Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-30
FRAUDS IN REGISTRATION
Three Hundred and Fifty Discovered in the
Third Ward Alone,
ILLEGAL WORK EXTENDS TO OTHER PARTS
Republicans Assert Democrats Mean
to steal Election and warrants
of Arrest WIN BE Ready
at Polls.

Conclusive evidence of election frauds
on the largest scale ever known in Omaha
was disclosed by the registration Satur-
day.
Detectives and volunteer citizens. work
ing under the direction of the republican
city committee Sunday, canvassed the
residences given by men suspected of hav
ing registered illegally and discovered
hundreds of fictitious addresses The IL
legal registration is said to have been
chiefly in the Third ward, but was found
to have been prevalent I'm the Second ana
Tenth wards and in the Fifth precinct of
the Ninth ward as we'll besides having
extended to other wards in small proper
tions.
Three Hundred and Fifty In Third.
A. II. Burnett, a member of the republi-
can executive committee, said:
"In the Third ward alone we have dis
covered something like $50 instances of
registration of persons who cannot be
found at the addresses given. There are
hundreds in other wards and we are still
prosecuting the effort to run down every
case Of illegal registration. There is no
doubt whatever that desperate attempt
has been concocted to win this election
for the democrats by foul means. The
character of the registration shows be-
yond a doubt that Benson should carry
the city by from 1000 to $500 votes. We
have made careful arrangements to arrest
every man illegally registered when he at
tempts to vote. The warrants Will be is
sued Monday by the county attorneys Of
fee and deputy sherffs will be on hand
at the polling places in every precinct to
arrest the fraudulent registered persons
when they appear. The names used will
be those of men registered who cannot be
located in Omaha.
Agents Go ont In Pairs.
our plan consisted of sending reliable
men out in pairs with quantities of circu-
lars addressed to names we suspected
were fraudulently entered. In the Third
ward the registration total was about $50.
Our agents worked hard Sunday and at
o'clock had discovered about $50 instances
where the men could not be found. Va
cant lots, business houses and even the
middle of railroad yards were included I'm
the addresses given. Where a house stood
at the number the inmates declared they
knew of no such persons as the names
registered. One man gave his address as
the Barker hotel, a house that has not
been doing business for several years and
which was converted into a wholesale
implement establishment These are fair
| illustrations of the frauds exposed"
N.
tive, who with a force of operatives is
hired by the republicans to prevent fraud
| on the part of the deomcrats says that
at least 200 non-residents registered Sat
urday, not only once hut several times.
| He suspects that many of them came from
/ South Omaha.
Democrats Mean to steal 1t.
"lt is as clear as daylight to me that the
| democrats mean to steal this election"
said he. Gangs OF repeaters have been
brought here to register and vote as many
| times as possible. At least 200 men are i'm
plicated in the job. Warrants will be issued
| Monday and those who can't be found will
be arrested when they attempt to vote.
We have been promised all the special
deputy sheriffs we need in addition to the
regular force"
At the Fontanelle club activity in check
| ing up registration lists continued all day
! Sunday. Much was suspected Saturday
night, but few members of the republican
committee dreamed of anything like the
disclosures developed.
over SIX Thousand Total.
The total number registering Saturday
with three precincts missing is 6,6lS. 1t is
estimated that at least half Of these were
transfers from one ward or precinct to an
other. Counting these in an estimate Of
$500 new registrations is made, which is
considered very large. Sunday evening the
books of the Second precinct of the Third
ward, the Fifth of the NiRth and the
First of the Twelfth had not been returned
to the city clerk. The missing precinct in
the Third was said to have accumulated
"a registrations, which would make total
of SAG in this ward, or nearly 100 more than
any other ward in the city. This fact was
pointed to as another bit Of circumstantial
evidence pointing towards fraud.
City Clerk Elbourn, his regular office
force and about half a dozen special as
sistants-all he could hire-worked all day
Sunday bringing the ofice copies of the
registration books up to date in accordance
with the Saturday revision. The task will
not be completed until today.
The registration figures as far as OBJ
tained stand as follows
| Scatter