The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1904-07-01

uLllill vi Ill lNUlUL lllUIUn
IOI The L0Ie PTin0Iy How The
Robbers P0dded The Returns.
In Some BrOwa"d Counties the
Vote Exceeded Total White
Male Population Over 21
Years of Age Who Could
Read and Write.
! In the Times Union of last Sunday
Maj. Alex. st. st. Clair-Abrams be
gan II series of articles on the Inside
History of the Late Primary which
should prove interesting reading to
| those democrats who care to inform
themselves regarding the methods
employed by the men responsible
for the most daring and corrupt po-
litical robbery in the history Of FlOri-
da. The News regrets that lack of
space c0lnpels it to eliminate much
! of Mai. st. Clair-A brans article and
contine itself to those portions which
deal in figures. In an analysis of
the vote in certain counties the
Major says:
"Am analysis of the vote of three
counties in this state on the 7th day
of June, A. ID. 1904, shows the fol-
lowing results for Governor:
Jackson ....................,,,......l,99 1896
Lafayette OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 74S
Taylor. ...,....,....,. .,........... 6Ol
Total. ............. .3,30l
These are three counties which
have either remained stationary or
but slightly increased their popula-
tion since the census of 1900, and in
that year they contained white
males over twenty-One years of age,
who could read and write, and con-
sequently We're alone qualified to
vote under our laws and system of
voting, the following numbers:
Jackson. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 800
Lafayette ..,....l... ............,.. .lbJ
Taylor .............................57S .57S
Total l................... .S,3l6
1t follows, therefore, that these
three counties pOlled more demo-
cratic votes for governor on the 7th
day of June A. d. 1904, than they
possessed qualified white voters III
1900.
If these counties were like Dade
county, receiving large accessions
daily to their population, | would not
ascribe the large vote tC fraud, but
it is notorious that they are not re-
ceiving any increase of population
other than purely natural one.
JACKSON COUNTY FIGURES.
In 1900 Jackson county polled 97S
democratic votes, and 80 anti-demo-
cratic votes. This, | admit, was not
the full vote of Jackson county, al
though it included a portion of the
populist vote cast for Mr.. Bryan, the
middle-Of-the-road pOpuliSts polling
for Baker that year 53 votes. The
actual anti-democratic vote of that
year was as follows:
Republican ................... .2lO
PrOhibitiOnist ...................,
Middle-of-the-road Populist ...... 53
Social Democrat t,........,,...........2 ..24
lOtal l,..,,....',.,.,..' .''3lU
In 1896 Mr. Bryan got the entire
Populist vote, and the vote was as
follows:
Bryan Democrats ....,...........l ,254
Mckinley Republicans.,......,..,233 233
Bryan Populists ...............-.....3
PrOhibltiOnlsts... .................,. IL
Gold Democrats S,......,...,..,,.......l lbs
Total .l,66S
1t will be observed that this was
the largest vote ever pOIled in Jack
son county, at an election, an aggre-
gate of ,66S votes, of which it is eX-
ceedingly difficult to say how many
populists voted for Bryan, but Civ
ing the entire | ,254 as democratic,
and adding the l3S gold democrats,
as being also democratic, we have n
total of 1892.
The falling off of the vote in 1900
was unquestiOnably due to the gem
eral dissatisfaction felt by the demo-
Gratis over the political situation. |
cEeerfully admit that the presiden-
tial vote in Jackson of 1900 was not IA
fair test.
In 1902 at the first primary under
the present law Jackson county
polled l,544 votes. | am informed
that populists and persons who were
unable to read or write We're per-
mitted to vote at this election.
This vote was abnormally large, and
am satisfied was at least $50 more
than it should have properly been.
In May, 1904, two years later,
without any great influx of addition
al population in the county, LOB
votes were pOlled for governor at the
democratic primary.
WHERE DID THE VOTE COME FROM?
On the 9TH day of June last, II
month later, this vote was swelled
to 1886! Did Jackson county have
any such democratic vote? | have
no hesitation in expressing the opin-
ion that there We're and are no such
number of democratic votes in the
county. According to the census of
1900 Jackson county contained 1859
white males over twenty-0ne years
of age who could read and write.
Under our election law they alone
were qualified to vote. These 1869
white males embraced republicans,
populists and all other anti-demo-
cratic voters. If my information is
correct, on the 30th day of April last,
when registration ceased, there Were
about 1900 qualified voters on the
registration list, which, after deduct
ing some 300 republicans, populists,
etc, would have left about 300 vo-
ters that could have properly voted
at the primary. Where then did the
other COG come from?
am informed that previous to the