The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-27
WEEDS IN THE WAY HE DIDN'T SEE THEM
.Secy. Potts Admits He Attached
Jurats for Signatures Not
Made Before Him.
But Says He Observed the Spirit Of
the Law Better Than Other
Partizans.

Samuel Potts, secretary and treasurer OF
the Central Prohibition Club and one Of
the notaries who was so active in secur-
ing signers to the petitions for prohibition
candidates. sends to T h 9 ournal a
communication in which he frankly admits
that he attached Jurats to the ackrowl
edgements of subscribers whom he had
never seen. Mr.. Potts letter is as fol-
lows:
ITO the Editor of The Journal
'Since you have published with glaring
headlines that l was In the business Of
securing bogus petitions for the prohibit
ton party. kindly have the fairness to
publish my side the matter as prom
inently.
The statements that there We're forged
| names on the petitions certified to or Sc
cured are absolutely false and defamatory,
and the parties stating such may have to
make good their assertions where bald
statements are not current coin. Every
name on the petitions I secured was a
| bonafide signature taken by myself ex
cepting a few in ninth and third wards.
| In these cases I did republican
friends, with the primary election law,
| carried out the spirit Of the law and not
the letter.
"As + understood the law, it's purpose
| was to simply secure genuine signatures
to the petitions from parties who under
stood what they We're doing. In some cases
where my friends secured the sigma lures
and I was satisfied they were properly
taken and that in each case the signers
| subscribed to an oath that they knew the
purpose Of the petition and signed Of their
own free will, T attached jurat. while
they were not strictly according to the
letter Of the law, before me.
"Regarding the carbon signatures, be-
fore taking them Auditor Scott was asked
if they would be accepted. He said they
| would not be rejected unless objection was
| filed. In order to save men the necessity
| Of signing three times, we placed three
blanks in holder with two carbon sheets
inserted The signers in every case were
| told that one signature signed for three
candidates and were requested to press
| heavily on the pencil in order to make
! the carbon signatures good.
when I went to the city clerks office
to file petitions, the city clerks brother
and two other men whom did not know
were present. They said to me they were
| informed that in some of the petitions
from the third ward to which I attached
my jurat, the petitioners were not in my
presence. I admitted it to be the case,
presuming that I was carrying out the
| spirit OF the law II not the leICer. Iney
stated I had committed an offense in at
taching the jurat and they would prose-
cute unless withdrew MIR. Hayden's petit
ton. I answered I would look into the
matter. The first time met MIR. Lloyd he
asked me in the presence Of the city clerk
If all the signers on the petition secured
| by Mr.. Gray Of the ninth ward for Mr..
Haw had appeared before me personally. I
admitted that, strictly according to the
letter Of the law, they had not. He de-
manded I withdraw the petition or he
would prosecute. These parties were will
ing to compound any offense might have
committed If they could secure the with
drawal Of the candidates from the third
and ninth wards. I decided not to allow
these men to commit another offense
against the law by compromising mine. The
statement signed by M. B. Lloyd is abso-
lutely false I have never spoken to Mr..
Lloyd about any petition excepting the
ninth ward and then in the presence Of the
city clerk. I had never met Mr.. Lloyd
before and have not spoken to him since
When men say what is not true they gen.
orally say too much. have never seen
Mr.. Hams petition. The animus of these
gentlemen is very evident. They wish tc