Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-12-14
SAN FRANCISCO ELECTION FRAUDS

In the recount of the municipal election
vote in San Francisco, now progressing be-
fore the Superior Court, remarkable dis
crepancies between the official and the
recount have developed 1t is amazing
that in going over less than fifty precinct
returns nearly three hundred miseounts
should be found. The Court before which
the proceeding is had has already de-
clared that there is no explanation of the
matter possible except upon the theory of
premeditated and outrageous fraud. The
Judge declares that it has already been
proved to his satisfaction that election Off
GERS called off wrong names by the score
purposely, and that the tally clerks were
thus made to credit candidates with votes
they never received, and that were cast for
their opponents. In two precincts O'Don-
nell, for Mayor, gained eighty votes in
each, and in another seventy-fve, by the
recount, and in one other forty-one votes
cast for him were not counted by the
election officers at all. If in the large
cities such monstrous frauds as these can
be committed despite the watchfulness of
the partisan inspectors who are permitted
to watch the counting in the polling
booths, the people have reason to doubt
the possibility of securing, under our
present system, fair opportunity to ex-
press their will at the polls If we must
resort to a recount in Court in order to
determine the true result of an election.
may 1t not be better to have Court officials
seal the ballot-boxes when the polls close,
and transfer them at once to the custody
OF the Courts for announcement Of the re-
suit? The outcry in San Francisco is
prosecute the election officers" But It
will not be DONE and for an obvious rea-
son-conviction could not be had. 1t
would be impossible to convict a
Judge or inspector for fraudulent
calling off" of the tickets, un-
less 1t could be shown that but one officer
performed that duty. But the fact is that
the Judges and Inspectors relieve each
other from hour to hour, and there are
alternates also to take their places when
weary. Upon no one man, therefore, could
guilt be fastened, while it is not possible.
without their consent, to try them jointly.
If for no other reason than this, no prose-
cutions could be sustained. Bgt there are
Others, and not le&st among them is the
fact of the political backing the election
boards have. The bosses for whom they
committed these oatrages upon &he most
sacred right of the citizen will no. permit
them 10 be harmed.
There is one plain and simple means of
securing an honest count of the peeple's
ballots-a means so easily applied that the
wonder, to stranger to our system, is that
it is not adopted-the selection of me.
for election officers whose characters ans
independence are ample guaranty that
they are not under any political thumb.
cannot be "bossed," and are above the
motives thxt actuate those who fraudu-
lently make Up returns. Such men can be
had in plenty in any community. There
is no difficulty in naming them in small
towns and cities and in the country pre-
c,ncts, but in the great centers a popula-
ton il would seem that men are chosen
for these important trusts who are known
to but a few, and for whose integrity and
independence no youching can be had. OF
course their selection is part of the sys-
tenn of modern bossisn. and il will obtain
rs long as the trafickers in votes have
pulls upon the local legislatures Of the