The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-10
Cannot Do Much Toward Con-
testing State Election Un-
til Next Session of Legisla-
ture ConveneS.
TWO REPORTS LIKELY
FROM LAWMAKERS.
How Contest, If 1t Is Pushed,
Will Be Acted Upon-Vote
For State Officers So Far
As Known at Present.
BY Ellis SearIes.

indianapolis, Ind, Nov. 1O.-At last
we are beginning to find out who was
elected last week to fill the various
state offices. Never before was there
as much delay in making known re-
suit of an election as this year, and
people are wondering why.
The last returns did not come in un-
til Sunday. Heretofore the result has
always been known by the last of the
week during which the election was
held.
The democrats have already raised
the cry of fraud at the election.
Whether they can maintain the
charge is still a question, but State
Chairman Jackson says they will. He
says he has heard of one precinct, a
democratic precinct at that. in which
the tally sheets were. burned after the
count. He is looking into the mat
ter and says this will probably be
uiduG d part Vi tuc oh
which contest will be based.
Another thing that will be relied on
by the democrats in their contest is
the wholesale naturalization of for
eigners in Lake county. They say
that In the 5000 foreigners natural
lied there, there were many who were
not entitled to citizenship, some of
in ,fry-
more than four months. The demo-
Gratis are looking UP the steamship
records of these men.
Then Jackson is also charging that
he will be able to show bribery and
other frauds in some of the counties.
Action on Contest.
But it is difficult to figure out just
what the democrats can hope to ac-
complish by a contest before the leg
islature. The statute provides the
procedure in such contests. The con-
testant files notice of contest with
the house of Representatives and the
contestee is notified. Then the house
appoints a committee of seven men,
bers and the senate appoints similar
committee Of its members. These
two committees sit as a joint COM
mittee. 1t hears the evidence, sum-
mons witnesses and makes it's report
back to both houses of the general as.
sembly. The decision of the joint
committee is final.
The fact that the committees are
appointed by a vive yoce vote of the
two houses makes it practically Ger.
tain that the senate committee will be
composed of republicans while the
house committee will have all demo
cratic members. Thus there will be
an equal division politically on the
committee.
If party lines are drawn tightly in
the committee, it will not make d
unanimous report. Instead. it is
likely that there will be two reports, q
republican report being made to the
republican senate and democratic
report to the democratic house. The
statute makes no provision for any &C
| tion beyond the making of the report
and for that reason it is pointed out
| by republicans that the democratic
contest will not accomplish anything
The democrats are hunting for {
means of getting around this posi-
bility, but as yet they have not found
| it.
| State Chairman Jackson says. how
ever. that the democrats will be abl,
to show such glaring mistakes anC
/ frauds that at least some of the repub
lican members of the senate commit
| tee will join with the democratic
members in making majority re
port to both houses.
The canvassing of the vote at stat,
election is a bigger job than one woult
imagine. There are seven candidate
for each state office and they all re
ceived some votes. AS the returns
! from each county are received they ar,
entered in a record in the office of tn,
secretary of state. When all the re
/ turns have been entered then they ar,
read off and compared with the figure
on the sheets received from the coun
| ties.
/ Next they are read to two operator
who make the additions on addin:
machines. The machines checl
against each other so as to avoid an,
mistakes in addition. In this wa,
the total vote is ascertained and tn
pluraiities calculated.
The task of making the addition wa
taken up yesterday morning and b.
night not more than half of the addi
tions had been completed. So tn
size Of the job can be seen at glance
Vote for Governor.
The first calculation made yesterda,