St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-30

in the precinct in question. He does
not pretend to say that he made an in
yestiga ton and knew that the men
named oE the affidavits were not Glali-
fed voters, but he made affidavit upon
information and belief"
This Was Irregular,
to say the least; but, as this irregular
ity IS a trifling one compared to the one
committed in obtaining the other atfi-
davit to this remarkable document,
American citizens of their right to vote,
it will be passed for the present.
How was E. L. Lofts affidavit taken?
II was up in the court house," said
Mr.. Lott himself, "when / was asked to
sign these papers. thought l was do
ing a favor for brother attorney and so
signed them. 1 know nothing as to
the residences or qualification of these
voters, and placed my name upon
them under miSapprehenSion."
THAT ends this objection to these
voters" remarked City Attorney Hol-
man, who had been called in for his
opinion over the matter. 'You now
have, at the best, but the affidavit of a
single voter and net the two required
by law, and so you cannot strike off the
name of any One."
The judges then, by vote of two to
one, refused to erase any more names
on the lists, Mr.. st. John, of course,
voting in the affirmative. He seemed
determined to diSfranchise voters,
whether legally or not.
The Republican committee, through
its agent. Henry Johns, kicked and
tried to hold Mr.. Lott in line, Johns
even intimating that either Mr.. Lott
had made fool of himself by signing
the papers or that they were all
right. Mr.. Lott declined to be
bulldozed and Johns departed,
returning soon afterward with
lot of new affidavits signed, presum-
ably by men who knew for dead GER
tainty" that some three or four hundred
voters in that precinct were not quail
fed voters, and who
Would Not Wilt,
as Mr.. Lott had done. But it was no
'go." Mr.. Strouse, the Democratic
judge, and Jean Gibberton, one of the
Republican judges, declined to pay any
attention to them. "The idea," said
gentleman who watched the whole pro-
ceedings, .''of lot Of Irresponsible par,
ties bringing in affidavits to facts of
WhlCb thOJ hofC lO hhONiOoSOS Nibh
the object of disfranchising host
of voters on election day. 1t
was a damnable scheme, and one
that will haunt the Republican
city committee through the balance of
this campaign. Why, nine-tenths of the
registered voters of the city could be
erased in this manner with ease. It's
easy enough to get men to sign papers
and then claim that they made affi-
davits."
Corporation Attorney Holman was
vigorous in his denunciation of the
scheme. ut will not do" said he, ito
attempt to railroad things through in
this manner. Nothing is gained by it,
at any rate. When Lott said he did not
know what he was signing, that end
ed those affidavits, because but one
signer was left, and the law
requires two Names" In addition to
this the corporation attorney was not at
''infOrmatlon and BELIEF would do. The
affidavits presented in the Fourth ward
were both prepared in this way.
Think of the nerve of the schemers
who could sit down deliberately and
pick out the names of several hundred
voters and coolly plan to swear away
their privilege of voting at the coming
election. 'Why," said a prominent
Sixth warder last evening, ''the
Godbouts have lived in West st. Paul
since before the coming of the Indians,
and yet this man Bourne attempts to
''do" them out OF, their votes.
1t was a deteStable scheme. and it
cannot help reacting on it's orlginators.
However, voters, scan the registration
lists as they are pasted up at the differ
ent booths to-day. and if your name has
been erased all you need to do is to pro-
cure an affidavit of a householder to the
fact that you are a resident of the pre-
cinct, and you can vote in spite Of these
affidavit-makers.