The Dickinson press., 1907-01-05
Lll..EHlGH VOTING.
Testimony Show
Ing Methods Used.
To THE EDITOR:

In order that the people interested
may know some Of the vital facts brought
out in evidence relating to the contest in.
volving the election Of Thomas Evans tc
the Legislature for the 31st District, the
following is submitted:
Stark county has Is precincts which
cast in the primary election in June 73s
votes. In the regular election Nov. 9th
1906, S45 votes we're cast, an increase Of
no votes. OF this increase Lehigh
showed an increase of 81 votes, from g
to o., or an increase of 1863 per cen
The other IS precincts altogether in.
creased only 81 votes or less than three
quarters of one per cent. Eighty.fve OF
the 81 votes at Lehigh were cast for
Thomas Evans.
J. M. Brady was Inspector and P. F.
Stults and George Summers we're judges
of election. There is no evidence to
show that these officers were sworn in
prior to election or sworn in a lawful
manner as to the votes cast any more
than to sign the blank form certifying to
the votes as received. Evidence shows
that polls were closed or deserted for an
hour at noon while the officers went to
dinner.
There was quite a business done at
Lehigh Nov. E in the line of vote gather
ing. About thirty-two Italian names ap-
pear on the certified poll list varying
from Angelo Balderssoni to L. Ferre and
L. Panno.
Quite a string of other names put all
the rules of photography in the shade.
Altogether the Lehigh people on Nov.
9th, 1906, must have considered the vot-
ing of people at a regular election SIM
ply a joke.
There was an extra gang working for
the N. P. that day at Lehigh consisting
Of IS Italians. The testimony shows that
J. M. Brady and Ed Barry interviewed
the extra gang Foreman that morning
with a view to voting the members.
Mr.. Brady testified that there was no
registration of voters and that there were
none of the voters sworn that day, Nov.
9th, nor anybody that voted that day.
P. F. Stults, the judge, testified that he
helped the Italians fill out their ballots
when called upon.
The Judge testified that he would often
call on Mr.. Brady, the Inspector, if he
knew such a person and if they were
voters, and that sometimes MI. Brady or
others would tell him how long they had
been residents. The judge also looked
up qualifications, but further testified
that he was a little forgetful.
Asked if he meant to say that Italian
laborers living in cars on the railroad
acquired citizenship, he answered that
he was told that they were there every
summer. He further presumed that
they went away in the winter. He
noticed n car at Lehigh in which the
Italians lived. One car 81 feet long
would seem rather limited in area for
IS Italians.
The Judge testified that all the Italians
talked English though most of them re-
quired an interpreter on the witness
stand. The judge further testified that
he had no trouble in. understanding them
which in the light of the Italian testi-
mony further along seems quite peril
nent. The judge testified that they
asked him questions and he would show
them what they wanted to know. They
would 60 in and call for him, according
to the judges testimony.
George Summers, the other Judge, tes-
tilted that he mainly relied on Judge
Suits and those other fellows because
he thought they were older mel than he
was; he knew that Suits did most OF the
going into the booth and helping the
Italians vote, and that Suits was the
only n who went with the Italians.
The majority of the Italians did not talk
at all. Some talked English. Mr.. Sum-
mers simply passed the responsibility
up to his elders and placed the ballots in
the box as they were handed to him.
Mike Mezzacoppia; born in Italy 40
years ago; not a citizen of the U. S.;
three months in Stark county; voted at
Lehigh Nov. 9th, 1906. In answer to
questions by Mr.. Baker: Did you fix up
your vote yourself? Answered, No. "A
man told me he wanted me to vote and l
don't know what l was to vote for. l
was afraid to vote and he said not to be
afraid, that it was for a schoolhouse, and
another man came and put the sticker
on the big paper and I don't know for
what man l vote. Did the mar ask you
how you wanted the sticker put on? A.
No. This voter was not sworn or asked
any questions by the election officers.
T. Pollino; born in Italy; three months
in Stark county; voted at Lehigh; testi-
fed that a man gave him a sticker and
he went into the room and wa given
paper and sent into little room, and
another man in there put the sticker on.