The San Francisco call., 1896-06-17
PASSING UPON CONTESTS.
Foote Attack an Oakland Primary
Election Judge.

Foote Attack ks an Oakland Primary
Election Judge.
SACRAMENTO, CAL. June 16.-Before
the committee on credentials tonight
w. w. Foote made a bitter attack upon
the contestants and the officers of election
in the Third Ward. Oakland, for the pri-
mary election.
His attack was principally directed at
Patrick O'Kane, one of the judges of cleo
ton, who, he said, had committed such
open frauds as should send him to the
penitentiary. O'Kane, who is big fellow
physically, resented the language declar-
ing that Foote could not send him there
and had misstated facts, and for few
minutes it looked as though there would
be pitched battle.
The contest was that of J. J. Mcdonald
against w. B. White, the latter holding
the certificate of election and seat
in the convention. Foote declared that
when he himself went to the polls to vote
he was told by O'Kane that his name had
been voted. He confessed to having felt
very indignant and insisted upon casting
his vote.
O'Kane came out and tried to explain
to him that there was clerical error in
the case that caused the officers to at first
refuse his vote and he (Footel declared
o. Kane would not know a clerical error if
he met one on the road.
There were strange people conducting
the elections in Oakland that day." said
Foote. Among them was the Banjo
Eyed Kid from San Francisco. We know
that the ballot boxes were stuffed. and
OKane and his confederates ought now to
be on their way to the State prison instead
of appearing here trying to unseat young
man who honors his place in the conven-
tion to-day"
Foote read an affidavit of one of the
election officers, S. B. Worley, in which
Worley stated that he saw O'Kane and
another judge of elections inserting bal
lots in the box through an opening in the
rear; that O. Kane held his arm over the
opening and removed it at intervals to
allow the other to insert the ballots; that
he Worley) informed his colleague on the
board, and they pasted piece of paper
over the opening in the rear, after which
he saw no more stuffing.
Foote declared that these heroic meas
ures were taken in the election to discredit
him (Foote) in his own ward, because it
was known that he would come before
this convention seeking the honor of
delegateship to the National Democratic
Convention. He had carried the matter
before the executive committee of the
State Central Committee.
The vote had been canvassed and it was
determined that with proper accounting
fnr bo Fror Ar11oT ha bor
of voters who had not been allowed to
vote under the pretense that their names
had been voted, White had a majority.
Mcdonald had been credited with 1876
votes and White 145 in the original re-
turns.
R. J. Fitzgerald made the argument for
the contestants. He was not charged with
completely in any of the frauds recited.
He made an attack upon the methods by
wtich White had secured his certificate of
election. He said the State Central Com
mittee had no authority whatever to
change the result of the election as it had
done.
Mcdonald had received no notice of the
proposed contest whatever. He mad asked
why the certificate was not issued TO him,
and was told that he would hear from
them in few days. The next day the
certificate had been issued to White, and
neither he nor Fitzgerald had ever heard
why until now.
He (Fitzgerald) declared this was all
irregular and unlawful. The committee
had met in some back room, heard the tes-
timony of one side-the other side had not
even been noti6ed-and the results and
records of the election had on this ex parte
testimony been overturned and the GER
tiicate given to the man who received the
lesser number of votes.
The contest from Alameda of the four
seats IN the convention was heard at great
length and with considerable recrimina-
ton. The committee then went into ex-
ecutiye session.
The committee on credentials seated
Dennis of Alameda, and will seat the rest
of the Foote delegation.