The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1909-11-19

the lists or placed In the nandS
of election judges to be rejected.
In fact, more fraudulent names
were added. The board denied
that it had authority to remove
names from the registration lists
and took no steps to prevent
fraudulent use of the illegally
registered names which every
body familiar with the situation
knew were upon the books. At
the suggestion of the governor,
the police board, early in July,
undertook canvass of register
ed names, beginning in precincts
where fraudulent voting had been
most apparent. Aided by ex-
perts in such work, a complete
and reliable. though unofficial,
canvass of seventy-four suspect
ed precincts was made. Two po-
licemen, one Democrat and one
| a Republican, called at each house
| in each precinct from which su-
spected names had been register
ed. They found that So names
were registered from bawoy
houses; zoo had no record Of
naturalization; Ola had removed
since registering; 453 were not
known at the houses from which
they registered; fo3 had regist-
cred from vacant lots, and IL
were dead. Altogether I4,449
names were examined in the can
vass. OF these names a large
percentage was found to be frau
dulent registrations. In the pre-
cincts canvassed IIper cent Of
the total registered vote was
found to be fraudulent. The pre-
cincts canvassed embraced less
than so per cent of the total vote
of the city.
A special election was about to
be held on proposition to take
away from the police board
authority over dramshop licenses,
and place it in the hands OF an
appointee of the mayor. The
vicious elements of the city were
lined up for the proposition. At
! the: election on July Is the po-
/ lice had in their possession the
lists of fraudulent names and
were under peremptory orders
| from the police board to arrest
any man attempting to vote un-
der such a name. The result was
that only four persons made such
| an attempt. The election was
quiet and orderly and the propo-
! sition to turn the saloons over to
city politicians was overwhelm-
! ingly defeated.
The evidence gathered by the
police canvass was submitted to
i the Board OF Election Commits
sioners with the request from the
governor that all fraudulent
names on the registration lists
: he designated after canvass un.
der the direction of the board
: The board refused to act. Mead
ing lack of ar.horitv to incu- ex-
penses of a canvass. and contend
ing that the facts submitted were
not conclusive. 1t will be remem
bered that in published inter
view Governor Hadley laid bare
the situation and put the whole
: matter squarely up 20 the board
He used some names. talked very
5 plainly. and was Immediately as
, sailed by the Democratic news
: papers. Having departed for
: summer vacation in Colorado, af
J ter raising the issue. he was &C
! cused by these newspapers o
running away from an unpleas
ant situation.
3 On his return to the state h
resumed his demands that tn
: election board should make
! canvass of the entire city regis
: tration. and prevent the use {
fraudulent names at the poll:
Finally the board asked the opir
q ion Of the attorney general as I
2 the right of the board to incu
+ the expense of a new canvass bt
q fore a special election to be hel
e December I6. The attorney ger
y eral told them to 20 ahead wit
e such canvass, and make III
, of illegally registered voters.
9 be placed in the hands Of ele'
P ton judges, but denied the rigi
I of the board to strike from tt
7 registration books any names e
: cept at times and under cond