Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-11-16
SOME COMPARATIVE FIGURES.


When the election returns from THIS
city and county were compiled tour
years ago, the Register took occasion
IN remark that there were too many
votes cast in both city and county FOR
the population, and suggested that the
only reasonable explanation was fraud
We have not since changed out OPINION
that fraud was committed at that time,
to the extent of probably one thousand
. votes. for the benefit Of the Republican
party.
The compilation of the returns for
the recent election tend to show that.
even larger frauds were committed IN
1900 than in 1896.
The population of Ohio county has
not vet been returned, but with the
city of Wheeling as known
basis, It is probably about $4,000. the
ordinary ratio of voters to population
is about 20 to % per 100. That ratio
would give us $500 voters-say 10000
in round NUMBERS and as outside fg-.
ures At a ratio Of Is votes for 100
of population we would cast l1,I5O,
votes, which ought to be the extreme
limit, even in a manufacturing COM
munity. Yet it apptars from the re-
turns of the county that more than 49,
900 votes were cast, which, at four TO
one, would give Ohio county popula-
ton of $4,000, and at five to one-the'
usual ratio-65, 900. Manifestly there
is something wrong. The figures
show it, and the fact that about
500 defective ballots were thrown out
proves it, for no one will maintain for.
one moment that within the limits OF
Ohio county there are five hundred
men over twenty-one years of age who
haven't sense enough to vote.
Look at the city of Wheeling, for
another example. In 1890 our popula-
ton was 34,522, and two years later
the vote for President in the city was
S,605. In 1900 the population was re-
turned at 1886, and the vote cast was
1O,643. The population thus increased
5,024 in ten years, and the vote 2,03S in
eight years. Looking at it in still an
other aspect the increased population
of 1924 cast 2,03S votes! That's pretty
good, and we challenge any other COM
munity to show a like proportion of
voters to increased population.
Manifestly quite a number of people
voted in the city who had no lawful
right to the franchise; and it is equally
manifest that about twenty-five per
cent of them couldn't master the West
Virginia system, not being familiar
with it, and their votes were thrown
out by the election officers.
The figures for the entire county,
when contrasted with eight years ago,
will show a like unjustifable increase,
and will accentuate the manifest fraud
1pon the people of this community.
The districts also prove the fact of
fraud. Take Madison district with l.
365 votes cast, and sixty-nlne of them
thrown out. Now, there is a pretty in
telligent class of people on the Island.
They generally went to school when
young, they are heavy subscribers to
the daily papers, and know enough to
scratch ballot. Yet, according to the
returns of the election officers, one out
of every twenty couldn't do it. And
above and beyond that there never were
1855 voters on the Island, nor within
two hundred of that number, because
the census returns for this year gives
the population of the Seventh ward at
less than $500. A liberal vote would
be LOO.
The same process Of reasoning from
actual facts will give like results in
other districts of Ohio county, and the
assumption of fraud is one fully war
rapted. Other counties in West Vir-
ginia under Republican control yield
like results upon an analysis of the
figures and a comparison with popula-
ton. There ought to be some legal
remedy for this sort of thing.