Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-06-20
VODNG PREJUD|C[&,
MOI ON MERITS
Commission Plan Campaign in
Des Moines Degenerates to a
Kilkenny Scrap
RESULT HAS BEEN IN DOUBT
Believed Now, However, That Efforts
to Steal Election Will Result in
Adoption Of the Pan-captain Hull
Loses by His Efforts to Pose as Dis.
Interested Party.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines June 20.-The vote to-
day on the commission plan of govern
meut is heavy and is coming in early,
with the better element of the people
all getting out. 1t is thought to sig
nify beyond a doubt that the plan Will
carry. The citizens committee is very
diligent and up to noon practically no
attempts at fraud were discovered.
More than half of the probable vote
was in by o'clock, amounting to
probably 5000 votes. All the outlying
precincts are reporting heavy votes,
and almos. a solid vote for the COM
mission plan of government. In the
downtown and business precincts the
majority will be against the plan, but
with every indication that the resi-
dence precincts will far outbalance
these.
The Indications at o'clock are that
the majority for the commission plan
will be a surprise even to its friends.
In the second precinct OF the First
ward for the first hour the polls were
open. votes were registered two
minute. lii University Place the vot-
ing early was still greater. All these
are solid for the commission plan. me
indications are the city office holders
are not able to influence many votes.
In one precinct in North Des Moines
some few voters were shown blue
lead pencil mark thru their names on
the registration books, and an attempt
was made to make them believe they
couldn't vote. 1t soon developed that
this was a bluff and it didn't work. The
city hall people have all the election
officials, but the citizens have watch
ers and special policemen at each pre-
cinct.
Several f1stic encounters occurred in
the city near the different polling
places. Ex-Mayor MacVicar and
Charles Biggs, the latter a stockman,
engaged in an affray with no serious
results on either side. Some one took
a poke at Editor Harvey Ingham. of
damage.
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, June 20-The attempt
to steal the election today by padding
the registration books causes the elec-
tion to lose somewhat of it's interest to
the other cities Of the state that have
contemplated adopting the commission
plan of government and have been
watching the fight in this city in the
hope Of getting pointers and ideas on
the proposition. The loss Of interest
is due to the fact that the vote today
will be the test of prejudice and bias
to large extent rather than a full
and free expression of the choice Of the
people between the old and the pro-
posed systems of government.
There is no question but that there
was an attempt to steal the election,
as many Of the registration officials
have made affidavits that they were
instructed to use the 1904 poll books,
the city poll books and various other
poll books. The law specifically states
that the registration shall be made up
from the poll books Of the last general
election and persons entitled to vote
who did not vote then must register.
Under City Clerk Poormans instruc-
tions the registrars took names from
the poll books Of all sorts Of elections.
This placed many names on the books
in each precinct that were not entitled
to vote. It is charged that the inten-
ton was to vote repeaters under these
names In the Second precinct Of the
First ward there were IT'S names regis
tered where the vote last fall was 2s6.
In the Second precinct of the Third
ward 1,075 names were registered
where the vote in 1906 was but 339
In the Third precinct of the Fourth
ward about 1900 names were registered
where the vote last fall was 507. These
are the most fragrant examples. In
practically every precinct there is
from 100 to 500 names too many. This
being discovered the court was ap-
pealed to and has ordered proper
registra ton.
Up to the time of this alleged pad
dag of the registration the question
at issue between the two sides was
one of civil government almost en-
tirely 1T was question of whether
a commission form of government or a
with city council, mayor,
and other officials is better for a city.
The charge of stealing the election"
has very largely stampeded the people.
There was grave question in the
minds of well Informed and experienced
politicians of Des Moines as to wheth-
er the commission plan would win or
lose before Last night and this NOR
ming it was pretty generally believed
that the election could go but one way.
1t is recalled that in the Prouty-
Hull second campaign the charge was
made on Saturday that Prouty had
to ues tissue paper
ballots. It matters not now whether