Idaho Springs siftings., 1905-02-11


nation o< tho theft Of the recent eiec-
uoa sy tAs ballot crooks is suil visor-
susiy puaAsl By one side and yigor-
ousiy opposed by The other.
Ths Dsnocrntte press has carefully
avoided testimony damaging to the
Adams side. sAd emphasized and mag
Atfed To tho fullest extent the evf-
aencs showing erTorz on the part OF
che expcrta The truth has not been
good enough ahd therefore 1t has been
stretched and distorted and shaped mp
TO please those who are opposed TO Ar.
Peabody, and II must also be CON
fsssed the leading Democratic papers
have doae their utmost to IRE the
ninds OF the iawlsss element and to
brsnx on disorder II not violence. They
have not openly urged It but they have
Indirectly done so. but the good sense
Of the people will prevail and whoever
II seated the verdict Will DC accepted
In good faith. except BY the radical
and fre-eating element which II IL OF
sSsfss inpoSsiSA5 W PiSeho ~ sAS
time.
The Republican experts classified
certain ballots as written by one or
two persons and others as doubtful.
The Democratic attorneys took some
Of the names and sent canyassers TO
various precincts and where they could
g. Ea tpt had hean
erroneously Included in the lot ciassi-
ned as written by one or two persons.
they would put him on the stand. In
doing so they have SO far found some
thing like forty mistakes Of this kind
This can doubtless be increased to 200
or Joe BY the time the contest closes.
This WAS OF course To be expected.
The Democrats have. however. under
taken To str up public sentiment In
their favor by claiming that these were
not errors but a plain conspiracy on
the part Of the Peabody experts TO In
jure Mr. Adams chances.
They also are trying their best to
make every voter whose name is In
the list Of ballots written by one or
two hands. believe that the placing OF
their ballots in this list was direct
and personal insult. that IL charges
each with a desire to defraud. This
So of course absurd. but everything
seems to be regarded as fair In an
election contest by these attorneys.
The experts did not charge that these
people we're guilty Of any wrong. They
reported what they found. The bogus
ballot writer OF tho Big Mitt used the
names Of both real and imaginary peo
pie. mostly real
This vas proven in the eighth pre-
eipet OF the Seventh ward. the Demo
cratic efflciais ol which have lately
been sent to jail. In this precinct the
,ixhts we're blown out and all the Re
publican ballots but twenty-one taken
out and prepared Democratic ballots
put In their place. Sixty.two out CT
perhaps $50 Republican voters swore
IN court that they voted the Republi-
can ticket At this precinct. This with
the positive evidence OF witnesses who
saw the exchange made convicted the
guilty Democratic ofrciai who was sent
70 Jail.
Another Instance was disclosed By
the Supreme Court. where a Demo
cratic Judge was caught taking ballots
from his pocket and adding to the pile.
The ballots were found when the box
was opened.
These two instances prove conelus-
lively that . system OF prepared bal
lots was used. This has been sup
ported by the testimony OF the hand
writing experts IL was done IN some
way or another In nearly every pre-
cinct In town, and the fact that some
experts made mistakes occasionally
will not destroy or set aside this es-
tabiished fact
A large proportion Of the Witnesses
have failed to Identify their ballots.
The Adams witnesses have proven that
there were large numbers OF ballots
written By Democratic judges. Mos,
Of them under the pretense Of being
for iliiterate voters. but the books in
such instances Invariably fall to show
that iliiterates were assisted. In one
instance an alleged Republican
watcher was placed upon the stand
and testified that she had canvassed
the precinct and found all the voters
were there a. per the poll book. She
was positive there was no fraudulent
ballots In the box. Upon cross examina-
ton she admitted that she was
Democrat and had hired out to the
Republicans ~ q Republican watcher,