Election Fraud In Jackson County

THAYER, HEBERLING, ALLISON, JESS, REED, GOODENOW, DUNNE

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 12/19/2007 at 08:27:04

The Jackson Sentinel
October 19, 1871

THE ELECTION IN THIS COUNTY.

The result of the recent election in this county cannot be better summed up than to use Bro. Thayer’s explanation of how it was done in Clinton county: “The republicans with the aid of the democrats elected one member of the legislature and county Auditor, while the democrats with the aid of republicans elected the remainder of the ticket.” Such wholesale scratching was never known before, and it is to be hoped will never be known again.

Mr. Heberling, the radical member elect to the legislature had previously pledged himself to Mr. Allison and the railroad ring, and both those interests united in securing his election. The truth of this will be made manifest this winter by the recording of Mr. Heberling’s vote for Allison, and in favor of every measure brought forward by the railroad ring. If the farmers of Jackson county who elected Mr. Heberling do not complain we certainly shall not, as they are the parties most directly interested. The fatal defection in Butler township was altogether owing to the free use of Mr. Allison’s money, judiciously distributed among a few professed democrats. The most conspicuous of these was a man named Jess, Postmaster at Garry Owen, to whom were entrusted the democratic tickets for that township. These were destroyed, and their places supplied by bogus tickets gotten up in Dubuque, containing the name of Geo. C. Heberling instead of Wm. H. Reed. What Jess is to receive as the price of his treachery we have not learned.

Mr. Goodenow also mainly, if not altogether, owes his defeat to the use of bogus tickets. In Iowa and Union townships the genuine democratic tickets were replaced by tickets containing Blanchard’s name instead of Goodenow’s. It is said that this fraud was openly connived at by prominent democrats in those townships. If so they have certainly established a sorry precedent for their enemies in the future. You may spurn Maquoketa today, gentleman, but you will fear her tomorrow.

Fraud, treachery and falsehood came very near defeating Dunne, Allens and Reed, but, thank God, they still live, to reward their friends and punish their treacherous enemies.