Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-01-19
ADAMS-PEABODY
ELECTION INQUIRY.
The General Assembly Committee
Holds Its First Session and
Examines Two Witnesses
HENRY c. RIDDLE CALLED FIRST
Was Minority Member of Denver Com
mIssion--Repeaters Tell Of
Their Work.

NEWER. Jan. ls--ln the court Of APP
meals chamber this afternoon the COM
,nlttee OF 81 members of the general
assembly, IS Republicans and nine
memorials, appointed to hear the con"
,ost of lanes II. Peabody for the seat
~ Coy. Alva Adams held its FIRST
oron session, and took testimony from
,vo witnesses. Chairman William H.
orlaitb announced that sessions would
ho held night and day to hasten the
work of investigation to the utmost de-
gree.
The protest OF the minority against
The taking Of testimony under the rules
adonted was made by Senator Jeffer-
son. who moved that it be spread upon
enc Journal and that a record be made
~ us present action. A motion by SEN
ntor Barela TO lay the protest upon the
table prevailed by strict party vote.
Harry c. Riddle, minority member OF
tho Denver election commission, was
called as the first witness by Ally
willis V. Elliott. OF counsel for con-
testor. Mr.. Riddle explained the man
ner in which district registrations are
conducted, and said that registration
hooks were withheld by the county
clerk from all Republican judges who
appeared on the day prior to election
and offered to sign for the same.
MAD strict instructions from the major
ltv members of the commission to turn
over all poll books 20 Democratic
Judges. He further testified that there
were at the time of the May city cleo
lion I'm the neighborhood of 10 persons
in The employ of the election commits
sion. and that he had never been given
voice In the appointment OF one or
this number.
When any action was contemplated
nv the majority members along this
line. meetings were arranged for, Mr..
plddle said, of which he was not ad-
vised end he was kept totally In the
dark as to the method of procedure.
Mir Riddle said he had received notice
NJ nh meetings where his vote might be
needed 10 legalize action, but usually
the committee passed upon matters
without his presence.
Regarding the appointment Of elec,
ton Judges for the May election, MT.
Riddle said that It was his privilege
in appolnt one Judge for each precinct,
the majority members appointing two
AT the meeting OF the. commission
rallied TO arrange for the selection OF
The Judges, he said, he presented list
Of approximately fifty vacancies caus-
ed by inability from one cause or an
other Of Judges at former elections TO
serve again, but the committee refused
10 recognize his list, asserting that the
vacancies could be filled by the other
two Judges on the morning OF election.
Nh Riddlc said that the list OF vacan-
cles was certified 10 only after he had
appealed TO the county court for a
wit OF randamus compelling the ma
FORTY members TO recognize the right
10 have the vacancies filed by appoint
meLt.
Atty. Elliott asked the witness tc-say
what action was taken by the commits
sion on the petition Of Republican at
torneys for an investigation OF the
registration list which was alleged to
contain many hundred fictitious names
and addresses Mr.. Riddle replied that
during a Ave days hearing OF the COM
mission prior 10 the May election testi-
mcry was taken on the contention that
the list contained fraudulent names,
but only 10 were stricken from the list.
Mr. Riddle declared that a rechecklng
Of the registration list and comparison
thereof with the names voted at the
previous election showed that substan-
TALLY 5000 names appeared upon the
registration list. representing non-resi-
dents persons deceased and purely flc-
tltous names.
When Mr.. Riddle had concluded Jo-
seph Totten. waiter testified that be-
tween and ~ o'clock on the day OF
election he voted at least 20 times. He
said that slips containing names and
addresses were given him by men whom
he knew to be prominent in the politics
OF tie lower wards of the city, and he
wss instructed to vote the Democratic
ticket He testified TO having agreed
to cast such votes for the consideration
Of 81 each.
A certain route was designated for
his work for the day and he was eau
toned to change his clothing OCCASION
ally The witness said that at some
polling places he voted four times. and
Q, others so often that he had no recol-
lection of the number. In every in
stance he declared he voted the Demo-
cratic ticket as instructed rotter said
that IN the afternoon he endeavored to
cover again the territory which he had
gone over IN the morning, and in adj
clifton visited other polling places. He
declared that eight or 10 men accom-
panied him on all his trips and that
they, too, were furnished with slips
and instructed how to vote.
In the afternoon, he said. he received
only 30 cents for each ballot To a
inal question as to how many ballots
ne cast during the entire day. the wit
ness replied that he had voted not less
NAN 10 times. aud perhaps more than
30. When this witness was excused
Ming.
Two Witnesses were examined by the
committee tonight joseph Covle and
Harry Stringer. They testified TO re-
lehtlng on election day, Covle assert
ing that he voted in the nelghhorhood
ot 100 times, and Strineer admitting
mat he cast nc least 100 votes. Both
SAD they voted the Democratic ticket