The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-17
CHARGE ELECTION FRAUDS
Fifth Ward Tickets Bear Suspicious
Mark on the Back.
COLORED VOTERS WE'RE INUNDATED

They Were Told 60 Vote a Certain
Ticket or They Would Get No More
Aid From Ghe County, Says Dennis
..HOpe-The City Central Committee
Throws Out I26 Marked Ballots
and Two Central COmmi ttcemen
Sat Down Upon.
SsThe Republican city central commit
tee took a decided stand last night
against Identification marks on tickets
voted at primaries by throwing out 126
ballots voted in the second precinct of
the Fifth ward at last Saturdays primary.
The tickets had blue pencil mark the
full length on the back aud 1t was assert
ed that they had been marked for the
purpose of Identification. The tickets
were also scratched with blue pencil on
the face, showing that they had been
marked, probably by the same person.
The fight on the tickets was started by
George W. Crane. He said that he had
understood that some of the tickets had
been marked. alt is time" said he, shat
we took a decided stand in this
matter. There is a law governing
primaries and it is misdemeanor
to mark tickets for the purpose of iden-
tif1catiun. If Beck had been nominated
for the school board [ should have con-
tested his nomination on the ground that
the tickets had been marked but as it is
now l do not care to raise tho question"
Mr. Beck's name appeared on all the
marked ballots.
There were several candidates for the
central committee in the ward and the
nam es of Albert Barton and r. II. Faxon
appeared on the marked tickets. In
nearly all the tickets these two names
were alone voted for but in some of
them the name of H. Chiles had been
added in writing as it was not on the
printed tickets.
Dennis Hope had been a candidate for
central committeeman aud he did not re-
ceive enough votes to entitle him to a
place on the committee unless the
marked ballots were thrown out Dennis
was accordingly very anxious that they
should be thrown out. Hope and Barton
have been at loggerheads for some time
and each was anxious to see the other
downed.
81 want fair play" said Hope. 81 know
why these tickets were marked. They
were given to women and the women
were told that unless they voted the
tickets they could never receive any
more aid from the county. That is the
way it was DONE"
81 too, only want fair play" replied
that this matter should be Investigated"
"Do you know who marked the tick
etsY" questioned Chairman Hungate.
mo sir l do not know" replied Barton.
II was supervisor and l had nothing to
do with the voti ng."
aid you see them put in the box?"
81 do not remember that l saw any
marked tickets voted but might have
seen some.'
"Do you know any thing at all about
the marked tickets?"
mo sir, l know nothing about them"
Then the primary election law was
read and Chairman Hungate said
ut seems to me that from strictly
legal sense these tickets should not be
thrown out until it is proven that the
marks were put there for fraudulent
purposes. That should be clearly
shown"
1--WE can not afford to let this 60" said
George w. Crane. ave should make
an example of this and then we can
be sure that it will not happen again. 1
believe there should be recount and the
marked tickets should be thrown out"
Police Commissioner Foster said: sit
seems to me that when the tickets are
all marked the same on both back and
face it is pretty good evidence that there
was fraud"
George Elliott, George Gsrberick, c. E.
Purviance and w. S. Eastman all wanted
the tickets thrown out and the PROPOSE
imously. Burton asked to have the
matter postponed so he could submit
evidence, but his wishes were disre-
garded.
AS apprehended the throwing out of
the ballots changed the result on mem
bers of the central committee only and
Albert Barton and r II. Faxon were left
of the committee, while Dennis Hope
and Ed Keith took their places. C. W.
Fowler is the other member of the COM
mittee, but he was elected without the
consideration of the marked ballots and
they did not change the result on his
vote. The results on other candidates
were not changed.
Following are the members of the new
central committee.
First ward-A. J. Kane. w. E. Stew
art, w. B. Eastman and James Jor-
dan.
Second ward-Leroy Currier, George
Gerberick, s. K. Withers. ]. b. Nc
Kinney, Henry Scales and George H.
Elliott.
Third ward-D. c. Naylor, A B. Quin-
ton. Rufus Knott, John Putnam, and c.
E Purviance
Fourth ward - Otis Hungate, T. E.
Pounds, Frank Foster, George Smith
and Silas Rain.
Fifth ward-G. W. Fowler, Dennis
Hope and Ed Keith.
CRAZY MAN WITH CLUB.