The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-01-11

s'THE FACTS PREsENTED IN COURT
The discrepancies in the S2lpete =
turns now being generally conceded to
have been spurious. It follows that
somebody has been guilty OF crime
Our neighDor aover the way sneers at
The Herald's inquiry as t0 where. when
and by whom the fraud was committed,
Nevertheless that is very important to
determines.
AS to where the changes we're made
the Tribune says:
The facts as presented In court point
directly 70 that locality ftte Commits
sion bailding) it is sure they were per-
petrated by some one who knows the
premises. and who has--an absolute
knowledge Of the returns
That is a very singular statement to
make, even by that b.underlug and
n1endacious paper. No facts presented
in court" show that there was an OPP
poTtunity to do anything Improper with
those returns. except during The two
days when Commissioner sherman and
his private accountant had them in
o-talitSiipptto POSSESSION,
But that was after the returns had
been canvassed BY The Commission.
Certainly. And il is a remarkable fact
that not one of the Commissioners
noticed any difference in the color CT
the ink on the crosses alleged to have
been added. nor In the pen.2l wrlIlng
Of the word voted" said to have been
interpoiated, until the returns were
brought into court Between the can
vass when no differences were detected
and the time the returns were brought
into court. they were overnauled Tor
two days by COMMISSIONER sherman
and his man. Sherman refused when
requested to write the word voted !
and 50 did Tatlock. who had such a
chance as Sherman for an absolute
knowledge of the returns ~
Judging by the facts presented in
court. there was ample opportunity
during those two days to mark o.er
the crosses mentioned With another
kind of ink, and to rub out the pencil
ling voted and rewrite it ia another
hand. and nothing else points to that
healthy as the place where those
changes might have been made
But, it viii be argued. the discre-
pancies We're made to favor the Demo-
Gratis and Republican would not have
made them. We have not intimated
that ne would. We merely say that the
only opportunity disclosed BY tns eyi-
dence in court. for changes to have been
made IN the Commission building, was
that given Co Sherman, and if it was
desirable TO make it appear that other
ink and other handwriting had been
used in doctoring the returns, and OF
obtaining absolute knowledge of
Them in every particular, there was the
opportunity and that is the, only one
shown by the facts presented i'll
court
Going ouside of the facts presented
in court there are documents in the
Handwriting Of Commissioners. Sherman
which contain letters that are the very
counterpart. of letters in the word
voted which is said to nave been
interposated in the returns. Just as
good experts as any who have been
mentioned, decide that there is much
greater similarity between Sherman
writing and the spurious word voted, .
than between it and Mr.. Blair's. And
Sherman had the returns for two days
while Blair never had them in persona
possession at all.
We make no charges, ws do not say
we believe anything Of the kind was
done, bat we do say that there wa.
nothing else in the facts presented il
court" which point to the Commission
building as the place where any fixing
Of the returns took place.
Where was the place, then? We dc
not know. We believe with Judge
Powers that all that was done as t.
making discrepancies for a purpose oc
Cured before the returns reached the
Commission.
Who are the guilty parties? We dc
not know. We would be ashamed t
cast suspicion upon persons who may
be as innocent as is George E. Blair
and try to ruin any mans reputation OF
an unjust and m SCRABBLE suspicion. Bu
we voice the sentiment of the Demo
jcratic party when we say, there Should
be a determined effort to trace out tn.
wrong to its source. The Democrats,
party of Utah is more interested in In,
than any other body. We know tina
the leading men of the party are dear
against anything that savors of cor
ruption. Whatever has been dont
has been the work of somt
person or persons independent,
of the party or its leaders
We do not believe it was done by tn
election judges nor by the wish or con
nivance of any of the candidates. no
at the instance or with the knovledg
| of any member of the Utah Commits
sion. But whoever did the nefariop
work or whatever was the motive. w
call for a movement to find out III
culprits. no matter who, what or wher
they are. Let the guilty be exposed
let the innocent be vindicated!