Omaha daily bee., 1895-11-08
HAVE JUCCLED THE RETURNS
Figures that Surprised Supporters of the
Winning Ticket.
DERWSHES SHAPE THE VOTE TO SUIT
unmistnLnbic Evidence at Hand %
Fraud Committed by the Election
officers by Witch Men Not
Elected We're Counted In,


When the election returns from Omaha and
Douglas county were published Wednesday
morning every one was simply dazed. This
was true not only OF the defeated candidates
and the friends OF the nom partisan movement
In the city and county, but the most ardent
supporters of the candidates on the dervish
ticket had not dared hope for the complete
sweep that the returns showed had been made
and they did not know how to account for the
results
All of the sentiment as expressed on the
streets and in business circles had been very
largely in favor of the Citizens league candi-
dates and the election Of a large number of the
men on the ticket had been conceded by the
dervish contingent No one claimed that
Scott would be elected and odds OF four and
five to one against his election failed to get
takers. Broatch's defeat was practically con-
ceded on the night before election and bet
ting men could not find anything better than q
proposition that Browns majority would not
be over 1000. The election of the nom -parti-
san judiciary ticket was conceded by almost
every one and none would clam that the
ticket named by the dervishes for council
had any show with intelligent voters when
compared with the men named by the Citi-
zens' league and the democrats. With these
facts conceded 1t is not strange that the re-
suits as shown by the returns should be q
surprise to all except the initiated, who knew
what the plans of the dervish leaders were
and knew that the election would be carried
in favor of their ticket, no matter what the
voters thought Of the case
COUNTED AS THEY PLEASED.
After the recovery from the surprise
came the speculation as to how the result
could have possibly been accomplished
There had been dissenson among the demo-
Gratis that would lead to such an upheavaI
as returns indicated and the people began to
discuss the discrepancies that appeared on
the face of the returns The further the dis
cussion of the subject carried the more
it became evident that the dervishes had
their plans well laid when they insisted
through the efforts of the council combine
and the support of the Board of County Com
missioners upon making up the election ofIi-
cials to suit themselves 1t is known that in
many of the election booths of the city none
but members of the A. p. A. were on guard.
and in those districts 1t is shown that
the returns are just what the dervish gang
wanted and in many instances just what the
people did not want. 1t is known that In
one district In the Third ward all OF the
election officials except one Judge and one
clerk were asleep during most of the count,
and these two officials, both members Of the
A. p. A., counted the votes and entered
them to suit themselves. The records from
the precinct in question show discrepancies
that cannot be explained in any other way.
II is known that the count was In the hands
OF men who wanted the election to result
just as VI did, and II L. known that many
OF the men in the booth would not hesitate
to make the books show the desired result,
whatever the ballots might show.
study Of the figures from the completed
returns corroborates the charge that the re-
turns do not indicate the real vote Of the
people, and show state of affairs that can
not well be explained. For instance, the two
democratic candidates for Judge Of the SUI
preme court, and the populist candidate,
polled a total of 1926 votes in Douglas
county. 1t is undoubtedly true that all who
voted for Mahoney and Phelps and Maxwell
voted tor the nonpartlsan judiciary ticket.
None of them would have occasion to vote
otherwise. In addition to the 1926 votes
polled for the candidates for supreme Judge
on the democrat and popust tickets, there
were hundreds Of republicans who voted
for Hopewell' Dufie and other candi-
dates on the nonpartisan judiciary
ticket. If the vote had been fairly counted
Judges Hopcwell, DuiIie Ferguson and other
candidates on the non partisan judicial ticket
would have received as many ballots at the
very least as the candidates for the supreme
bench on the popullst and democratic tickets
Yet the the figures show that Ferguson re-
ceived 49, Duifie 6lS and Hopewe 9OS votes
less than the number cast for Mahoney,
Phelps and Maxwell. There can be no other
explanation OF lnlS shortage than that the
vote cast for the non-partissn judiciary ticket
was not properly counted.
TOO WIDE APART.
Then on the other hand take the vote cast
for Judge Norval and that registered for
Ben Baker on the judicial ticket Under the
most favorable circumstances, which did not
exist, Baker could not hope to poll more votes
than the head of the straight republican
ticket, and yet he beat Judge Norval ih
this county by nearly 1000 votes. 1t would
be conceded by, any honest republican that
every vote cast for Baker would also be
cast for Norval, and the discrepancy can
not be accounted for except in the manpula-
tion by the dervsh contingent that had
charge Of the election machinery.
If anything further were wanting to show
the manipulation of figures for the benefit
of the derviNh candidates, II is furnished
from the reports made on the vote for coun-
cilmen. In the first precinct OF the Second
ward for instance, City Clerk Higby's tables
show that Calm received Ga votes Lemly 98
and Christie 142. The correct figures as
shown by the tally sheet at the completion
of the count, are: Calm 40, Lemly 139 and
Christie 81. In a number of other precincts
in the city the vote on counCilmon seemed
to have been determined by the election
officials on an estimate Of what the dervish
candidates would need to make their elec-
tion sure
recount will doubtless be demanded on
the council tickets, and probably on the ju-
dicial tickets