[Newspaper]
Publication: The Daily Republican
Decatur, IL, United States
vol. 18, no. 259, p. 2, col. 4
THE BALLOT BOX CASE
Editor John B. McLean on the
Witness Stand.
ABSOLUTE IGNORANCE OF THE CASE.
A Witness Who Suspected Govenor
Foraker Makes an Explanation—Haddon
Supposed to Be the Man
of "Superior Mind."
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8.—James E. Nell was the first witness before the ballotbox committee Yesterday. He testified to the conversation between Governor Campbell and Wood at Hamilton. statement developed nothing new.
John R. McLean, the owner of the Cincinnati Enquirer, was sworn at the instance of General Grosvenor. He said that be did not know Wood; had not even the slightest recollection of him. He was shown the ballot-box paper and said that he had never seen it before. Mr. McLean denied that Walter Welman was his private secretary. He did not even know him. He bad never been interested in any ballot scheme, and never had in his safe any paper pertaining to such a scheme. He knew absolutely nothing about the ballot-box matter, and had never been in business relations with those whose names were signed to the papers.
Colonel T. C. Campbell, at whose instance Governor Campbell introduced the Ballot-box bill, took the stand and testified that he made Wood's acquaintance about fifteen years ago in Cincinnati. At that time he defended Wood on a police-court case. Colonel Campbell had been Wood's attorney in the ballot-box company. He read a list of stockholders of the company. None of the names of the Senators and Representatives whose names had been signed to the forged paper were on the list. Mr. Campbell, while a member of Congress, had never been called onto help the ballot company other than in introducing the bill. The box had been found to be slightly imperfect, and experiments for its perfection were not begun until Mr. Campbell's term as a representative expired. Governor Campbell had not the slightest interest in the box. The witness denied the testimony of Mr. Haddon, given before the committee, that the witness had asked Mr. Haddon to get Congressman Caldwell interested in the ballot-box bill. Haddon had come to him in relation to the ballot-box matter but once. On this occasion Haddon had spoken of the good thing the witness and others were going to make out of the ballot-box bill, and had been informed by the witness that the bill was dead. In regard to Haddon's testimony that Colonel Campbell had shown him a list of names of Congressmen attached to a ballot-box contract, the witness went on to say tht Mr. haddon had become chairman of the Republican campaign committee in Ohio after George Topp had been retired from that position. After the Halstead retraction of tho ballot-box paper in the Commercial-Gazette it became a question in Ohio whether Governor Foraker had connived to procure the forgery of the paper. Mr. Haddon could have cleared up the matter and freed Governor Foraker from all suspicion, but he did not do so. He had gone to Governor Foraker and told him what was not the truth (that there was a ballot-box contract), and he knew that if this fact came out, his political career would be ended.
Colonel Campbell sketched his connection with Wood in an interesting manner. He said that Wood could not tell two truths consecutively. "If you told an untruth," said Colonel Campbell to Governor Foraker, "you would be guilty of an offense, because you know better. When Wood told an untruth he could not help it; he did not know how to tell the truth."
Judge Turner asked the witness what he meant by stating that when he found that Wood was the instigator of the ballot-box paper, he suspected that a person of higher intelligences than Wood was behind the forgery.
The witness said he would confess that he suspected Governor Foraker was that superior mind. He was now largely convinced that it was not so; he now believed that Haddon was the prime mover and engineer in the affair.
Governor Foraker wanted the witness to state why he used the word "largely." "Do you think that I had anything to do with the matter?'' asked the Governor?''
"No, sir," replied the witness; "but I do think you were remiss in not coming to me when you received this ballot-box paper in order to ascertain its genuineness." The witness denied that any of the persons whose names were signed to the forged paper had any connection, director indirect, in Congress or elsewhere, with the ballot-box company.
Lewis Houser, of Cincinnati, a justice of the peace, said that he had a talk with Lewis M. Haddon about the ballotbox paper on the day that Mr. Halstead made his retraction. Haddon told him that he did not want the paper published so soon. This was all the conversation they had on the matter.
The next witness was Smith L. Johnson, of Columbus, who said he was on a train on September 27 last, going to Columbus, and he overheard a conversation between Governor Foraker and some others, in which the Governor said that he had some knowledge of a business transaction in which McKinley and Butterworth were interested. The Governor had said nothing unkind about these gentlemen.
J. R. Thompson, of Riverside, O., said he knew Lewis M. Haddon. He had a conversation with Haddon just after the facsimile of the forgery had been published in the Commercial-Gazette. Haddon said he thought James E. Campbell had signed the paper. In another conversation Haddon said the paper was all right, but that "Halstaed had fired it off too soon."
Governor Foraker placed before the committee a telegram that he received this morning from Mr. Haddon. The telegram is as follows:
George Campbell's testimony false from beginning to end. Cross-examine.
It was agreed not to recall George Campbell until after Haddon, who is on his way to Washington, had testified.
George Campbell testified on Wednesday that Haddon had told him that he had given false testimony before the investigation committee, In stating that Colonel T. C. Campbell had shown him an original ballot-box contract. The committee then took a recess.
Congresssman McKinley testified that his signature to the paper was a forgery.
James R. Forker, brother of the ex-Governor, denied that he had told Wood to apply for the smoke inspectorship, stated that Wood had told him that he and Haddon were getting up a paper for the benefit of the Republican party, and that Mayor Mosby was with them.
The committee adjourned until Monday.
