cution for possession or not, I do not know. I understand that the man moved immediately afterwards.

Q. There were how many processes?-A. There were two processes, namely, the one brought by the Manchaug Manufacturing Company, and a process brought by the lessee to whom they had given a written lease. Under our statute he had to give reasonable notice and then bring his proceeding, which took seven days, before the return.

Q. Under the first proceeding, if it had been a correct one, the man would have been ejected?-A. If it had been a correct one he would have been ejected before the election and would have had to remove into Connecticut.

By Mr. BLAIR:

Q. Do you speak of your own knowledge?-A. Excuse me. I was simply repeating what the man said to me. Being a lawyer, perhaps I ought to have known better.

By the CHAIRMAN:

Q. Do you know Terrence Kennedy?-A. No, sir. The first time I ever met him was when he came to my office to have me attend to that matter.

Q. Do you know anything about the intimidation by the employers of those who worked for them?-A. Nothing further than what occurred in my own town.

Q. In the town of Webster?-A. Yes; in several towns.

Mr. PLATT. Confine it to your own town.

The WITNESS. I know nothing more than what I have already stated.

By Mr. McDONALD:

Q. You spoke about many persons having been very enthusiastic in the beginning of the canvass in favor of "the Butler movement," as it is called, who, after this manufacturers' meeting, and the impression that went abroad from it, grew cold, and were not any longer active. Of what class were those persons?-A. They were generally operatives. Q. Persons whose labor was under the influence of mill-owners and manufacturing establishments?-A. Yes. The Washburne & Moen works are very large works and employ a great many people; all males, I think; I do not think they employ any females at all.

Q. After it went abroad that there had been such a meeting held in Worcester, at which the representatives of leading manufacturing establishments were present, what do you say was its effect upon the political feeling of the people ?-A. All that I can say is, that it seemed to dampen their ardor and change their conduct.

Q. Did it change their political course?-A. They either lost their political course, or had none; I do not know what course some of them took; but there was a very decided change in feeling among people who had before been ready to do anything for the purpose of making a success of their nomination.

FRANK M. DRAPER sworn and examined.

By the CHAIRAMAN:

Question. Where do you live?-Answer. I live in the town of East Douglass, Webster County; East Douglass is a manufacturing village. Q. What kind of manufacturing is carried on there -A. It is prin

cipally ax manufacturing; that is the main business. There is a shoddy mill there, but it is a very small one.

Q. Of what class are the employés there?-A. The majority are French Canadians.

Q. About how many men are employed there ?-A. Somewhere about three hundred men.

Q. Who is the agent or controlling manat the Douglass Ax Works?— A. The agent is Edwin Moore.

Q. Do you know anything about the conduct of the agent, Mr. Moore, or others of that corporation toward the employés as to freedom of political action on the part of the employés ?—A. I cannot say a great deal in regard to the agent; I can say something as to his foreman of the shop.

Q. Who is the foreman ?-A. Albert Butler is one.

Q, What did Mr. Butler do?-A. Mr. Butler has had a great deal to do about elections. He was foreman of the clog-shop. He goes about at election time among the help, around with the help in the forgeshop, and finds out or asks them the question, "Which way are you going to vote?" He seems to take some of the men in that way. He will want to know for which man they are going to vote. He has never said anything to me of that kind; but the general impression is that he asks, "Are you going to vote the Democratic ticket," or, "Are you going to vote for Butler?" "Butler" was last year what he went on. He would tell them that it was for their interest to vote the other way; to vote the Republican ticket; to vote for Talbot-that is the general expression with him-and he has influenced them to vote foreign to their own convictions.

Q. Do you know the politics of any of these men who are employed in the forge-shop-A. They are Republicans and Democrats.

Q. Do you know how they were at the last fall elections?-A. That has been called a Democratic town. It is very close; some twelve or thirteen votes would throw the scale either way.

Q. How was the majority of the employés politically classed last fall? What was their preference?-A. I should think that they were Democratic, the most of them.

Q. What was the conduct of Mr. Butler, the foreman of the shop, and any other employé of the shop, naming him, at the election house, when the employés came to vote?-A. I will state that Mr. Butler and Mr. A. J. Thayer were there. There was something like this [indicating a space} where the voters passed through to vote, with a bench back; and they would place themselves up there and watch-this Mr. Butler wouldevery man who would come in; that is, these men that he would be working w th, you understand. He would watch them at the polls to see how they would vote; would "spot" them, you might say.

Q. From the place where he sat would he face the voters as they came up?—A. He did face the voters. As they came up, they would have to pass under his eyes.

Q. Could be see the ballot which they cast?-A. Yes, he did; and I have seen him, when one of them would vote right, nod his head that that was right.

Q. How far is it from the factory to the polls?-A. It is about a mile. and three-quarters.

Q. How were the men brought there, or did they come without being brought?-A. Some of them are carried up in teams, and some of them go afoot.

Q. Was there any special time of day at which they voted?-A. The polls are generally opened at ten or eleven, from that to three o'clock. Q. Was Mr. Butler, the foremau, there?-A. He is generally on hand.

Q. Was he there last November?-A. He was.

Q. Did you see him in any way interfere with the votes of the employés or do anything in regard to the tickets ?-A. I saw nothing in the house, only as he was standing there on that bench watching.

Q. Watching the voters as they came in ?-A. Yes, sir.

Q. Were the ballots that were voted sealed or open tickets?—A. They were open tickets. I do not think there were more than one or two sealed ballots; there may have been one; they were open tickets.

Q. About how many votes were polled there in November ?-A. I think about 145 Talbot votes, 110 of the Butler votes, and somewhere about twenty-one for Abbott. Those are the figures as near as I can give them.

Q. A majority of fourteen for Talbot at the polls?-A. Yes; there was a majority for him there last fall.

Q. Were these employés permitted a freedom of choice, so far as you saw, or were they controlled in any way by their employers ?—A. You asked me in regard to the agent. About the middle of the day, about noon time, when the help came in, the agent stood at the door distributing tickets as these men came in.

Q. Who was that?-A. Mr. Moore.
Q. Is he a Republican ?-A. Yes, sir.

Q. What are the politics of Mr. Thayer?-A. Republican.

Q. All three were there on election day?-A. They were there to distribute votes when the men came up there. They shut down the wheels of business, and were there and attended to that business.

Q. Where were they from the time the men came in until they came to the polls?-A. Moore stood down at the door where they came in; Butler and Thayer stood on this beuch.

Q. What kind of tickets was Moore distributing ?—A. Open ballots with the pictures of Talbot and Long for governor and lieutenant gov

ernor.

Q. So far as you saw the employés after they came in, did they vote the open Republican ticket?-A. Some of them voted that and some voted as they chose.

Q. Some voted the other way?-A. Yes; some voted the other way. Q. Of those who voted the Republican ticket, were there any who were known to you to be Democrats?-A. O, yes; I think that somewhere about twenty of the Democrats voted the Talbot ticket. I don't say they were intimidated, but there were about twenty Democrats in our town who voted the Talbot ticket.

Q. What do you know personally of the fact that Mr. Butler had passed through the shop as foreman and stated it was to their interest so to vote?—A. I could not say anything personally as to Mr. Butler; that is hearsay; but Mr. Moore told those men as they came in it was for their interest, and handed them the ticket. I was distributing Butler tickets at the same time.

Q. Mr. Moore told them it was to their interest?-A. Yes, sir; I heard him say that.

Q. To the employés ?-A. Yes, sir.

Q. Had he the power of discharging them ?-A. He had the power of hiring them and discharging them.

Q. Do you know that any of the men to whom he told this had in

tended to vote for Butler?-A. No; I could not say. I was back by the door. I saw him occasionally, and would go around myself.

Q. Did this corporation then, or in 1876, exercise their influence upon their employés from what you saw of what occurred ?—A. In 1876, and from that up, they have had more of what you call intimidation and bulldozing than I ever saw before, and I have been at work for the company for twenty-seven years.

Q. Have they ever intimidated you?-A. They have not. They do not say anything to me of that kind; they know me.

Q. What position do you occupy; do you have any control of the men?-A. I have no control of men; I am merely hired.

Q. Have they ever attempted to force you to vote in any way ?—A. They never have. No man has ever attempted it by that means.

Q. Has the supervisor or Mr. Moore ever asked you how you would vote?-A. No, sir; they have not. They know well enough without asking me.

Q. You are an independent man and own property?-A. I do, and drive my own team. I do my work and do not consider that any one has any business to meddle with my politics or religion.

By Mr. McDONALD :

Q. You say that when they would give them tickets, Mr. Moore would say to the men that it was to their interest to vote that ticket?—A. I do. I heard him say that. He said, "This is for your interest." That was all I ever heard from Mr. Moore.

Q. Do you know of men whose inclinations politically were the other way who were thus influenced to vote the Republican ticket?-A. Yes, I think there were men there who told me that they were going to vote the Butler ticket who did not dare to vote it. I have reason to believe that they did not dare to vote it.

Q. They were not in an independent condition as you were, and afterwards voted the Republican ticket, as you believe, because they did not dare to vote the Democratic ticket?-A. Yes, sir; they did not dare to vote it.

Q. Did any of the men in the mill tell you that they did not dare to vote as they believed?—A. No; they never told me that in so many words; there are not many who would like to speak right out.

Q. But their conduct was that way?-A. Yes; they gave me reason to believe that. From what they had said before, I knew they always had been up to the mark.

Q. Until this unusual pressure was brought to bear?-A. Yes; it has been unusual in the last few years.

Q. From 1876 down there has been an unusual pressure in that way? -A. Yes; there seemed to be; and in the Tilden campaign they went it pretty hard. That was the hardest that I ever saw, from that out; they started on that.

Q. They started in the Tilden electionon this bulldozing, and_have kept it up since ?-A. Yes; they have kept it up more than I ever noticed before. I know they did it on me.

By Mr. PLATT:

Q. What was your last remark ?—A. They did it at that time, I say, when I ran for representative. They used all the influences and pressure they could.

By Mr. McDONALD:

Q. To keep your fellow-operatives from voting for you?-A. Yes, sir.

Some they tried to hire. I have men here now who will testify to that, that they offered them money to vote against me, and to vote for the Republican representative.

By Mr. PLATT:

Q. What is your age?-A. Forty-five years.

Q. How long haye you worked for this company?-A. I think it is twenty-seven years this very day.

Q. What is the name of the corporation ?-A. The Douglass Axe Company.

Q. How long has Mr. Moore been agent of that company?—A. Fourteen years, I think it is.

Q. You have been known during that time as an active Democratic politician, have you not?-A. I began with the Republican party when they first came in, and voted with the Republican party up to 1868. I cast my last vote with the Republican party for General Graut for President. I then became identified with the Labor and Democratic party. I have voted with them since 1868.

Q. In 1868, then, you changed from a Republican to a Labor Democrat?—A. I joined the Labor party. That was what came out in Massachusetts. The Labor party was organized here. I have belonged to it ever since, and was elected in 1877 a member of the general court.

Q. Yet you have continued to work for the company, and they have never remonstrated with you?-A. I had no trouble with them what

ever.

Q. In 1877 and 1878, did you not take an active interest in politics?— A. I did.

Q. So that you were at the polls ordinarily ?-A. Yes, sir; I generally attend every town meeting. I do not think I missed any.

Q. I understood you to say that when Mr. Moore was distributing Talbot tickets at the door, you were distributing Democratic tickets ?— A. Yes, sir.

Q. I do not know whether you call Butler tickets Democratic tickets?-A. He has been a pretty good Republican.

Q. Moore would give tickets to anybody or everybody who came. along?-A. O, certainly; he would give to others.

Q. Were others beside Mr. Moore distributing at the door ?—A. I think there were two or three others with him. I think some half a dozen in all were distributing tickets.

Q. Mr. Moore tried to get the men to take the Talbot tickets?—A. He offered them to these men as they came up.

Q. He offered them to every one who came up?-A. To everybody; but mostly he handed them to these men.

Q. And you tried to get the men to take Butler tickets?-A. Cërtainly.

Q. When Mr. Moore told them it was for their interest to vote the Talbot tickets, did you tell them it was for their interest to vote the Butler tickets?-A. I do not think I did.

Q. Vote distributors sometimes get into a good deal of discussion. Did you not talk as loud about it as Moore or any of them?—A. Of course; I blowed for Butler.

Q. You tried to keep up your end and Mr. Moore tried to keep up his end?-A. Certainly.

Q. Now, what is the wicked thing that you call bulldozing that Mr. Moore did there?—A. I cannot say anything more than that.

Q. Did you try to bulldoze ?-A. I did not try to bulldoze. I told men to vote as they saw fit-" Here is a Butler ticket."