The San Francisco call., 1904-10-02
THE PRIMARY FRAUDS.

THE Grand Turv in its investigation of the committed
the last primary election to have found appalling
ste for the meeting and for the club primaries In
the meetings great occurred On occasions
there fist fights bungarer assaults and gun fights These
disorders gevous and added often the criminal business
OF the They indposed orderly citizens to taking part
primary politics The bosses and managers always
with programme which incur gross
abuse and often bodily HARM The system seemed to leave
primary politics entirely to the rough and criminal element
But this made little Improvement in matters There was ballot
box sung false mpersonaton and intimidation the primary
had good snubbng primary polls entirely
and leaving the fountain head of all political to be
deed scoundrels However rally
the and the primary election law passed. putting the
mary under legal regulation restriction providing that
all parties should the day and the balotbox
under the supervision of the legally appointed judges and clerks
Of election also provided for the of the regular register of
voters for the purposes of tally and Identification.
There every believe that operation of this
law would the primary the violence and that
had long odium of politics.
the election officers would scrupuouy obey their oath and that
the law was strictly enforced and obeyed by all comer and that
decent could approach the polls and discharge their
duty without intimidation insult and that false mpersonaon
ba sung and oher frauds would cease Ihe revelations OF
the last primary show that these expectations have been real
lied That there violence evidently because it
to effect the the vioators of the law Open
violence furnishes evidence against its Pepetrato and this he
avoids when his corruption of the ballot be effected by
and more secret means in the use OF which he probably escape
exposure and punishment.
Immediately punishment of the guilty Mr. Fairfax
Wheean with most commendabe appeared witness
against false mpersonato and procured the of the
he believed be guilty When the difficulty of securing direct
evidence considered it that
been made Whether conviction follow the prosecution
this single bringing bar has had the effect of inducing
examination of the incidents of the election This investigation is
made by the Grand Jury and results the discovery that
the fraudulent ballots exceeded lawful
districts the fraudulent 90 per of the whole
and the total number sufficient void impair the legality
of the whole result
When remembered that the primary general
exactly the legal regulation and restriction
OF appointment and authority for the Judges
and clerks disqueng know that the greater
committed the be repeated the election
For this becomes of first that the
chants Association be aided by the citizens and
supported by the officers of the law Mr. Wheean
the representative of public decency of the which
intended protect the purity of the ballot His efforts fail
conviction but the resulting publicity and the revelations
OF the Grand Jury will have the effect of inducing others
wachfu and he 1t will also direct keene
specon the appointment Of election officers
q careful attention their