The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-11-17

THE OFFICIAL CANVASS.

Nine days have elapsed since election.
and the result In this city is still a matter
Of conjecture. The Election Commission
meets daily, under the presidency of the
Mayor. and goes through a pretense Of
counting votes and canvassing returns, but
its pro .eedings are so leisurely that, at the
present gait, it will take month or more to
determine who has been elected. The meet
lngs resemble a farce played in q beer
garden. Commissioners and attorneys handy
jokes. O'DoHnell bawls oaths, witnesses
dodge questions, heelers swagger, In Inspectors
sheer. and the net result Of a long days
work Is the canvass of three precincts in
one district. The Election Commissioners
appear to have determined to bring them
selves into contempt and it must be admit
ted that they are succeeding.
The exhibition, wretched as it is. would
noe be so irritating if 1t were believed to be
simply due to the stupidity and lazness of
the Commissioners. But the impression is
general that the delays are eontrived for
purpose-that they are intended to cover up
a scheme Of cheating in the count, by which
the Non-Partisans are to suffer and the old
parties are to benefit. 1t Will be remem-
bered that the Election Commissioners re-
fused to grant the n-PartIsans any rep
outrage. which cost the party TO which the
Commissioners belong many hundreds Of
votes, was regarded by keen observers as
prefguring an intention to tamper with the
returns. Kelly and Crimmins named one
half the election officials and the Re0r-
gained Democracy the other half. The
understanding which has always prevailed
between the FOUNDERS of the two parties
afforded opportunities for an exchange OF
clvilities. by which votes cast for Nom
Partisans were counted for Republicans
and Democrats as necessity required. 1t is
believed that this is being done and that in
| the canvass and count of the votes which
| is in progress Moran and Scott are In fair
way Of being cheated out of a number Of
| votes which were really cast for them.
The managers risk little by adding to their
| other enormities the crime of tampering
with election returns. They are done for
| politically. Neither the party which ac-
| cepted them as bosses nor any other party
viii have any use for them hereafter. With
| them their heeeTs must go. They are so
completely dead and buried that they would
not be deader IL they were convicted Of hav-
| ing read off one name where another name
| was stamped on the ticket or having been
suddenly afflicted with blindness when a
| NGn-Partisan vote was presented to their
! eyes.
The strongest inducement 10 count out
the Non-Partisans relates to the vote for
Sheriff and County Clerk. These are and
always have been the chief nests of munich
pal corruption. 1t is ia the Clerks office
and the SherIff's Office that the bummers OF
each political party find refuge after cleo
tlon day and draw their rations until an
other Ell ectlon comes round. 1t Is in these
| offices that iuries may be racked and judg-
ments OF court procured. The worst poIti-
| cal heelers are always found either round
| the Sheriffs office or round the Clerks Office
| The knave who wants to put up a corrupt
| Job can always find tools there when the
| bosses have control. Because this was town
! talk and within the personal knowledge of
vast number of citizens. the Non-Partisans
| counted confidently on electing their Sheriff
| and their County Clerk. The drift of feel
| ing on the subject was so marked before the
| election that it was believed the Men p ar IT,
| san candidates would have a walkover.
Now we are told that McDade and Haley
nave been elected. and when the official
count is undertaken the Election Commits
sioners interpose such delays that the
| patience of the watchers is being worn out
and there is a prospect that frauds may
escape detection.
1t is all of piece. Crimmins and Kelly
begin by DISTINGUISHING the great bulk of
! the Republican voters in order to put their
slate through the convention. In obedience
| to their orders the Election Commissioners
refuse to allow the NOu-Partisans any rep
resentation On the election boards and put
| that part OF the machinery into the exclu-
| siVe hands of their opponents. Now the
| Commissioners delay and protract the off,
eial count so outrageously that before it is
finished the bipartisan watchers will be
wearied out and the Justification of the
returns will be almost past finding out.
The bosses evidently resolved TO ascertain
| how far public endurance could be strained