The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-11-09
A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT.

the count, were found on straight
Republican ballots. and that the
errors were committed by officers of
the election. especially when that or
ganization has been 80 severely as
sailed, not only by the opposition
press, but by the Democratic press of
the Second senatorial district.
II looks as though fate were in
league with the enemies of these vir-
tuous patriots, who are manipulating
the destinies OF the Democratic party
locally, TO discredit them; for the
discrepancy in Young's precinct in
the city between the vote and the
tally is against a Republican alder
man, who ran Il close race and would
have tied the board; and the discrep-
ancy between the vote and the tally
in Massac precinct in the county was
against Republican candidate for
magistrate, who otherwise would
have won and given the Republicans
majority of the fiscal court. As it
is, the court is tied ana the county
judge has the deciding vote.
We say it is unfortunate, because
il is sure TO turn some lukewarm
Democrats into thoroughgoing Re
publicans in the Seventh magisterial
district. This process has been going
on in Paducan for several years.
every election landing disguised DEM
ocrats in the Republican party.
No one questions the fact that
George Oehlschlaeger received a ma
jority of the votes cast FOR alderman.
and the officers at Young's precinct,
say il wIs an error. which gave In
gram 10 votes instead of 20; but ac-
cording to the holding of the review
ing bOarl Il can not go behind the
returns on the tally sheet, and i'm
order to count the ballots a suit at
law will be necessary.
The same is true in Massac pre-
cinct, excepting that the tally sheet
appears to have been tempered with
The Officers, who hold certified copies
Of the returns say Green Bennett re-
eeived IS votes. and the stub book
shows fof Itself that some bungler
scratched out the verticle line of the
five and laboriously converted the
figure inro a six. This suspicious con
dition of the stub book Is strength
ened by the fact that allowing Ben
nett Go votes makes the total vote
for magistrate in that precinct ex-
coed the number of ballots cast at
after they had been written. A law
that permits a tally sheet, which gov
.erns the count of the Official board,
to be handled as carelessly as tally
sheets are, is lax.
The two candidates, no doubt, will
succeed in obtaining their certificates
of election by suit, but ii seems a
shame that a man, after receiving a
majority OF the votes cast by his con-
stituency. should be compelled to re-
sort to process of law to make that
majority effective. Il is not so i'm
portant that the official is thus de-
priyed OF his right, as that the will
of a majodty o. voters is frustrated--
and all because an official carelessly
returned the wrong figures, or some
body else tempered with those figures
after they had been written.
Another gross injustice is throw
ing out a ballot, to which an election
clerk had carelcssly left attached the
stub, containing the name and adj
dress of the voter. The law prohibits
exposing a ballot or marking il so
that it can be identified. This is to
prevent bribery; but the law never
contemplated Gisfranchisng a man.
because he accidentally exposed his
ballot or could not fold ii properly;
nor does the law intend to confer on
a careless. Incompetent or crooked
election officer the right or ability to
disfranchise a voter.
The action o. the election board in
throwing out ballots to which clerks
left attached the stubs should be re-
viewed by a court; for It stands now
a precedent for election thieves to
thwart the will of the people at the
next general election. BY a simple
a gang may throw out
five or six ballots of the opposing
party in every precinct and turn more
than 200 votes. All necessary would
be clerks willing to leave stubs at
tached TO the specified number of
ballots, which they could do from
time to time throughout the day.
The Australian system was de-
signed to checkmate fraud; but this
Of the law throws open
The way TO the grossest perversion of
The will OF the majority and in the
present instance it has resulted in
seating men, who received a minority
Of the votes east. ana are, therefore,
not the peoples choice, and giving
one party organization control of two
officials boards, contrary to the will
Of the majority of the voters.
Patience will accomnffeh anvfbinsy