality before the law, equal privileges to all, gpocial privileges to none. (Applause.) Now, we must look backward, take a retrospective view of this commonwealth, and #ee what in the past had to be done in order to keep the state within the limits which had be:n prescribed by its founders, to protect it from aggression from within and from without. We had made Nebraska a state in 1807, and had scarcely gone ahead more than three years under statehdod before we found oursclves confronted by problems that underlie the entire system of govern- ment, the problems with which we are grappling again today. The location of the eapitol at Lincoln brought with it to the state officers then in power certain duties and responsibilities. It Dbrought with it, also, an opportunity for aggrandizing themselves and increasing their owp wealth, an opportunity for forming com- bines and rings, an opportunity for looting the state treasury; and it is a blot upon the history of this state that the men chosen to make your laws were compell:d to impeach the first governor and depose him from hl office. it happened to be my lot to introduce the first resolution in the legislature of 1871, looking toward the purging of th> state and the state house, the investigation of irregu- larjties and unlawful appropriation of ‘moneys by state officers, and to be associated with @ band of republicans who in those days believed in the principl: that he serves his party best who serves the state best. T am @ republican by natural tendency and con- victlon, I was a republican in the western reserve of Ohio, the cradle of republicanism, and was at Oberlin in 1859. When the professors of Oberlin college were carried away as prisoners to the Cleveland jail, be- cause they had assist'd a fugitive slave in escaping from the clutches of his masters, 1 used to carry the letters of their families to the fail for them. But my republicanism is of that stripe that believes in enforcing good government and in making men discharge the duties which they have obligated them- selves under their oaths to perform. (Ap- plavsa) 1 can well remember in those days ©of 1871, when those of us who were in faver of Investigating and thoroughly purging the state house, were looked upon and treated. as m gang of desperadoes. We were met personally on the streets of Lincoln with that sullen and unfriendly spirit that came with the idea that we had come here to dwtroy the state capital because its founder happened to be a man who was placed upon trial for misdemeanors in office. LOOKING BACKWARD, Now, let us look back. The same parties that were in 1871 taking the lands of your state and deeding them away unlawfully to {lroad corporations that were not entitled o them, the same parties that in 1867 to 1871 divided among themselves Lincoln town Jots, that had been dedicated for the various ~ benevolent Institutions, including the Ma- ~ sonlo order, Odd Fellows and other secret * mocletfes, are still today insisting that we Who_are here to defend the rights of the ~ state and the people to their own were * mcoundrels and that they were salnts, What were the facts? It has been said hore time and time again that David Butler was Impeached wrongfully; that he was ac- ouged of misdemeanors and oftenses of which two hours attention a4 "\ he was mot guilty, and that the men who made those charges were conspirators against ~ tho state. The facts are these, and if you of the ~ atate and Into the records you will find that, " in the Arat place, we endeavored by resolu- " tlons adopted In the house cf representatives . tovmake Govermor Butler report to us what " money he had collected from the United Slates government belong to the school ‘fuhd, and we endeavored, without aiming at “any mpeachment, to have that money prop- accounted for and placed where It be- o the state treasury. Wheu 1 introduced that resolution |u the in February, 1871, | walked right luto Butler's ofice nnd teld him that as and | | where an . a republican T wanted to see the republican party maintain its record as a party of good government and that we wanted to give the Qemocrats In that legislature, who consti- tuted less than one-third of that body, no opportunity to make political capital, and he said to me then that that was just what he liked. He wanted us to proceed and investi- gato and that he was ready to explain it all satisfactorily. Had he made the same ex- planation to the house of representatives then that he did to me he would not have been im- peached, But he sent to the house of rep- resentatives a message stating that he had collected from the government of the United States the sum of §$16,881.26, and had placed that amount in the treasury to the credit of the school fund, when in fact it was shown afterwards that he had not placed one penny Into the school fund, but had appro- priated it to his own use, and had used it in the construction of his own residence in this It was upon that charge, one of the articles of impeachment brought against him, that he was finally convicted by two-thirds of the senate sitting as a court of impeachment. Remember that the legis- lature was mostly republican and that David Butler was a republican, that 1 was elected on the same ticket with him as a re- publican, and that we as re- publicans endeavored to do our duty to the state, and to the party, and purge the stato house of corruption. BRIBERY AND BLACKMAIL. Now, what followed? During the investi- gafion that was made prior to the trial of David Butler, an Investigation conducted by five of the most impartial men that were found in that body, it turned out that Governor Butler had in the construction of the university demanded bribes, demanded bonuses from the contractors and in some cases had procured bonuses from them and that these contractors were permitted to erect a building that was dangerous and un- safe. It s a matter of history that finally the state had to expend about $15,000 in put- tinga new foundation under the university bullding in order to prevent it from tumbling down. It also transpired that in the leas- ing of the saline lands and in many other transactions bribes had been given and bribes had been demanded, and in the ap- pointment of cfficers of state, in one case ttorney was engaged to act as at- general, $1,000 had passed from him as part of the consideration for his appoint- ment. And all these things overwhelm- ingiy showing the corruption in this state house were brought out in testimony before the impeachment court, and upon that evi- dence Mr. Butler was convicted. An extraordinary incident happened while that impeachment trial was in progress. During the investigation it transpired that the first asylum for the insane, constructed at an outlay of over §90,000, had been bu!lt by a contractor who was dishonest and iv- responsible, that a great part of the ma- terial furnished for the bullding had been carried away and used In the construction of residences of state officers, und that the building was in a very uasafe coudition and was liable to tumble down and bury every- body that was inside of it. And on the morning of the 17th day of April, 1871, a fire broke out in that building, the entire structure and contents were destroyed amd two men perished in the flames, and the charred remains of one old lady were found tho next day after the fire. INSANE ASYLUM DESTROYRD. The following extract from the Omaha Republican of that date affords a brief cut- line of that horrible crime: “LINCOLN, April 17.—At about 3 o'clock this morning the alarm of fire was sounded through our streets. The cause was soon ascertained to be the insane asylum. On our arrival there we ascertained from one of the persons engaged about the building that the origin of the fire was without doubt the work of an incendiary, as it caught exactly in the same place as where it was once fired before—in the northwest corner of the wing near its connection with the main building. There was no possibility of any of the inmates having access to that part of the building, and the responsibility, therefore, rests upon some fiendish devil—no human heing could possibly be so far lost to all reason, “Immediately upon the alarm Dr. Lars with all the men employed about the build- Ing, made every effort to extinguish the flames, but to no purpose. When it was found impossible to subdue the flames, their next efforts were made to save the Ppatients, In the upper part of the portion occupled by these unfortunates two men, who had to be kept in separate rooms, were confined. The watchmen went and released them, and made every effort to get them out, but svery time they would return again. Finally they had to abandon them and go to the rescue of others. The names of the two who perished were Edward Holverson, sent here from Richardson county, and Henry Keeler, from Dodge county, “After the patients were safe they suc- ceeded in saving a very small portion of the parlor furolture and a considerable num- ber of blaukets, but what was saved will probably not exceed $2,000. “The bullding was insured for upwards of 0,000, divided wmong the Underwriters and the Lorillard of New York, the Phoenix of Brooklyn, and several other companies.” MURDER TO HIDE CONSPIRACY. At the very hour that this fire was raging at the Insane asylum a revolt broke out in the penitentiary, and at that time the penl- teatlary was very loosely bullt, with a wooden enclosure, and ten convicts made thelr escape from the penitentiary. Among these convicts was Sam Poole, 4 man who had been convicted of murder st Owmaha, en torney | T I and was there under sentence for life. ‘When the insuranee companfes found that the fire was set by an incendiary they em- ployed detectives to ferret out the perpetra- tors. They found that Poole had had a mistress at Omaha, who had found her way into the insane asylum, and was temporarily employed there. They found by circumstan- tial evidence that she was the person who had set the buflding on fire, that a plot had been formed, and that she had been in- duced to commit this crime In order to res cue her lover or husband out of the peni- tentlary. In the due course of time this woman was traced up; she was found in St. Louls. The Insurance agents were about to bring her back to Omaha, as a state's wit- ness, and to arrest the parties that were im- plicated in that conspiracy, but the very next morning, when they called to take her on the train, they found her dead in her room; she had been polsoned that night. This is a historic fact, and the men who were connected with the insurance com- panfes will attest that fact, Here was one of the greatest crimes that ever was perpetrated In this state; Poole, the murderer, was found about six years ago and brought back here to Lincoln, to the penitentiary, but the warden pretendod that he did not recognize him, and he was al- lowed to go at large. There was still dan- ger that somebody would be convicted of participation in that conspiracy, because murder never outlaws by the statute of limi- tation, Now, wasn't it Just and right that these legislators, in 1871, should do just what they did do? Why, you say, “Well, the things oceurred when the state was in its infancy,” and I admit that at that time, perhaps, a great many things were in order—or, rather, out of order. Kor instance, the very first adjournment that we had in the house pend- ing those investigations lasted something like two weeks, and when we got back we found that our clock had been stclen, that some of our furniture had been carried away. This furniture was carried out of the house bodily by parties who had taken upon them- selves to relieve the state from the respon- sibility of taking care of it. (Laughter.) WARS ONLY ON RINGSTERS, This is a glimpse backward; now we will pass. The ccrrupt state house ring of 1871 was broken up, but the same state of af- fairs has continued with more or le:s varia- tion ever since. Thers have been occa- sionally clean and good state governments, but in the main there has been a series of state house riugs that have pilfered and robbed the state wherever it wes possible to do %0, and it was not done in the interest of Lincoln, but in the interest purely of the combine. I am no enemy of Lincoln; the men who have endeavored from time to time to protect the interests of the state and stop those ringsters from robbing the treasury are not the enemies of Lincoln, but they are the friends of good government, and the men who are constantly cryng out againit it aro the ememies of the govern- ment and the enemies of Lincoln. (Ap- plause.) You can remember that I was brought down here tcmo years ago on the charge of libel becauso 1 had eeen fit to denounce the pri- vate secretary of a governor for perticipat- ing in that great crime and outrage, the shooting of the peg-legged robber that was decoyed to cnter the treasury at noon, was handed $300 and was shot down and killed right there in the state house by a set of f:llows who pretended that they were doing tho state a great service, (Applause) You remember that after T had taken all the pains and trouble te travel’ clear down to Arkan.as and away up to Chadron to bring my. witnesses lere into your city ‘to shew that T hed published the truth, that what- ever T stated was well founded and pub- lished in the interest of good government, I found that my witnesses were being spir- ited away, just lke Taylor was (laughter), and that the sherift of your county was do- ing that work. And when I went to your judge and arked him to protect me against that kind of outrage I got no satistaction, but the supreme court reversed the verdict and set it aside. Frem that time on, back- ward and forward, you will find permeating the state house the corrupting influences that get all law at deflance. It runs back nd forth between the penitentiary and the stato house, and between the state house and other institutions. The penitentiary has been flle ccre of this cancer. It was oon- ce'ved In iniquity and fraud, and has con- tinved In fraud., The government of the United States voted fifty sections of land for tho ercction of a penitentiary for the new state, and they took twenty sections more, and when they exhausted the land they kept right on with half mill taxes from year to year to erect a building that has cost nearly half a million up to date, and the erchitects say that today that structure can bo duplicated for one-fourth of that sum. And, too, it was built with conviet labor for the most part, Just as some of your other public buildings have been. PENITENTIARY NOT AN ADVANTAGE. For myself I have been in favor of the tate institutions being centered right here in Lincoln, cxcepting alone the penitentiary. The penitentlary never will be selt-sustuining where it is. We are paying 40 cents a day to feed those convicts and throw In the en- tire day's labor besides the 40 cents, when our present governor has been able to briug about such a retorm in the state institutlons that for 40 cents a day per capita you can run the insane asylum or any other insti- tution in the state. There is no place down here for convicts, for the reason that there is no natural source for their employment. The penitentiary has done you of Lincoln more damage than anything that you can conceive of; because, if this penitentary had been located at Louisville, Weeping Water, Beatrice, or some place where tliere Is stone to quarry that would keep the convicts em- ployed, your people could have manufactur- ing institutions without free labor - here, (Applause) Whereas now nobody dares to start his little factory here for fear that somebody else will got a contract in the peuitentiary and duplicate the work of free men at halt price and starye them out, (Applause.) Now, then, we have gone along here for years and we have had, as I sald, some good government and some very inferior govern- ment, and some very bad government, but, during the past ten years It is safe to say, judging by the figures and returns made to Governor Crounse of the cost of state In- stitutions during the present year, that we have paid out over a million dollars more for running the state institutions than we ought to have pald out, if they Had been hdnestly and economically managed. When the legialature of 1883, following the revelations that had been made dowa here at Lincoln of the great frauds perpetrated at the insane asylum and other state institu- tions and the gigantic swindle in the bulld- ing of the cell house In the penitentlary— when they undertook to supplement and du- plicate the work of the legislature of 1871, that was & republican legislature, they were met right here with denunclation; they were met right here by combined conspiracy, to prevent and thwart the thorough Investl- gation and proper punishment of the men who were guilty of these frauds. You all remember that the legislature of 1893 spent a greut deal of Its time in the eenatorial struggle; that it had but very little time for the work of investigation. It could only skim the surface, and yet in that very brief period devoted to the luvestigation of the manage- went of the varlous lastitutions, amd par- tioularly the penitentiary, thers was un- covered so much ptyfraud and eorruption and Jobbery that no,man dared to dofend It, and the best that theyscould do was to say that the gentlemen WG were running your public institutions, theBofrd of Public Lands and Bulldings in parfjelifar, were so overwhelmed with work thatthgy could not give proper attention to all $he things pertaining to these institutions, and’ pefore they had to be ex- cused for neglectiug their duty and for play- ing into the hagdg,of these public thieves. (Laughter and applayse.) HAVE LEISURE BENOUGH NOW. Since the impedthment trial and acquit- | tal of the same ftafe house officers they have found time enough to go on junkets; they found time enough to go to Hot Springs, S. D.; they found time enough to go rabbit hunting up near Broken Bow and Custer county (laughter and applause); they found time enough for all sorts of diversions, and they found time enough to get several vin- | dications. They had leisure enough to work for the vindication of their conduct by the defeat of Judge Maxwell, in the first place | (applause), and worked up the nomination of Tom Majors, in the next place. (Ap- plause.) Now, then, I appeal to you, fellow citizans, regardless of party, whether it is in the in- terest of this state, in the interest of good government, that we should perpetuate and continue under the next administration the work which has been so generally condemned by all honest and respectable citizens during the administration that preceded chis one, and even during this present adiinistration, for we all know that right here, under the nose of Judge Crounse, things have been done in the state house that are just as nnlawful and just as reckless as they ever were done during the Tegime of Butler and Kennard. (Laughter and applause and hisses.) Well, serpents hiss, and geese do sometimes, you know. (Renewed laughter and applause.) The republican party s a party of free speech. (Cries of “That's right.”) Laugh- ter.) The party that abrogates the right of every man to belleve what he pleases, to say what he pleases, and what he believes to bo true and in the Interest of good government 1s no republican party. The republican party of John C. Fremont, the republican party of Abrabam Lincoln (applause) stood for liberty of speech and consclence; the repub- lican party of Ulysses 8. Grant said “Let no guilty man escape.” (Applause) And it | wo have allowed these men to escape by a | Scotch verdict they ought to have been con- | tent to hide their heads and bide their time, | and go home in quiet (laughter) and let the | republican party resume sway of this state, and not be pleading the baby act and saying, “The gentlemen didn't know what they were doing. (Laughter.) Let me tell you a little story. The old man Majors—I mean the father of Tom—served in the same leg- islature with me, and we were pretty well acqualnted, and one time, I understand, he wils telling how He cagme to find out what he | should do with Tgm.| (A voice: *He licked him.") He said, beydidn’t know just what would be his naturab bent; and the old man was a pretty good 0l man; I concede that; | 1 think he was'hongst, and I think he was | conscientious. (A Yoice: “So was Tom.") (Great laughter and applause) You will see Just how conciestious he Is, but just let me finish the story:! Now, then, the old man worried and ‘Wortied; he wanted to know Just what to 40 With his boy and what to make out of Tgm.,. (A voice: “Make a governor out of,him.') (Laughter) He put him into &l cldset and he put in the | closet a bible, A°&/Iver dollar and an apple. | He said, “\veu,’fio'wj if the boy takes tp the bible I will make & preacher out of him; It he takes themlver dollar I will make a banker or busindss man of him, and if he takes the apple’ 1 will make a farmer of him.” (Laughter) But when he opened the closet to see what the boy was doing he found Tommy was sitting on the bible, he | had the dollar in his pocket and he was eat- ing the apple. (Great laughter) So the old man decided to make a farmer poli- tician out of him. (Laughter and applause.) (A volce: “He done a good job.”) Ob, ‘yes, he did a pretty good job, but he got spoiled | fnally. (Laughter.) (A voice: “IL isn't done yet.") Well, it will be on the éth of November. (Laughter and applause.) MOSHER'S BANK FAILURE. Now, 1 do not want to digress too much | about this penitentiary investigaticn, but it might be well here, as we are about it, to | | | refer to the vital points. We all under- stand, of course, that the state house ring is not of its own making; its maker is a cor- rupt machine organized by the railway power of this state in order to promote the interests of the corporate powers that rule in Boston and New York and to make this commonwealth of Nebraska | & mere province, not of freemen, but of | bondsmen, governed under the iron rule of the despotism created by these corporations (Applauie.) Wo find, then, tiat at the be- ginning of the session of the last legisla- turo a great bank failure occurred here, It was the smashup of the Capital National tank, and in that fallure the state of Ne- braska lost something like two hundred and fifty or two hundred and sixty thousand | dollars, and I do not believe this minute that it will erer get 250 cents out of it. Now, then, §750,000, or thereabouts, three- quarters of a million, were swallowed up in that failure, and swallowed up for the toil- ers and wago earners. The hard working people of Lineoln who toil in the workshop; the little storekeepers, the widow and the or- phan, and all classes in your munity have suffered by this by this great conspiracy that had its origin not alone in the state house, but in the headquarters of these rail- roads, and I proposo to prove that it had (Applause) Who were the men be- | hind this gigantic conspiracy? Who were the men that used the funds of this state for private speculation, that used this money for bribing members of the legisla- ture wherever they ,could be bribed, that used it by puttlng iout loaus which were never expected 6 be paid? Where was the motive powef apd who were the con- federates? Whagwas this man Thompson? (Applause) He had been superintendent of the Burlington ¥oad and he was behind Mosher. = This Corrupt combine has got you by the throat today,,unless you emancipate yourselyes on the $th day of November. (Cries of “We wilk'iand applause) Why, Thompron with & “‘g" was the fellow. He was behind It, apd, yhen they wanted a re- ceiver, who was, thef man they got? Me- Farland. (Laughie) ~ Who was behind McFarland, and yho had a string tled to him? The Burljgton railroad. Now, we are.notc enemies of rallroads, Those of us whio' oppose railroad «domina- tion realize that''fifiroads are built for the benefit of the staté; they are the arteries of commerce, they help to develop the state, they carry products to the markets of the world and they are one of the great factors of modern civilization. But, at the same time, while they are agents for civilization, they are mot maneged simply for the pur- pose of a public carrler, but they are man- aged for the benefit of comstruction rings and the perzonal gain of officers and man- agers of rallroads, even as against the (n- torests of thelr own stockholders. (Ap- plause.) GRESHAM'S CAUSTIC CRITICISM. I had a talk two weeks ago with Judge Gresham, whom 1 met at @ficago, and Judge Gresham sald this to me: “While I was on the bemoh of the circuit court of the United States [ think I haodled more com- thing, | were on rallfoad cases and went through more rail- way books in investigating their manage- ment than probably any other judge that magnificent statesman at Washington, and a man of & good deal of pertinacity and a hard worker, the Hon. Patrick O. Hawes had ever been on the bench, and I can #ay | (laughter), trying to prove to congress that truthfully that not in a single Instance in | he ought to have that seat, but they didn't all the Investigations 1 have find an honest management or an honest manager. (Laughter and applause) In overy Instance the managers were elther rob- bing the stockholders or robbing the patrons, or stoaling from each other.” (Laughter and applau:e.) 1 make bold to assart it fs not to the in- torest of the stockholders in Roston, it not to the Interest of the stockholders in England, or in Germany, or in Holland that the superintendent of a railroad down here at Lincoln should be connected with the Capital National bank, swindlng people and robbing them of their s and robbing tho state by destroying the government. is not their interest that thelr managers and offi- clals should be town lot speculators and mining speculators or that they should electric lighting plants. And right here I can say and point to amother fact to to what extent this power is being us your own city the proprictor of your la dry goods house was told by this man Thompson, when he proposed to put in an electrio lighting plant of his own, that they would go to work and damage his business, by giving away passes among his patrons and send them to Omaha to buy their dry goods (Cries of ““Oh.”" “That's right.”) (Applause.) Well, I honor that man for having backbone enough to resent that and that he bought that electric lighting plant and is running it today in spite of bulldozing threats. (Applause.) And that brings us to this very question of the misuse of the power vested in rail- road officers. There is scarcely a lawyer of any pretention in your town that has not got an annual. pass. What he ship? What does he contribute to the earnings of a raflroad? What does he contribute to the interests of the stockholders? Why do they give these passes? Are they given simply as a compliment? They do not com- pliment the laboring man; they do not com- pliment the farmer; and they won't compliment a democrat he happens favor Holcomb. No; they compliment them know that the pass is a bribe fluence made did I vings, conspiracy, and (Applause) It run In gest threat, doos even it to because that will in the person that he to do something might not do even if he had money offered to | names unnumberd him. Men have time and again assured me that parties who have had annual passes worth, perhaps, from $100 to $200 a year, would do things that they would not do for $1,000 in money. DANGERS OF PASS BRIBERY. You know very well that treason does not consist only in levying war against a state with bullets and bayonets and Gatling guns; but you can destroy a state insidiously by the bribed ballot; you can destroy the state by undermining its government, bribing Its law-making power, destroying its judiciary, by putting jury fixers around the courts, impeding justice, instead of having Justice and equality before the law, and making it simply a government of corporations for corporations, instead of a government of the people for the people. (Applause.) The men of brawn and brain, the men who do labor from day to day and earn a livelthood, and- the men of small means, who cannot be bought like the lazy people who are doing nothing and making a liv- ing out of politics—it is those who are the hope of this state and of this nation. For, as Dr. Duryea said the other day at Omaha before the Municipal league: “You corrupt the state, and you corrupt the nation. The stream never rises above its souree; and, if the sources of our government are all pos- oned, you can expect nothing but corruption, permeating every branch of the government.” Let me again refer to this Capital Na- tional baok failure. A very prominent rail- road attorney, whose clients happened to get bitten, declared to me a few days ago that it was the most gigantic conspiracy, gotten up right here by this rallroad ring. Those men have worked to cover their to | show | | ware 1s | | that (Laughter and applause.) | original certific they | (on | numbered tracks, and they want Tom the state house In order that red up forever. (Applause.) Mr. Majors do when the legislature? Let us se On February 17 Senator Darner offered the following resolution “Whereas, It has officially com= to the notice of this body, through the legal opinion of the attorney general submitted to this body, that the retiring state treasurer is liable on his bond Lr the state funds which deposit with the Capital National bank at the time of the failure of said bank; and “Whereas, The interests of cur state de- mand that steps should be taken to enforce the recovery of theee funds deposited with the Capital National bank in order that the state may 1ol suffer loss thereby; therefore, be it “Resolved, The house concurring, that the | attorney general be and is hereby instructed 0 immediately con mence procesdit g8 against the retiring state treasurer and his bonds men for the recovery of sald funds so de- posited by him in the Capital National bank.'* Right below it, “‘on motion of Mr the resolution was referred to the committie on judiclary,” of which James E. North, at present collector of internal revenue and a good railroad democrat, was the chairman On February the judiciary committe: reported the resolution back to the senate, with the recommendation that it in- definitely postponed. The report was adopt d by-a majority of the railroad senators voting in its favor, and Mr. Majors did all he could to shelve the resolution. But our friends here who have interrupted me so kindly with thedr complimentary hisses (laughter), say that Majors is a very honest man, like his father was before aim, and 1 will concede that his father before him was an honest man. But even boys that are brought up by preachers oft:n times turn wrong. (Laughter). I have had several of them in my employ who were addicted to gambling just like Tom You see; a preacher's boy don't always go the straight road. So It was with our friend. Now, these gentlemen who have said that they are sure that Tom is an honest | man had better send a delegate up here on the stage, because I want to show them that he was not an honest man. I want to prove it to them. (Applause.) T have the | Majors they can n cov aia | in What this question was Graham, be proofs in my hands now and I want any man | Mr. Majors' conduct? to come up here If there is any doubt about it. Th 14, Part 1 and Appenalx, Forcy-seventh Con- gress, Second S:sslon, February 20, to March 3, 1883, In that very singular volume I find a good many pages devoted to Thomas Majors, and they are not as complimentary as the republican candidate for governor would like to have them. (Laughter and great applauss) MAJOR'S CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Mr. Majors was elected to succeed Oon- gressman Frank Weleh, who died and left a vacancy for a short period. After that Majors was elected contingent congressman It was claimed that the cansus of Nebraska ala not give us a suficlent showing o en- title us to more than one memnber, and it was claimed that we had Iucreased in | telligible | of February | pateh of Alexi i8 the Congressional Record, Volume | duces th population 80 much right after the census that wa wers enlitled to additional representation; and we a very | RSt — seem 1o want to recognize him, excepting as u lobbylst. But when Majors got there with his honest face, with that silver dollar in his pocket and his big apple (laughter), why, they thought he told the truth, and so they voted him in on his representation that the of Nebraska showed that we ititled to an additional member Presently they discovered that Honest had played them for suckers (laughter) he had taken them in, and a m: name of Tom Reed, a very honest the and a go leal €0 than other Tom (laughtet), happened to bo cha‘rman of the committee to whom it was referred, and that subcommitie who saveral volu onsus and by tho by the man, way, m committes appointed a investigated and s of testimony. Defore that committes Majors and all his o8 in that transaction were called and fiaally this committee reported report inserted in Congressional Record, but what Mr. conspicuously before the gress. Now, as you say, we (Laughter.) body than I can me (ad¢ (A voice make his took 1 0Cess0r to testify, nd the of the was this volume 10 that there Majors figured orty-seventh con will read it Perhaps T had better get some- though, that can read it better Will you please read that for essing a gentleman on the stage)? “All right, you read it; it will majority bigger.") Oh, yes, his majority would be bigger. You think the man who would steal hogs should have a bigger majority than a fellow who would glvo away alms to the poor. (Laughter.) (Mr. Rosewater, reading:) *Mr. Majors copies Mr. Hawes' gross falsehood that these nine- teen counties contained 60,000 inhabitants In fact, by the census of 1874, all those not in the sald forty-nine contained but 29,038 inhabitants. In his last brief ho sub- stituted 85,000 for 60,000, Neither Haws nor Majors could name the counties. Hawe swore that he had handed a list to the committeeman, Mr. Hurd. The tabulation at page 112, made long before the original certificate was found, named fifteen ties, organized In 1871, 1572 and 1873, but enumerated until 1874, When the te of the census was found July 22, 1882) the counties appeared thereon in pencil from 1 to 44 leaving those identical fifteen Who made the numbers no mist ver coun- never inclusive, does not appear, MAJORS USED HIS MEMORY. ““When Majors testified on the 6th of July, 1882, he said whether he had the actual pcssession of the original certificate printed in report 923, ante. But when Mr. Hawes was testifying on the 12th of July, 1882, about that original, asked whether Richardson county was not sstimated’ and not actually enumerated he did not know. But Mr. Majors inter- rupted him with ‘My recollection is that it was." “When the original certificate of the state us was afterwards found the word ‘e was found opposite ‘Richardson,’ but crcssed 50 as not to be printed. This hgd been suggested in the minority report, becauso its population was ev 00, “Mr. Hawes swore that he left with this original certified census fifteen or twenty afidavits. Mr. Majors' brief quoted the exact language of Hawes as to the afliants, ote. He also swore that he remembered J. T. Allen’s. He, however, used none but Hoile's, and obtained a new one from Allen.” Now, hero comes the point. There was a little. telegraphing done from Lincoln to Washington. 8. J. Alexander sent this mes- sage: “Lincoln, February 18th, 1882.—To Thos. J. Manners, National hotel. Washing- ton, D. C.: No state census taken In raska for 1872, S. J. Alexander, Secretary of State.’ “On the same day the office here notified the office at Lincoln that ‘Thos. J. Manners' was not found, and received reply that that dispatch was to ‘Thomas J. Majors.’ Ou the 0th of February, 1882, it was delivered to Mr. Majors. FHe claimed that the dispatch was ‘bulled’ or erroneous and had it dupli- cated. Is duplicate was: delivered to him he was uncertain and was keep it | on the 22nd of February, 1882, “On that day he recelved two other dis- patches; each was dated 22nd February, 1832, at Lincoln, Neb., addressed to Thomas J. Majors ‘at the National hotel here, and by S. J. Alexander, Secretary of The first was taken for United States to take same nished in 187 “The other was: ‘The first census taken, according to our records, was in ‘74, Tele- graph mow what you want.” “He avoided showing the dispatch of the 20th of February to Messrs. Culbertson and signed State. Vo co 1870; relying on No blanks fur- Willits (members of the committee) though | asked to do so, claiming that it was unin- ' That s the way Majors did it; it was unintelligible to him; he didn't know what it meant. (Laughter.) COACHED AN AFFIDAVIT. Now, what next? “Mr. Hawes swore that before making his afidavit of the 20th he and Mr. Majors had this conversation, namely “Majors—T want you to make an afdavit | in relation to my case in the house. 1o fix the date of the census.” “Hawes—'It was called the census of 1572, “Majors—When was it taken?' “Hawes #aid he could only say that it was called the census of 1872 and that was all he knew. And Mr. Majors replied: “That s all T want to know.""" Now, Majors showed Mr. ander, dated the here is another. —Dear Sir: 1 want Willits the d 22nd of Feb- “Lineoln No state enum- eration under act of legislature approved February, 1869, until 1872; a certified copy of which was furnished under the seal of state by my predecessor, J. J. Gosper. J. ALEXANDER, Secretary of State.” ““Thus fortitied, Mr. Majors concealing the knowledge that no state census was taken until 1874, allowed the committee to be de- ceived by his papers, and on the 24th of March, 1882, to agrec to report In his favor. And they aid so report on the 1st of April, 1882 ““These reports, majority and minority, were published and accessible to everybody interested. Mr. Majors had them. When, on the 11th of April, It was charged that this census of 1872 was the true census of 1874 and that none was taken in 1872, what was He wrote and tele- Nelther of them pro- tter nor telegram, though asked to do s0. Majors swears that he sent Alex- ander the report and wrote him. “That the question had been raised as to ruary. Mareh 1, 1892 And graphed Alexander. whether it was the census of 1872 or the cen- | sus of 1874, and urged upon him the neces- sity of corroborating my (his) statement or the attitude which I (he) was In, because thut was to me (him) the vital question. “On the 13t of April he telegraphed Alexander: ‘Stay reply to census inquiries; se0 letler and Schwenk.’ “He got Scuwenck to go to Nebraska atter furnishing him a copy of the reports nd fully explaining the situation. Schwenck arrived at Lincoln on the evening of the 15th of April, 1882, He told Alexander what was wanted, wnd why, and gave him Majors' Jattar, Alexander informed him that he had @ letter from Majors that day, but that he aid not kuow whether the printed copy cut Tom | from the report and sent him by Majors wa#' the consus of 1871, A MAJORS HELD Now, the long and here Schw RESPONSIBLE. short of it Is righl k swore that he did not exe That fs this letter which he asked him &8 burn. The letterf shows this Majors claimed that consclentious scruples—imind you, consclentious scruples, had prevented him from telling them anything about his little communications with Schwenck and | with Alexander. He had been testiftying im that matter that the consus of 1872 fact there had been none, and it {s absolutely shown by this report that Mr. Majors 8 convicted by two or three other witnesses of having changed that report and forged W from 1874 back to 1872, And finally the come mittee made this report: “We report, theres | tore, that Majors 1s responsible for the misinformation which induced this committee to make the repert of April 1, 1882 (No. 911, first session Forty-seventh | congress), and that he was aided therein | by 8. J. Alexander, secretary of state of the of Nebraska, by Pat O. Hawes and Dr chwenck and George H. Roberts. And§ that the testimony of Davis I Thomas J stat P. we report false And we ask the adoption of the following resolution: ** *Resolved, That the clerk of the house be, and he Is hereby required to furnish & printed copy of this report, including the evidence, to each of the following officrst The district attorney of the District of Columbla, the attorney general of the United States and the governor of tho state of Ne- braska, that they may take such action as they may deem suitable to the gravity of the wrongs committed by the persons whose eon= duet is in this “‘conclusion” set forth. " Now, If any gentleman wants to know whether Majors made an honest and truth ful report under oath, or whether he did not, he can find it in the record. I am not charging anything against Majors; It is the record made in congress and published there that contains the charges, and It is for him to meet that record, and not Bdward Rosewater, because I am an insignificant nonenity in this contest. (Laughter). (Cries of “That's right.”) I am not tampering with that record; I did not make it for him. (Laughter.) w, then, we will lay that matter to one nd bring Mr. Majors a little nearer Mr. Majors has seen fit since my speech at Fremont to deny that he had any knowledge of or connection with the abdue= tion of Senator Taylor (laughter), and that he had nothing whatever to do with that transaction, and that he was not responsible the action of his private secretary, Walt Secly, who was ‘folsted”” upon him, as he says, and he also calls God to witness that this is the truth and the whole truth. Now, 1 want the religious and respectable people, the people of good morals, to note that here is. a candidate who seeks your suffrages for gov- ernor of the state, calling God to witness that what he says to the people of this state concerning his own record and transe actions is true; and he even went so far ag to say he would wish that he would be palsied and paralyzed that minute if it was not true—so as to make the Impression 80 much more effective. I want this audionce, 1 want my fellow citizens to ask themselve: whether a man who would call the Lord to witness as to the truthfulness of his statement, when that statement is absolntely contradicted by records, not made by his enemies, but by his friends—whether or not such a person is a fit person for any publio. office. (Cries of “No, no, no.") I want call your attention: Mr. Majors is now con= fronted with the record I have in my hand, and I invite anybody that desires to ex= amine it—a certificate signed by the auditor, | relating to that Taylor voucher, certified by | Mr. Moore, the auditor, more than two years | ago. And’the legisiativo records are right | here. Colonel Majors says, in the Arst place, that he knew nothing about the abs = duction of Taylor, and In the next place’; | that Taylor had served sixty-three days, and | therefore was entitled to the full pay of* $300 as a member; and lastly, the strongest'' point is that when I was In the legislature | I had drawn twelve days' pay for time that [ was not present. That i¥a strong point, = anyhow, for him. (Laughter.) 5 JORD OF THAT FAMOUS SITTING. Let me now call your attention to a:few facts: Let us coasidor his statement that lie did not know that Taylor was going to be abducted, or that he was entirely ignorant of this conspiracy to carry a member of the state senate out of the state whilo that body was in session framing laws. When Mr, Taylor first started to go out of the eity, as 1 am reliably informed, he did not know - just where he was golng to, and did not side home, to Mr. Majors and asked to be excused, that ho was paired with Senator Brown of Wash= ington county, .and Majors agreed that hs. should be excused during that day's sese sion. No sooner had Taylor gone out of the canitol than Mr. Majors, in response to one of the rallroad senators who raised the question whether Taylor was excused, de= clared Taylor was not excused; and thers- | uvon there was a call of the house, and & soarch was made—of course, where they knew they could mot find him. (Laughter.) That call of the house continued the senate in session for seventy-five hours. They were cvidently consuming all that time to got Taylor away as far as possible. Seventye fiva hours the senate was in session, and Majors pretends that he did not know, whereas in fact messengers were running - back and forth—and I know what T am talles ing about—between Majors and his private cretary and the fellows who ware running | this man out What happened during that session? I want to read you something that is easier to read, because, when you' print a document in Nebraska at the expense of the state i 18 not like a congressional document; it is printed in “stud horse type,’ you know. (Laughter and cries of “Good.”) Of course, the bigger the type the greater the profit of the publie printer. (Laughter) Mr, Stevens, a member of the state semate, on the G3d day—this was the 63d day, remember, and #t Is so marked hero in the Semate Journal, rom which T am about to read, and if anybody has any question that I am not reading cor- rectly, or that the statements that I make here ara Incorrect, let him come right up here and examine them for himself. & challenge any Majors man to come here and see this for himself, and, whea I am through convicting Majors of falsifys ing to the peoplo of this state, of Iylng de~ liberately and willfully about this Taylor matter, then I want them to be decent enough to say that he is not fit for governor, (Grest applause.) ¥ “Mr. Stevens, arising to a question of privilege, sald: ‘Mr. President, 1 arise to question of privilege. We find confronting hera today, not an abstpget theory, but & certain condition, and that condition is & most deplorable one; the most unfortunate, perhaps, that i ever belallen the people of Nobraske. We find the . machinery of leglslative action completely blocked in the law making power of the state by and through a mistakep arbi rullog, as I beliove, of the prepiding of the senate, and an unreasonably inordinate | mistaken zeal upon the part of certain mems | bers to further the corporate interests o | 45 t pect that Majors would show It to any onet = when fa " Jnow but what he might return; but he went = e \ o ERTIRCS,