New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-02
PROBE TN MUTUAL VOTE
Continued from first page.

able young man and approve thus far what he
| has done. Rest assured, no one snail De oeaie
| with unjustly.
Mr. Smyth visited the ''Nylc" offices yesterday
afternoon in search of additional information in
regard to the case.
At the Hotel Belmont Mr.. Scrugham issued
statement saying that Mrs. Frances Goldsmith
who figures in Mr.. Howes affidavit, had been
discharged by him three weeks before the close
of the polls, and that the deposition ascriped
to the ex-employes, that they were ordered to
change names sign names for policyholders, etc.
was absurd.
He added that they never got any such orders
from me- or from Darlington and Stirrup. either"
SCRUGHAArS STATEMENT.
The statement was. in part. follows:
Acts of an entirely legal nature have been
misconstrued TO make it appear that an
attempt made to cirCumvent the laws gov
erning the insurance election and 70 procure the
counting by fraud of ballots that were not prop
erIy executed. AS a matter of fact, these charges,
in far they are reported in the morning
papers do not have to do with the alleged tam
pering of ballots at ALL but refer to the filling
in Of names and addresses on envelopes IN
which ballots were sent to the inspectors at
the New York Life.
stated the facts fully to the Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Of my own accord, and there has
never been any attempt at concealment IN the
matter.
Our committee received upward of $4,000 bal
lots during the campaign in envelopes Whlch
were not fully filled out by the poIcyhoIuers
voting the ballots. At large expense we sent
these back to the pOliCyholders from whom they
came with personal letters requesting that the
envelopes be filled out with the name of the
policyholder In his own handwriting and his
postoffiCe address. We received back over 0o,-
600 OF these envelopes from the policyhold-
ers In the last few days of the campaign. after
II too late to return ballots for the proper
addressing OF the envelopes, about LOO bal
lots were received in the New York Life cleo
ton with the envelopes defective as above de-
scribed These envelopes were filed in by the
employees of the committee upon my instructions
and all placed in a box labelled ballots
without envelopes" In this box were placed
afIidavits subscribed by me and by an empioye
of the committee in charge of foreign ballots
and properly witnessed, setting forth the facts.
so that the inspectors might pass upon the
necessarily invalidated because the envelope in
which It was contained was not fully filed out
by the policyholder.
POINT ARGUED BEFORE BOARD.
The counsel for the committee argued this
point before the board Of inspectors at the hear
ing which they gave upon the question of inter
probation arising under the election laws The
first official act of the board was TO open the
boxes containing our ballots Unfortunately for
the purpose OF ascertafnlng now many votes had
been cast by our committee. The net result OF
this action was that all the ballots were indls-
Criminatey tumbed together
Whether or not Mr.. Lawshe and his associates
in the New York Life board Of inspectors re-
member now finding the afidavits placed In the
immaterlal The fact that they were made and
deposited Is entirely susceptible Of proof. and
that I'm Itself would be a sufficient answer 10
any charge of conspiracy" to circumvent the
election law. even II II did not appear that the
inspectors obliged 70 take cogniZance of
the matter in the argument by counsel for our
COMMITTEES.
That my arrest should have been timed at the
very moment that I known 10 be in Albany
striving aid In securing the passage of a bill
intending TO prevent repetition of the scandals
last falls administration campaign, is in itself
significant.
Samuel Untermyer. counsel for the committee.
gave out statement. in part. follows:
As counsel for the committee. my attention
has just been called to the complaints. While
/ am not Mr. SChughams counsel / have to-
day investigated on behalf OF the committee tho
statements made and am unable TO see that Mr..
Scrugham or his clerks have been guilty of even
so much al a technical irreguarity or viola
ton OF the law. He simply did his duty and
what he had a perfect right TO do
Mr. Scrugham said he in his arrest
attempt 10 prevent his appearance at Albany
at the insurance bill hearings. which had been
scheduled for yesterday. This hearings, how
ever, were postponed until to-day. and Mr.,
scrugham departed from this city to attend
them.