Mexico Missouri message., 1909-01-21
PAINTER LOSES
IN ST. LOUIS
BIGGEST GAIN FOR REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATE FOUND IN
FOURTH WARD.
GMELICH HAS LEAD OF 1853
Recount Of the Votes on Lieutenant
Governor In 81. Louis Gives
Jacob =. Gmelleh a lead
over Painter.

ST. Louis.-Jacob F. Gmelich, Re-
publican nominee for lieutenant
governor. forged to the front Saturday
In his nip-and.tuck race for office with
William Il. Painter. the recount Of
ballots cast In sixty-five precincts,
six wards. Of the city OF st. Louis,
under the supervision Of the Joint con-
ference committee Of the Legislature,
giving him lead OF l69
II was the Republicans day to smile
and they made the most OF their OPP
portunity. The Democrats. naturally,
were chagrined at the unexpected
change from Friday. when Mr.. Painter
showed a net gain Of a. but did not
give up hope. and express confidence
that the inspection Of the ballots in
the twenty-five other wards will en-.
able them to have the last laugh.
The force OF clerks engaged in the
recount were permitted to cease their
labors at 6 o'clock Saturday night
after working without interruption
since 9 o'clock. excepting only an
ubul ItCcbb iOI
Mr.. Gmelich had easy sailing after
the recount Of the first ward had been
finished. Mr.. Painter registered a
net gain of thirty In the first ward.
but II was the only ward recanvassed
in which he scored. The second,
third, fourth. fifth and part Of the
sixth swelled the Republican candi-
dates total.
Heavy In Fourth Ward.
The fourth ward produced the
greatest gains for Mr. Gmelich, the re-
count there unearthing l22 votes for
the Republican nominee which the
official count had deprived him Of.
The third ward developed a net gain
Of fifty.hve for Mr.. Gmelich and the
fifth added a dozen more to the Re
publican nominees column.
Senator F.. NJ. McDavid. chairman of
the joint committee conducting the
recount, is authority for the state.
ment that the investigation failed TO
disclose ballotboK stuffiing in either
ward, as the wide difference in the Of
ficial and revised figures would In
dictate.
On the contrary. he said. the ballots
in the fourth ward precints were
models OF regularity. each being pro
perly signed by the election judges
and numbered to correspond with the
poll books.
The Socialist vote figured In the
| discrepancies found in the second
fourth and fifth wards. Eight votes
cast In the second ward for Sargent
the Socialist nominee for Lieutenant
governor, were not given to him in the
official figures. Five more Socialist
votes were misplaced in the fourth
ward, while the hfth showed two
Socialist ballots had been left of MIR
Sargent's total in that ward
The third ward, the recount de
veloped. gave the Socialist candidate
all that was coming to him, 81 votes
The first ward recount added to hii
string. making 81 votes In all thai
were restored to their rightful owner
by the Joint committees searchlight
Three Precincts Perfect.
The recount disclosed discrepancies
in all OF the sixty.flve precincts can
vassed with the exception of the frs
and fourteenth In the second ware
and the eighth precinct OF the fiftl
ward.
In the arst ward the errors ranged
from / to IL votes; In the second a
high as 10 votes changed hands; Il
was the top miscue in the third, g.
was the headliner in the fourth; 3
in the NTH and in the sixth. The LAT
ter ward had been but partly recount
cd when the adjournment was taken
In all ESQ ballots were rejected b,
the committee during the day. Fo
the most part they were thrown GU
on the ground OF lllegallty, either tn
Judges having failed TO attach thei
signatures or numbers correspondent
with the poll books were omitted