The Portland daily press., 1893-04-08
THE ARGUS AND THE FRAUD.
Its Comment on the Morning After the
Disclosures
rFrom the Arqus Of March i'll

That there was an attempt made to falsify the
election returns from Ward / the developments
of Yesterday appear to show conclusively. The
warden of that ward, in his official returns,
gives in the total vote for the mayoralty candi-
dates as 1247. A careful examination of the
certified voting lists used in Ward 1 on election
day, March 9th, made yesterdayby committee
consisting of Democrats and Republicans, dis
closes the fact that only 1853 names of voters
upon these lists were checked as having voted
for the mayoralty candidates on that day. This
finding makes it evident that the total vote for
mayoralty candidates as returned by the war
den was "a votes in excess of what it should
have been returned, if returned correctly. But
even this large discrepancy might have been re-
garded as mistake in addition by the warden
and the ward clerk were it not for other condl-
tions which have come to light. The law requires
that the unused ballots and the ballots spoiled
by the voters IN marking shall, at the close OF
an election, be secured sealed, and returned to
the city clerk by whom they were furnished to
the election officers. Itappears from the state
ment of the city clerk that he sent 1000 ballots
to the election officers of Ward / last Monday.
To the city clerk were returned Monday night
properly sealed, 339 ballots, including OF course
the unused ballots and the spoiled ballots But
evidently. for the purpose of making the mum
Der Of names of voters checked on the certlfled
voting lists correspond with the number OF I'M
used and spoiled ballots returned to the city
clerk the seal Of the package containing SAID
unused and spoiled ballots was broken Monday
night in the city clerks office, and ballots to
the number of one hundred, as is admitted by
the city clerk, were taken out, and yesterday
couIdnot be found or accounted for. From this
plain statement of facts brought cut yesterday
the attempt to falsify the election returns from
Ward L seems to be placed beyond the shadow
of doubt Such being the situation, no true
Democrat viii for an instance hesitate to de-
nounce the would-be perpetrators of the fraud
and to hope they will be brought to justice and
suffer the penalty made and provided for such
a crime against the purity of the ballot.
The fact that the persons concerned in this
fraudulent act voted the Democratic ticket has
nothing to do with the case, however much it is
to be regretted that such is the fact Had a
similar attempt been as clearly shown to have
been made by those who vote the Republican
ticket, the Argus would have been swift to con
denim the guilty persons, and to hope for their
exposure and punishment With these condi-
tons reversed, the Argus none the less prompt
ly condemns the attempted fraud upon the bal
lot, and hopes those who were party to it will
be exposed and punished When the fair fame
of our city becomes furnished by an attempt t.
thwart the viii of a majority of its citizens by
tampermg with the ballot, it makes no differ
ence to the honest voter whether the attempt is
made in the supposed interest of Democratic
candidates or of Republican candidates. cit is
the plain duty of all parties to unite in the en-
deavor to expose and punish the guilty persons
so that no possible encouragement to repeti-
ton OF such an attempt may be had.
Matinee Theatre today. Best seats SOC.