The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-16

that the tally.she Is on the State ticket had
been changed and a member OF the Assembly
mad been counted out. All OF the omcers III
SAID precinct were arrested and are now oeiore
Judge Wallace, who l. acting as committing
m glstrate and is examining them as 10 their
guilt or innocence.
With this positiye proof OF fraud before the
commission, Ii nevertheless counted the vote
OF this precinct for Governor, which stood on
the face of the returns as follows:
Budd 1877. Estee 81.
pears in thes returns. Ia fully 100 Or cincts
out Of the 293 they came in mutilated and some
of them absolutely void on their face.
In that part of the city where Mr.. Estee
either carried the precincts or received large
vote the returns were generally regular and
signed in due form.
In alleging that great frauds were committed
at the recent election held In this city the peo-
pie are not dependent upon the opinions OF this
committee. The NOn-Partisan Society, known
as the Union OF Progress Society, In this city,
at meeting held on the 28th of November at
16 Post street, received reports from different
members OF that association who visited the
various election booths OF the city during the
counting of the ballots and who reported at
the me ting that In many precincts during the
counting of the vote drunkenness prevailed
among the election oflcers; thai In some in
stances the officers called the numbers on the
tickets and not the names OF the candidates.
All of the T. ports agreed that "a majority of
the election officers OF the city and county of
in the CITY,"
CommtIee-P. B. Cornwall (chairman), H. L.
Dodgs, a. Hayward W. w. Montague, w. H..
Chickering, Isaac Upham, j. Q. Daley, A. B.
Lennon.
In executive session the committee
adopted the report of tue subcommittee.
During the proceedings M. NJ. Estee was
cal ed upon 10 address the meeting He
began:
congratulate the Republican party on the
nj via ht InVn
election throughout the country and upon the
success OF your efforts here In California. 1t
was, on the whole, splendid victory here in
the State, and shows that California is in line
with the best spirit of American progress.
he whole state ticket was elected and /
aloDe was defeated. But l can look the world
in the face and say that l have done no WI ong
L challenge any man to say hat IN single
instance IN the campaign did ] assail the char
acter OF any individual.
/ came into San francisco with a plurality
OF 10000 votes. But l was sold out by my
own party, or some OF them. Yet, l am Sill a
Republican. Because / would not sacrifice my
manhood; because would not make promises
no honest man could make l was defeated by
Republican votes. Perhaps You had better
have nominated a man who would have made
such promises. lie might have been elected.
A committee waited on me The day before
election and tOld me that could be elected If L
would pledge myself TO the control of cert ain
appointments, and if l would discharge an en-
ploye who had strV me faithfully len years.
But would not do so and l was defeated IL
is due 10 The party that make this sIatement
Mr.. EStee then referred 10 the fac, that
his ancestors had fought for America in
the Revolutionary War and he War of
1912, and that a brother was killed at
VIcksburg and another wounded at Get
tysbuTg. After some comments Cd the
committee which waited upon him TO Sc
cure rre-electlOn promises MIR. Estee said :
1nere is but one thing for the Republicans of
California to do, ana that is TO forget the per-
81 ffs ffrI,f
for the principle OF honest election. II there
have b. EN- frauds IN this election, which l be-
lieve, thr whole people are interested; but the
party must act. And while recount Will only
unearth a small amount OF the frauds COM
mtl ed IL will accomplish one thing al least. 1t
will show whether or not there has been an
open violation OF the ell Give franchise In
counting he ballots as they were cast.
Look al the admitted facts tending to show
fraud In this city. IL is known that the cleo
uioD officers OF san Francisco were all appointed
by the Democratic Board OF Election Commits
sioners, and that most of them were from the
worst class OF our people.
In many instances the Democratic officers of
election were selected by the Democratic cleo
lion board of this city TO serve in pIecints
where they did not live and where they were
not legal voters. In sixty.six precincts in the
city The election board was in whole or in part
changed by the Democratic INSPECTORS on the
morning of election day, and Republican Office Is
were thereby displaced.
In eight precincts of the city the talv-list
shows a larger number of votes counted than
appears on The po.llst-a thing impossible If
there had en- an honest count.
In Two precincts no pOll-list was ever found
or accounted tor or returned. In nearly 100
precincts no poll-iist WIS returned signed or
certified 10, aud is not signed or certified 10
to-day.
In several precincts positive fraud appears
on the lace OF The returns. in Two of which pre-
clnctS the officers have been arrested and are
now under examination for a clear nd palpa-
bic violation of The election laws. In some pre-
cinctS of the city thu average Increase OF the
Democratic vote for Governor is 10 and IL per
cen While In exactly the same neigh borhood,
and but block away, the increase is from 200
To 300 per cen. Yet he same class Of citizens
live in each.
II is stated that in some precincts efforts
were made to stuff the ballol-boX, where the
efforts failed-no one knows how many sue
ceeded-and in others the officers OF election
were drunk, and thus Incapable of performing
their duty.
The members of the Election Commission of
this city were each anu all candidates for re-
election, and thus interested IN the result, and,
howeV honest. they were Iyet. unfortunately,
judges in their own cases.
Upon The authority of a gentleman for EN-
years closely connected with the registration
Office OF this city state thai there has not been
an honest election 10 San Francisco during hat
time. The Republicans have had the commits
SION but oDce-namely in 1884 The fact Is the
Democratic machine, which has fed upon and
grown strong by the system in vogue in Ibis
CITY, has reached a state OF perfection which
makes |, almost impregnable. The Republi-
cans VIII never carry another general election