Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-11-02
A GIGANTIC STEAL.
Democratic Managers Have
Planned 1t.
70 BUY ELECTION JUDGES
And Have Straight Republican Tick
cts Counted For Mclean.
Row TO PREVENT THE PLOT.

| nOW ~ Fhh bNl Idb IuOl
Every Candidate Has a Right Under the
Law to Have Witness Peesent to
Check Up the Count-This Is ImperR-
tive This Year.
AS the campaign draws to a close
the Republican managers are watching
the Mclean organization, as western
settlers used to watch the quivering
long grass that showed the where
abouts of Apache Indians, yet con-
cealed them.
1t would be very strange If the Dem
ocratic organization did not attempt
to manipulate the ballot boxes on cleo
tion day. Morally, ballot box frauds
are little more despicable that the
methods used by the Mclean organ
ization to influence the voters by
arousing viciousness, prejudice and all
that is bad in man. But election
frauds ale punished by specific penal
ties, and SO it is that the Mclean
organization will attempt to switch
ballots only as the last resort of des-
peration.
The presence of ]. w. Elder, the
notorious election manipulation from
Washington, D. c., in this city last
week, and his conferences with John
r. Mclean and McLean's "illegiti-
mate" or Garfield law committee"
served to intensity the watchfulness
of the Republican managers.
1t is understood that Elder himself
proposed certain ballot box frauds,
but however that may be,
GiGnn io Democratic schsm,.
has come to light within the last two
days that vividly recalls 1885, when
Mr.. Mclean was a can Iidate for United
States senate against John Sherman
Only the utmost vigilance ON the part
of the Republicans all over the state
will prevent the biggest election frauds
ever conceived in Ohio and the effort
will be made in spite of the rigid re-
quirements of the Australian ballot
law.
The Mclean scheme now in posses
sion of the Republican state committee
contemplates the corruption OF the
election judges in a considerable num-
ber of election precincts of the state,
and the counting Of straight Repub-
lican as straight Democratic tickets.
AS everybody knows, in each cleo
tion booth, two judges-one Republi-
can and one Democrat-count the bal
lots and announce the result to the
clerks, who tally as the figures are
called off. 1t is customary for one of
the judges to take the ballots from the
box and place them in piles-straight
d.Nets in one pile, ard scratched tick
cts in another. The straight tickets
are then separated, Republican tickets
being placed in one pile and Democrat
in another The tickets are
Usually Counted In Tens.
The first judge, who may be either a
Democrat or a Republican, for exam
pie, counts zen tickets, which he an
nounces as Democratic tickets. He
then hands them to the other Judge.
who examines them to see that no mis-
NHAAN nus bNNAA lile1ANs IL ID " oGG
that by collision between the two
judges frauds may be perpetrated, and
straight Republican tickets may be
counted as Democratic, unless Repub-
licans everywhere insist on the pres
ence of reliable witnesses to the count,
as they have right to do under the
law.
The Democratic scheme contemplates
the buying CT 300 Republican judges,
or 10 percent of the total number. In
each precinct which has been fixed"
1t is proposed to switch" 20 votes
or a total Of 5000 in the state, which
means an actual difference of 1900
to the respective candidates on the Re
publican and Democratic ticket AS
the ballots are all destroyed as soon
as the count IS completed. the Demo-
cratic managers feel that there would
be no danger OF exposure, II the fraud
could be perpetrGted.
It Il Prom ,sed ts ''FIE" Precincts
In al parts of the state. In Cleveland
about 30 precincts are to be fixed"
and about the same number in Cincin-
natl. Ten or 12 precincts are to be
fixed" in Columbus, and about the
same number in Toledo. The other
precincts will be scattered over the
state, many OF them in the rural dis
tricts.
The Mclean managers, of course,
are aware that each candidate on the
ticket has the right TO have a wit
ness present at the counting. who may
examine The ballots, but il is a well
known iact among politicians that fire.
quently witnesses do not exercise all
their p-erogatiyes. In many wards Of