The San Francisco call., 1896-04-15
Voters Were Three Hundred, but
the Votes Were Seven
Thousand.
TWAS QUIET IN THE FOURTH
The Shameless Pair Counted a Vote
Per Thirty Seconds With No
Voters in Sight.

that the stupendous fraud seemed to be-
come an opera bouffe.
An aggregate OF 800 legitimate votes, at
q liberal estimate, for the eleven asse embly
districts were swelled to 1913. This was
done merely to give the election the ap-
pearance of having been largely attended.
This was done, too, in the most open and
shameless way ever exhibited by even such
constituencies political tricksters as Mar
tin Kelly and Jerry Mahoney, and the
party riff-raff, on which they depend for
support along with a few men of repute,
who through becoming soreheads or
through close friendship for Kelly and
Mahoney, to whom political debts are due,
have been induced to let these manipula-
tors use their names.
The story of the primary yesterday in
the Forty-second District was about the
story of the day in all the districts. This
is part of Mahoney's Senatorial district.
The polling-place on Taylor stree: pre-
sented during the day small Knot of men
aud two policemen, with occasionally q
voter coming and going. Mahoney had a
few of his boys around, and occasionally
they varied the monotony by picking out
a name from the register and voting again.
haudfuls without the formality of tally
ing, and when the polls closed at P. NJ.
not more than sixty votes were tailed on
the tally-sheet
Jerry Mahoney ordered about 600 votes
and when the polls closed the election
officers went to work on the two duplicate
taliy-sheets ard by rapid work Just filled
out the big sheet with tallies opposite each
name.
When the first sheets were full they
simply took another, copied the ticket
down one side and filed out the sheet
with tally marks. This was done openly
in the presence of several witnesses.
The returns showed 681 votes cast.
There are APO minutes in seven hours, and
the casting of 6Sl legitimate ballots in
that time would have required one vote
every two-thirds of minute.
This was the result at polling-place to
which not thirty reputable Republicans of
the district came during the entire day,
and where the scene was throughout
sleepy, ist!ess one, with few boys loaf
ing about and gong 20 the corner occa-
sionally for another beer.
These returns from Mahoney's district
were sent TO headquarters, where they
were grayely received by Jerry and Martin
in the presence of others and slyIy
chuckled over later.
In eacn of the eleven districts this story
was repeated. In the Twenty eighth,
Kelly's district, the box was about filled
before 8 o'clock. Kelly didn't have much
money to buy beer, and he didn't even
scare UP enough of a crowd to attract at
tention across the street. The few men,
bers of his old "push" who were on hand
voted in accordance with their pleasure
and industry. The Twenty-eighth re-
turned 776 votes-nearly one for every
thirty seconds of the seven hours.
In the Thirty it was no trick at
at all for Jack Hoey to return $50 votes.
In the Forty-fifth Tom O'Brien hustled
about, trying to get few real votes in,
but there was one record Of two hours kept
when not even one voter appeared. The
Forty-ffth returned 618 votes.
Those interested in the affairs of the
regular party primary OF to-day did not
take enough interest in what was going on
ries, and very few were impelled by curl
osity to visit any of the polIing-places.
But then 7643 votes were returned and
they fell to the districts, as follows:
Twenty-eighth District, 776; Twenty
ninth. 628; Thirtieth, $40; Thirty-first, S04 ;
ThIrty-ninth, 942; Forty-second, 681;
Forty-third, 556; orty-fourth, 322; Forty
fifth, 61S.
The total Estee vote of the Fourth Dis
trict was II, ,034. The average vote to q
district according to Kelly and Mahoney's s
lttuIus Was O0O. L MS WOulQ De one vote
every three-fourths OF a minute, and it
will be seen that in some districts vote
every thirty seconds is recorded.
The primary election record of stuffing
and of falsifying returns was smashed to
smithereens yesterday. People last night
were amazed at the recklessness dis
played by such record which shows
stuffing for the mere lust of stuffing and
stutfing far beyond the criminal require
ments Of rump organization manipu-
lated by two of the most Infamous politi-
cal parasites that have ever brought
shame to the Republican party in San
Francisco in the past.
These returns were taken to headuuar-
ters, where Kelly and Mahoney's alleged
Congressional committee-the one born at
midnight of two forged proxies-gravely
canvassed them in executive session. The
returns were formally approved and GRE
dentiais will be issued to the convention
delegates named on the tickets.
The primary, by the way, had another
odd feature. The ticket was blanket one
and in all districts the nominees were
voted for. By this novel scheme each dele
gate will appear on the returns as having
received 7643 votes.
There was, of course, but one ticket in
each district and no opposition to any,
body. Kelly and Mahoney had hard job
making up their ticket in the first place,
scores of Republicans refusing to let their
names be used, and already there are signs
that many ofthe delegates named will de-
cline TO act as delegates, finding Martin
Kelly and Jerry Mahoney more than they
can stomach even in politics.
1t is by this gigantic fraud, shameless
methods and farcical proceeding that
Kelly and Mahoney are counting on being
able to deceive the Republicans of the
State at Sacramento, and by means of the
prestige, influence and little holds here
and there, which they would gain by even
partial recognition, break into power in
San Francisco municipal politics.
Martin Kelly is too well remembered as
a Buckley Democrat until even Buckley
spurned him years ago and as the later
Repu bllcan bosslet who defeated Estee to
receive distinguished consideration from
the Republicans of the State. Jerry Ma
honey has clinging to him too large pro-
portion of the Shiny mud from the depths
Of local political corruption and is
too well known as political trickster