Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-22

90 AtEisttT TOT the primaries won I
Gear scrutiny. Also watch out for influx
OF voters from various wards: they are
ynder control Of same party who did came
river Mercer men claim First, fifth,
sixth, Seventh. Eighth and Ninth; admit
loss OF Second and Third and a fighting
nance in the Fourth. Talked to Clancy
wednesday night for two hours. He had
just, come from Lincoln. Said he was to
myself and one or two others to come
over from Council Bluffs and help him out.
lie said they had plenty Of money and in
tended using It.
This note, with the words plenty Of
money" underscortd. reached the editor
of The Bee late Thursday night, bearing
the Council Bluffs postmark. 1t was
signed by & we'll known politician, whose
name IL withheld from publication for OBJ
ylous reasons.
Immediately upon receipt OF the mes
sage Mr.. Rcsewater sounded the alarm
and sent fer City Attorney Cornell and
Mr.. f. J. Cornish. whom he urged to taka
some measures to prevent the crooked
work suggested in the Council Bluffs note.
Mr.. Conncil and MIR. Cornish expressed
the opinion that the Mercer managers
would not take the desperate measures
10 carry the primaries that we're en-
ployed by John n. Baldwin In Council
Bluffs a few years ago. They did not be-
lievc that such an outrage upon the law
would be attempted, although Mr.. Rose
water reminded them that It was worked
by the railroad politicians before. At any
rate, the conference came to a conclusion
without making any arrangements to frus-
trate the plans OF the Mercerites as sus-
sesHd by the note from Council Bluffs.
II now appears that the tip from the
CITY nCTCge the riyar uyaa Tho nrrrc,t 49,,
to act upon, for evidence is at hand show
Ing that a large number Of men were i'm.
ported from Council Bluffs to vote for the
Mercer tickets at the primary election In
this city. The results in the various
wards Indicate that the work was done in
the very places where the Council Bluffs
man suggested it would be undertaken.
II will be remembered that the Baldwin
trick Of several years ago was turned by
sending a number OF roustabouts from
Omaha to Council Bluffs to vote at the
primaries there under the names of reg
lstered voters who had moved from the
city or had died. At the primaries IN
Omaha last Friday the same unlawful pro-
ceeding was successfully carried out in aid
OF the Mercer candidacy, this time the lie
gal voters being imported from Council
MINIS and some being sworn in as repub-
lscan residents who had not registered last
year and others putting in ballots under
the names of registered voters who had
Ic ye1 from the city.
The fact that over LOO UNREGISTERED
voters we're sworn in at the city clerks
office during the three days Immediately
preceding the primaries and that tho
faces OF hundreds of them we're remark
ably unfamiliar to Omaha people is cited
as evidence of the importation OF out
atnnFC Frha rI-
requiring two freeholders to sign the an
davit OF each unregistered voter had no ef-
feet in stopping the registration Of nom
residents, fer the reason that there were
ireeholders at the city clerks Office who
were ready to and did swear that they
knew men whose faces they had never
seen until they appeared at the city hall.
In addition to the importations from
Council Bluffs. Union Pacific strike breakers
we're used to vote on transfers. afidavits
or the names of those who had moved from,
the city. II is reported that for many
Gays preceding the primaries employees OF
the Blackburn committee were engaged in
making up a list Of voters who had left
the city since the last election. Ind thai
the names on this list were located on
the registration records and then handed
out for use among the importations.
Never before at a primary election In
the city OF Omaha was coercion p~racticet
TO such an extent as Il was last Friday
The railroads and other corporations were
so anxious to renominate Mercer that they
left no stone unturned that might gair
their end. For the first time in year.
the Union Pacific gave the employees in ia
general ofices a half day of so that thel
might get their votes in. Although mos
Of the clerks were not told outright 4
vote the Mercer ticket. they we're giveI
to understand hat the time of was givel
TO them for that purpose. SwitchmeR ant
other employees OF the Missouri Pacific ant
polls in the Fifth ward with instruction
to vote for the Mercer delegation. A mum
Der Of Wholesale houses who enjoy tn,
favor OF rebates from the railroads CAV
their employees a half-holiday. with tn
compliments Of Dave Mercer" At tn
Willow Springs distillery, in the First ward
Hugh Bartson. one OF the bosses. gave 1
out cold to the Workmen that they shoull
vote the Mercer ticket 10 favor him. Bart
sen, who was on the Mercer ticket In IN
First ward, boasted that he was to hav
"a fine thing In the event OF Mercer
nomination.
Street railway conductors and motormer
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