The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-10-31


Registrations Were to Have Been Voted
in the Second, Third and Fourth Wards
arrangements Have Been Made by
Chairman Mccoy to Have the Men Ar
rested Should They Attempt to Vote
Proof Positive Of Chicansry
For the first time in the political his
tory OF this city there is lots of hokos-
pokos work going on. There is abso
luteiy no question that gigantic fraud
has already been Matched and the per-
petrators, whoever they are, are only
waiting until next Tuesday to put their
nefarious scheme into execution. Part
OF the job has already been accomplish
ed, and IL the rest Of it Is carried TO
consummation some men will likely find
themselves behind the bars at Lansing
ing to be voted here on Tuesday like
[ Tammany does tin blocks of five. the
high handed jugglery has been discover
ed, and should any Illegal voter attempt
TO cast a ballot next Tuesday they will
be prosecuted to the full extent Of the
Law. Who the parties are VINO are at
the bottom OF the scheme has not as yet
been found out, but efforts will be in
stituted TO catcl them.
The gentlemen who have been polling
the different wards for the Republican
party have discovered that there are any
number of men vino have registered
rpOr MI, W. ie
sign Of a house. At first they were loti
to believe that any jobs were being put
UP such as are sometimes carried on in
cities, but the number grew to such pro-
portions that the matter was reported
to headquarters and Chairman Mccoy
took the matter under serious considera-
ton. He made further investigations
and found to his dismay that the re-
ports Of his lieutenants were only too
true. He Immediately put a force OF
men 10 work 10 ferret the matter 10 the
bottom and draft list of all the bo-
gus names that had been registered.
This was done in each precinct and if
any OF the men attempt to vote VINO are
not entitled to they will be challenged.
If they then try to swear their ballot
they will be arrested.
Such a wholesale JOB OF this kind Of
chicanery has never before been known
TO be attempted. The positive proof Is
in the hands of Chairman Mccoy. II
would do no good to publish the names
and the addresses, as the names as we'll
as the addresses are assumed or alias
Ii was as daring as it was unknown in
this part of the country. 1t shows a
weakness and that as last resort fraud
had to be practiced in order that even
fair showing could be made.
Secretary Hoover said last night that
they had found over a hundred irregular
or fraudulent registrations in the Sec
ond, Third and Fourth wards alone.
The reports of the other wards had not
been compiled at late hour last even
ing, and what the other wards will show
is unknown, but IL is fair to presume
that they will average with the others.
That the plan was a predetermined
one is seen from the fact that so many
such errors could not possibly take
place. Another thing that shows frauG
on the face is that the men who have
polled the wards have found three and
four men who have registered from one
house. when they have positive proof
that only one man ever lived ar the
place given by the fraudulents. Most
Of the crooked work has been done in
the Second and Fourth wards. Another
practice that has been unearthed is that
a man who registered last spring in the
Third ward and knew that ne was reg
istered there, went this fall and register
ed in another ward, thus having
chance to vote twice. Such cases as
these will be closely watched. There
seems to have been big switch from
the First ward into the Second, Third
and Fourth wards. Nothing 20 far has
been discovered in this to warrant al,
illegality, but it has a strAl-s appear
ance in view OF the fact that most Of the
fraudulent registrations have been dis
covered north OF Douglas avenue.
Only yesterday afternoon Secretary
Hoover sent man to investigate a
house where three men were reported to
be registered in the Second precinct OF
the Second ward. Some children were
playing in the yard and the man asked
them il Mr.. Blank lived there They
told him that they did stay there some
time ago. but that they had left. Their
names had been put on the books only
a few days before they closed. plainly !
after the men had left the city. The |
mother Of the children came out and |
told Mr.. Hoover's lieutenant that IL he |
did not go away that she would pour not |
water on him. She said that the men |
did live there, and chided the children /
for telling something that they knew |
nothing about.