The herald., 1896-12-02
WORKING FORAFA|RF FIGHT
Democratic Committee Ac.
tive to Prevent Trickery
IN INGENIOUS LITTLE SCHEME
On the Part Of the Republicans
Is Nipped in the Bud
WHAT THE LAW HAS TO SAY
And How the Machine Hoped to
Secretary MelvllI However Takes Proper
Precautions
Copies of the Great Register Must Be
at Every Polling Place-Instruc-
tiona to the Democratic
Committeeman.
WHAT THE LAW HAS TO SAY
And How the Machine Hoped to
Evlje II
Secretary MelvllI However Takes Proper
Precautions

A cute little scheme of the Republican
city machine has just been nipped in
the bud, just as it was blossomng,
thanks to the alertness of the secretary
of the Democratic city committee, Mr..
]. H. Melvill.
If the scheme had not been killed in
time the city clerks office would have
been made party to piece Of politi-
cal trickery that would have given the
Republican machine a chance to run a
host of repeaters and illegal voters into
the polling places and vote them next
Monday. AS 1t is, however, the Demo-
cratic and Populsts members of the
election boards will see to it that no per-
son shall be given a ballot unless his
name appears on the precinct register,
or unless he can show that his name is
on the great register and has been there
for at least fifteen days prior to the
election and copy of the great register
will be on hand in every precinct.
The intentions of the Republican boss
es were to have the city clerk omit to
provide the precinct boards with copies
of the great register. then have the elec
one to vote whose name did not appear
on the precinct registers except by the
swearing in of his vote, backed up by
certificate from the county clerk, and
then, when the election took place. run
in the horde of repeaters and suffers
and swear them in. OF course, no great
register being on hand there would be
no record to show whether the would
be voter. being sworn in, was on the
great register not. The city clerks
office having done it's part the county
clerks office could be relied upon, it
would be assumed, to issue certificates
to all whom the Republican machine
deeired to naNe .upplied with such GER
tificates.
Mr.. Melvill, as soon as he learned of
the scheme of the enemy, lost no time in
making a personal call upon City Clerk
Luckenbach. That usually obliging Of
fetal was inclined to be somewhat stub
born at first, but the logic and persuas-
i've powers of Mr. Melvill were so ire
sistible, and hi9 mild hypnotism so eff
cacious. that MI. Luckenbach had to sue
cumb and eventually yielded. He re-
ceded from his original position far
enough. at any rate, to agree that the
election boards should be provided with
copies of the great register in every pre-
cinct.
Quite naturally Mr.. Luckenbach ex-
cused the stand he had taken by saying
he was acting on the advice given to
him by City Attorney Will e. Dunn, and
as Mr.. Dunn is a candidate for re-elec-
ton, the advice was peculiarly Dunn
esque Mr. Dunn-but Mr.. Luckenbach
did not say this-had talked things over
with Messrs, Eaton and Ludlow of the
Republican machine before giving out
such advice. These two gentlemen were,
vulgarly speaking, Ion to their job"
and Mr.. Luckenbach was not kicking
\. tpna hr~n "a
The Republicans have smooth way
about them. They can bear watching,
and Mr.. Melvill proposes to watch
them. Somehow they are always reluc-
tant about conforming with the laws,
especially the election laws. 1t is true
they more than make up for this by their
urbane manners and general Winsome-
ass; that is. what they lack in lawful
ness hey make up In grace; but Mr.. Mel
will is oIt for fair and square
vote and fair and square count,
and, in the language of an honest but
unvarniehed rustic, he will stand no
monkeying."
See section 1149 of the election laws,
with reference to great registers:
J1149-Before opening the polls the
board must post in some separate con-
venient place, easy of access, not less
than four printed copies Of the great
register of the county, as last printed"
This is plain enough, yet with what
naivete Messrs. Eaton, Ludlow, Dunn
and Luckenbach We're slow to compre-
hend the exact import Of this section!
And this is not all In the printed
instruction City Clerk Luckenbach is
issuing to the officers of election he has
omitted to inform them that they must
cancel all spoiled and unused ballots.
In the general election held month
ago the county clerk evidently failed to
properly instruct the election officers,
for none of the unused ballots were can
celed, as the law requires Election Of
ficers usually suppose that only the
spoiled ballots are to be cancelled but
the law plainly includes unused bal
lots as we'll, because it's intention is to
provide a check against the possibility
of any crooked work being done by
those occupying official positions and
who it might be reasonably assumed
would profit politically by having the re-
turns changed SO as to fit their hopes of
permanency of power
Here is the law on this point:
'1207-The Ballot Clerks shall ac-
count for the ballots delivered to them
by returning a sufficient number of un-
used ballots to make up, when added to
the number of official ballots cast and
the number of spoiled ballots returned.
the number of ballots given to them
and It shall be the duty of the officers
compel such an accounting: and"
Now for the important part
Immediately upon the closing of the
polls, and before any ballot shall be
taken from the ballot boxes, or either
thereof. the Ballot Clerks must, in the
presence of all persons in the room
who may desire to observe the same,
proceed to deface every UNUSED or
spoiled ballot, by drawing across the
face thereof, in writing ink, with pen,
two lines which shall cross each other,
and said Ballot Clerks shall thereupon
a RI fntw 10 lx~I
taken from the ballot box, or either
thereof, place all said ballots thus de-
faced within an envelope and seal said
envelope, and thereupon majority of
the election officers shall write their
names across the sealed portion of said
envelopes"
Such is the law on this particular
point, as amended March %, 1896, and
wherefore. then. this important omis-