Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-11-26
ELEcTIoN rnAuDs.

1 Al Is q uAu cUnuatfJn OF aftaife IN
any State when a large portion Of
the people believe that those who
are occupying public positions and
drawing salaries from the treasur-
les If the commonwealth or county
hold their places by virtue Of trick
cry and fraud. Such is the case in
Idaho, aud nearly if not half OF the
voters of the State believe that Jas.
H. Wickersham, Sr., has honestly
been elected Secretary of State.
They believe the returns from GER
tain precincts in Shoshone and
Bingham counties were held back
with the view of their being made
out in such manner as To create
malorities where needed. But this
is not all Private letters from Sho-
shone county TO the BULLETIN aver
that three hundred Democrats were
denied registration upon the most
frivolous of pretexts and the same
number of Republicans registered
who had no legal right TO vote. As
to Bingham county. the methods
there practiced have become so mo-
torious that but little need be said.
They have been a disgrace to the
State and have contributed more
than ANYTHING else to give it the
reputation and appellatioN of
rotten borough" These frauds
commenced about eight years ago,
when John HALEY was candidate
for delegate to Congress against
Singhiser. The latter procured
fraudulent returns to he sent in to
the Territorial board Of canvassers
from the north. Mr.. HALEY pro-
cured warrant for his arrest. Mr.
Singhiser. learning what had been
done. left the Territory with a great
deal of celebrity and has not since
made his appearance in Idaho. The
same year the ballot-boxes were
stuffed at Eagle Rock-now Idaho
Falls-and at Camas, in Bingham
county, then Oneida, and men
climbed through transom, where
the judges and clerks of election
were counting the votes and COM
PEELED the signing of returns at the
muzzle of a pistol. Two years after
this occurred the Moody Creek
fraud. and in 1890 the open pur-
purchase of votes in Bingham
county and particularly at Pocatello
The principal base of operations was
changed this year TO Shoshone
county, where, on account of the
inaccessibility of some Of the pre-
cincts, such proceedings can be
more easily carried on than else
where.
Why are not the men punished
who are parties to such acts, is the
natural inquiry most likely to arise
in the mind of the stranger Simply
because particular care is taken in
the drawing of grand juries that
will not indict the wrong-doers.
There has never been a time that
the machinery of the courts in Bing-
ham county has not been in the
hands of the ballot-box suffers.
Even if such indictments were
found it would be folly to attempt
to convict with a court, district at
torney and sheriff all in sympathy
with the criminal. Bearing this in
mind, the men who have committed
crimes in Shoshone county bent
their efforts in the direction of elect
ing the sheriff, and succeeded.
Where community has been the
scene of great local excitement, ms
in Shoshone. and the people have
taken sides SO that old friends pass
each other without speaking,
sheriff With an open venire is a
power and he may readily select a
jury to convict or acquit,
The people are asking how much
longer ballot-box stutiing and false
returns are to be the rule in certain
corrupt localities and honest cleo
tions the exception. If all the ma
chinery of the courts is to remain
in the hands of those who are In
sympathy with rogues intent upon
thwarting the will of the people
what is the next best thing to be
done2 This state of affairs must
come to an end at some time. 1t
has existed elsewhere as in New
York and San Francisco and differ
ent methods have been adopted to
stamp it out. Sometimes those
means have been very unpleasant,
but far better than criminal rule.
1t will take but very little more
of such proceedings to raise a storm