The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-04-02
RumQrs of Fraudulent Voters
Handed Out by Defeated Men
But Facts Are Few
MEETING NAMES COMMITTEE
Committee Lays the Matter Before the
District Attorney But He Has
Not AS Yet Found Evidence
To Warrant Any Arrests

Twenty Republicans and Democrats
Of the city met at the city hall on
Thursday afternoon in answer to the
call Of Prof. Otis L. Trenary, the de
feated candidate for the nomination for
mayor on the Republican ticket for the
purpose Of taking steps to get an in
vestigation of the vote cast at the pri-
mary election on Tuesday evening and
while some high and lofty sentiments
we're expressed by disinterested citizens
and some suspicious circumstances were
brought to light by the defeated can
didates and their close political friends,
nothing of definite nature was brought
ont and after being in session an hour
! the conference named a committee con-
sisting Of James German, Harry Grace
and F w. Dyer to lay the matter before
the district attorney and urge him to
take immediate action to secure re-
canvass of the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth
wards of the city with view Of find
! ing out just how many voters there
were IN these wards on election day.
District Attorney Baker with charac-
teristlc vigor began an examination into
the matter last night and examined
many witnesses at his office, but at the
close of this investigation he found
nothing that would warrant him calling
a grand jury or even proceeding with
John Doe" proceedings, District At
torney Baker was interviwed this
morning and while Of course be de-
clined to make public the evidence he
had secured on which it might be pos
T; sible to base a complaint he stated
'The evidence did not show anything
sensational or startling ard it is GER
| tain that there will be no request for
Ia grand jury to investigate the matter
it is just possible that one or more ig-
norant foreigners voted i'll the wrong
ward, but there is no evidence that they
voted in any other ward. / am going
to look over the poll lists today and
if there is any apparent fraud shown
by these lists [ will Of course take i'm
mediate steps to have the guilty parties
arrested and prosecuted to the fullest
extent of the law. However, I do not
see anything of startling nature in
| the evidence as presented to me. -
The district attorney stated vester-
day that he had no power to name men
to take a census Of the various wards
Of the city to see that all the voters
were there on election day, but it is
possible that such census will be made
on the part of the defeated candidates.
To return to the meeting. 1t was
largely meeting Of coincidence for the
majority Of the defeated candidates and
while there were many men there of
high standing in the community and
men who were honestly favorable to
! the best and cleanest in the conduct of
elections, it should be said that these
men did not take the leading part in
the meeting. The mystery attending
the calling of the conference was solved
by the interviews with the men who
were present and it was found that the
call had been sent out by Prof Trenary
<S1GN1 q SOliICLC IlCC DCIWGCn uIl1 anu
Mayor German held at Mr.. Trenary Is
home early Thursday morning. So fa1
as can be learned none Of the success
full candidates at the primary were
/ apprised Of the meeting and only one
OF them were present and he came with
out an invitation believing that the
, meeting was public one to which al
were welcome. Mr. Trenary was Sc
iected as chairman of the meeting and
in opening it he declared that he hac
no sore spot as result of the primary
but that there had been so many re-
ports Of fraudulent votes at the pr
mary election that he had considered il
time for the people to meet and take
| some action to PUT an end to such work
IN the city. He then called upon Har
ry Grace to make a statement Of what
he had found in regard to the alleged
frauds. Mr.. Grace referred especially
, to the Fifth ward and stated that the
fact that the normal vote of the ware
was but 500 aud that there had beer
, 81 votes east at the primary wa
, enough to awaken suspicion. Grac,
, also stated that there was indications
Of fraud in the First, Sixth and Eight
wards where the vote on the mayoral
ty was exceedingly and abno1mally
large and far beyond the vote cast TO-
the aldermen Chairman Trenary thel
read statement showing that the vote
, for mayor in the entire city was on,
thousand II excess OF the vote cast 70:
: the various candidates for aldermen
the statement declaring that the vote
for mayor was larger in every ward o.
the city than the vote for alderman
This was shown to be fallacious by al
, examination Of the official tally sheet
which showed that in some wards tn,
tddermanic vote was larger than tn,
vote for the mayorality candidates
Mr.. Trenary had made his error in tax
ing unofficial returns in which no &C
counting was made Of large humble,
OF candidates for aldernanic honor.
who had not been on the ticket and O.
whose vote no accounting was made il