The daily sentinel., 1908-10-27

Judge .Sprigg Shackleford in the dis
trict court rendered decision on
the complaint and application for an
injunction filed by the democratic
county central committee. candidates
on the democratic ticket and other
citizens and voters, asking that the
county commissioners be restrained
from using voting machines at the
coming election.
The court declared in his decision
that the allegations set up by the
plaintiffs had not been fully proven
and intimated that. even if they had
been proven, he would not have had
jurisdiction in the case. He gave
the plaintiffs until November to
file bill of exceptions This privi-
lege will have little effect on the
matter.
The decision was no surprise to
many people who believed that the
voting machines should not be used.
OF course, the decision is a matter
of great joy to the republican bosses.
Those bosses who were present when
the decision was granted could hardly
restrain their pleasure, though, of
course. they were expecting the de-
cision. ,
The fight made by the democratic
party in the interests of the people
these machines on which fraud can
be committed and the use of which
may cause many voter to lose his
or her vote. has proven in vain to
some extent.
1t was ten o'clock last night when
Judge Shackleford, sitting in cham
bers to hear the application and com
plant asking for an injunction
against the use of the voting ma
chimes hoo a,.i, II
ten O'Clock this morning. after a ses-
sion occupying all of the afternoon
and three hours of the evening.
When The Sentinel went to press
yesterday the court. was listening to
evidence in support of the application
ana complaint given by various citi-
Zens AT the evening session quite
number of other witnesses were in
troduced.
William Weiser at the night ses-
sion pointed out the fact that the
machine had not been fully demon
strated to the voters of the county
and that they had not been properly
educated as to its use.
number of other witnesses were
introduced by the plaintiffs during
the evening and every one of the
complaints and contentious advance;,
was well proved and substantiated.
Then the defendants offered their
evidence. John ID. Secor. county
commissioner, told of the purchase
of the machines and declared that
the voters had had ample opportunity
to educate themselves regarding the
machines. The other commissioners
testified along the same line.
Then J. NJ. Miner and Walter Mer-
riil, of the two local Republican pa
pers, Minor being business partner
OF Straud NJ. Logan. one of the at
torneys for the defense, took the
stand and undertook to show that
should the machines be knocked out
that no election could be held for the
reason that it will be Impossible for
ballots to be delivered by election
day. They claimed to know all about
all of the printing offices in the city
and county and declared that there
was not enough paper in the county
to print the ballots. They did not
believe that the ballots coulu be
printed in Denver and gotten here in
time.
Then in answer to the charge of
the plaintiffs that in some of the
precincts. owing to the heavy regis
tration of voters. many voters would
not be able to vote If each voter oc-
cupied the space of time allotted to
him, William Dittman, county COM
missioner. took the stand and gave as
his opinion that a large per cent of
the registered voters never voted He
Is banking on supposition and pos
sfbility to keep any voters from be-
ing disfranchised in the heavily pop
ulated precincts
Then Postmaster Edwin Price and
Assistant Postmaster Alvin BorschelI
took the stand and declared that
many names are on the registration
books in their respective wards, that
belonged to people who were dead or
had left town. If this is the case
wonder why the county commission
ers had not dropped the names from
the lists?
o. p. NJ. Steel deputy county clerk
and one of the most aggressive of the
Republican party workers, under
took to show that there were also
many dead ones registered in his
ward. There was nothing conclusivel
about the statements of these party
workers.
Attorney Stimson. for the plain
tiffs. asked these county officials and
party workers some questions that
had them squirming and stammering
several times.
County Clerk Starr told OF having
machines placed in various parts of
the county and having instructions
mailed out to various persons
Carl Byers. of the county clerks
office. explained the mechanism of
vnttp0 20 ho x,oo