The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-23
1t Is to Be Officially
Investigated
REGISTRAR Buggy WILL ACT
DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN AWAY
CERTAIN AFFIDAVITS.
The "Hefting" Mayors Candidate for
Public Administrator Has APP
parently No Standing as
an Elector.

The fact that Edward L. Fitzgerald
the ''hefting" Mayors candidate for Pub
| lie Administrator, is registered botn IN
! Alameda County and in this city Is TO
! be made the basis for a judicial invest-
cation. This was the natural sequence Of
| the expose in The Call yesterday.
| Now that this matter has been brought
to my attention." said w. J. Biggy, Reg
istrar of Voters, Il will institute an ex-
animation to determine Mr.. Fitzgerald's
status on the register of this city. 1t is
| q serious matter for man to register In
/ one county when his name appears on
the great register of another. He should
! be able to show either that the latter
was Cancelled or that he had been trans
| ferred."
Mr.. Fitzgerald had an intimation that
/ the irregularities in his registration were
known, and called at the Registrars
/ Office TO straighten the matter. He was
shown the affidavits made by him on
August 7, 1895. and that of August s, 1898
In the former he swore his name ap-
peared on no other register in this State,
/ and he also swore he lived in this city
/ TWO months.
/ In the last affidavit. dated August 8,
! 1888, he swore his name no other
! register, and in addition made oath he
! had lived here five years. In explanation
! of this he said he made the affidavit be-
/ fore j. W. Rose, deputy employed at
! that time by Registrar Biggy. Mr.: Rose
| is an Intimate friend of Fitzgerald, and
] has known him for some years.
| According to Fitzgerald il was a mere
! inadVertenCe, a clerical error. He wished
/ to correct the affidavit, but Mr.. Buggy
/ said ii was a matter Of official record, and
as such must stand.
! Mr.. Biggy accepted the explanation as
! being a plausible one, and thought the
/ incident closed.
The matter was called to his attention
/ yesterday, and he produced all the papers
/ on file in his Office relating to Mr.. Fttz-
/ gerald's registration in this city. When
| these were spread out before him the as
/ pect of the case changed. paper over
| looked in the first hurried investigation
showed that he had made affidavit on a
! previous occasion TO five years residence
! in this city.
This afidavI. was made May 9, 1898
/ when he applied to have his place of res
idence changed from 1921 Pine street to
] 1913 Post. In this he SwOre he resided in
this city five years The aft1davit was
/ made before o. Q. Hallett a deputy in
/ Registrar Biggys office. No question of
( error because of friendship, entered into
/ this case. Mr.. Hallett did not know Mr.
! Fitzgerald. and merely performed the
/ usual duty delegated to him in the routine
/ of office work.
! Registration does not expire in Ala
media County every two years. as 1t does
! in San Francisco. In consequence his
/ registration there is still in force. To be
/ registered in two counties is a crime
against the State election laws and is
punishable by heavy fine and imprison.
Even when Mr.. Fitzgerald was making
affidavit to the effect that this city was
his place of residence, the directory of
1896 gave it as Berkeley
Registrar Biggy viii at once institute
an inquiry TO determine the exact status
of Mr. Fitzgerald both as an elector and
OAKIAND. Oct. 22.-Labor Commits
sioner Fitzgerald is greatly exercised
over the fact that he is on the great
register in both Alameda and San Fran