The Detroit times., 1910-12-30
EVERY VOTER IN
C0UNTYIs BARRED
FROM POLLS
Wholesale Corruption In Ohio Results
In Unique Situation That Has
No Parallel in United
States.
Judge Blair Will Arrange Some Form
of Government Until Disfranchise-
ment Terms Expire,

WEST UNION, Ohio. Dec. SO.-for
the next Ave years Jefferson township
one Of the most populous centers Oh
Adams county, will be without voter
absolutely every voting citizen III the
township. having been indicted on
charges OF selling his vote, ana Judge
Blair has already begun the task OF
disfranchising them. As result
jefferson township residents toua!
took up with attorneys the question OF
how they will provide Tor tEelr gov
ernment and the carrying Oh OF town
shin affairs until II will again be pos
sible for them to vote. The situation,
the attorneys say. has never had a
parallel anywhere in the United states
Although the canvass of the lO1l
indictments returned up TO date, snow
that this is the only township in which
every voter has been indicted, 1t is
believed that several other townships
will be left in the same predicament.
Others at least will be left with so
few voters that il will be impossible
TO conduct township affairs or hnd
enough eligible voters TO serve as
township trustees. Judge Blair is ex-
pected later TO take this matter up
and arrange some form Of government
for such townships until the periods
OF Acknowledgement he is imposing
have expired.
Two more ministers were today
added TO the list of members or their
profession who have been indicted for
selling their votes. Evidence showed
that they received s. each for their
votes. Judge Blair, however, has an
nounced that he will permit them TO
confess in private and their names
will not be divulged. The main pur-
pose of his investigation. he declares,
was to make possible betterment
Of the moral conditions OF the county
and to make public the names OF the
ministers who are implicated would
only lessen, he declares, their power
for doing good where they are most
needed.
Among the others brought before
Judge Blair was a son who sold his
vote to his father for SO. He said
he had no other interest In the cleo
tion and otherwise would not have
voted.
MFB. 0dllle lHc Ouly
indicted In the investigation and who
sold her sons vote, was given leni
ency by Judge Blair after a pitiful
plea of poverty. He fined her $40 and
RENTED the fine. The son, upon
whom she is dependent for support,
was fined $5 and disfranchised.
Another resident, 81 years old. and
the Oldest otter In the county, was also
disfranchised by Judge Blair. With
tears in his eyes he told the court he
could not hope to live TO be able TO
vote again.
The work involved by the investi-
CATION has become so great that the
new county officers-elect. who have
not yet taken office, have given their
services free of charge TO the men
whom they are to succeed and they
today began working together TO get
all OF the indicted people into court
as soon as possible
When the special grand jur yre-
convened today, thirty more wit
nesses from several sections OF the
county were on hand to receive the
immunity baths the court promised
those who freely and fully confess.
Crowded with them in the same
building were more than fifty other
men who were on hand to confess 10
having sold their votes and TO inquire
whether OF not they have been in
dicted. 1t has come to pass in Adams
county that indictments and arrests
are not necessary to bring confes-
sions from purchaseable voters-they
are fiocking into court faster than
tlieir cases can be handled by Judge,
grand jury or prosecutor.
The grand jury, composed for the
most part of some OF pioneer settlers
of Adams county, has long ago set