Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1909-11-02

THE VOTING
MACHINE S
State Inspector Has Trouble
in Paterson--N Allowed
to See Machine.
GROSS FRAUD ALLEGED
City Clerk Defies State Law
and Inspector Is Told to
Use Force.
KEYS ARE WITHHELD
--------
Hot Fight Is On Between
HinchcIiffe and Prince for
Site Senator.
KEYS ARE WITHHELD

Paterson, N. j., Nov. 2.-The state
and city clashed here in battle over
the right Of the state to make two in
spections of the voting machines with
in a month, and the city won, as
State Inspector Charles o. Fuller, rep
'resenting the secretary Of state, re-
turned to Trenton without accomplish
ing his purpose.
City Clerk r. Simpson standeven,
Democratic candidate for sheriff and
custodian Of the machines, was very
Indignant at the states lntimation that
the machines had been tampered with.
The state inspector Of voting ma
chimes went to the city hall, presented
his credentials to the city clerk and
asked for the keys for all the voting
machines.
As Fuller had made an examination
Of the machines just four weeks ago
and had pronounced them all right,
the city clerR wanted to know who
was responsible for his coming to Pat
erson at this time. Fuller refused to
say anything more than that he was
sent by his department chief, Sam y.
Dickinson. Fuller was all prepared to
visit each polling precinct where the
machines had already been installed
for the election today and had an au-
tomobiIe with him.
Refuses to Give Up Keys.
City Clerk Standeven refused to per-
nit city official to go with Fuller,
who thereupon left the city hall and
went to Republican headquarters. He
returned to the city hall several times,
but the city clerk was obdurate and
refused to either surrender the keys
of the machines or permit any one
connected with his office to accom-
pany Fuller on his tour OF inspection.
When Fuller entered the city hall
the last time State Senator John
Hinchliffe, who is a Democrat and a
candidate for election, was In the city
clerks Office. When the senator heard
OF Fuller's errand he denounced the
whole affair as Republican trick and
expressed surprise that the state sec
retary's Office would countenance such
method Of trying to discredit the
Democratic candidate on the eve OF
election.
Fuller was here simply to play poIi-
tics and was nothing but the tool Of
politicians, He lie well known around
Trenton as as lobbyist for the voting
machines and was no doubt sent here
because of favors which he has re-
ceiyed at the hands OF his Republican
political friends. ! saw him coming
out of the Republican headquarters
here, which only goes to prove that he
was to take his orders from the local
Republican leaders.
Inspection viii Take Hours.
There are thirty-three machines In
the forty districts in this city, and as
the machines are complicated affairs
the examination OF them could not be
nude In several hours time. 1t would
require several hours time for one in
spector to visit all the districts, let
alone to make an exhaustive examina-
tion Of each machine.
Several Of the Republican candidates
were not In sympathy with the effort
to have the machines examined, and
John Rancier, candidate for sheriff
against City Clerk standeven. told the
latter that he was not responsible for
the state Inspector OF machines coming
to Paterson at this time.
The attempt to use the state secre-
tary's Office TO discredit their candI-
date for sheriff has imblttered the
Democrats.