The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-12-31
EVERY VOTER IN
!. COUNTY|s BARRED
FROM POLLS
Wholesale Corruption In Ohio Results
In Unique Situation That Has
No Parallel in United
States.
Judge Blair Viii Arrange Some Form
of Government. Until Disfranchise-
ment Terms Expire.

WEST UNION. Ohio. Dec. So.-For
the next five years jefferson township,
one Of the most populous centers oil
! Adams county, will be without voter.
absolutely every voting citizen In the
township. having been indicted on
charges OF selling his vote. and Judge
Blair has already begun the task oil
DISTINGUISHING them. AS result,
Jefferson township residents today
took up with attorneys the question oil
how they will provide for their gov
eminent and the carrying Oh of town
ship affairs until 1t will again be pos
sibla for them 10 vote. The situation.
the attorneys say. has never had
parallel anywhere in the United states:
Although the canvass OF the 1.O7l
indictments returned up To date, snow
that this is the only township In which
every voter has been indicted, IL Is
believed that several other townships
will be left in the same predicament.
Others at least will be LETT 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 TO-DAY
added 10 the list of members OF their
/ profession who have. been indicted Tor
! selling their votes Evidence showed
I that they received IS 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 10 make possible a 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
F, for doing good where they are most
needed.
! Among the others brought before
/ Judge Blair was a son who sold MS
| vote to his father for $40. He said
he had no other interest in The cleo
ton and otherwise would hot nave
voted
Mrs. Sallie Inflow. the only woman
| indicted IN the investigation and who
sold her sons vote, was given leni-
ency by Judge Blair after pitliul
plea of poverty. He fined her $40 and
RENTED the fine. The son, upon
whom she is dependent for support,
was fined s. and disfrant hised.
Another resident, 81 years old, and
I the oldest voter in the county, was
also cisfranchised by Judge Blair With
tears in his eyes he told the court he
! could not hope to live 10 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 vet taken Office, have given their
services free OF charge TO the men
whom they are TO succeed and they
| today began working together 10 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 me
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 70
having sold their votes and to inquire
whether or not they have been In
! dicted 1t has come TO pass in Adams
county that indictments and arrests
are not necessary TO bring COMES
sions from purchaseable voters-they
are focking into court faster than
their 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
tied into a stride, which day in and
day out OF from eight TO ten hours
work has turned out from so TO l25
new indictments daily. Judge Blair,
presiding. and special Prosecutor
Stephenson, have worked until late
every night for two weeks and there
is no abatement as yet in the daily
number indicted.
One feature of the situation which
is declared remarkable is the fact
that of the hundreds indicted, not
one has sought TO deny the charges
or make legal fight. Not one among
the hundreds has been lodged in Jail,
and only a few instances has IL been
necessary.
Though seventy vote sellers enter
ed pleas of guilty yesterday, indica-
tons are that this number will he
beaten today as Judge Blair wishes
TO complete as far as possible the
work befor ethe adjournment tomor-
row.