Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-12-10
CHARGES FRAUD
IN MARITIME VOTE
At PRIMARIES
Frank McDermit Declares Him.
self the Only Legal Candidate
for Senatorial Endorsement.
is PREPARED TO TAKE
CASE TO u. S. COURTS
Asks Secretary of State to
Prove That MARITIME Petition
Was Filed in Time.

Frank M. McDermit, of his city.
who einphatically declared that he was
the only Democrat who had a legal
| right to seek Endorsement as a candi-
date for United States senator at the
| primary election, declares today that
he Is now prepared to go to the United
States Court to prove his assertion.
Were it not for the Unprecedented
attitude of Go~vernor-elect Wilson,,
said Mr.. McDermit, 'in assuming that
he has a right to dictate who the
Democratic majority in the next Legis-
lature shall elect as successor to Sena-
tor John Kean, L would ignore the
studied effort made by a combination
of interests to show that James t..
MARITIME has more Democratic friends
in New Jersey than / have.
81 would Hike to ask the governor
elect If he will be prepared to insist
with as much ardor as he has in the
case of MARITIME that the Legislature
| should elect me as United States SEN
! ator, provided / am able to show that
I was the only Democrat who complied
| with the provisions of chapter Isl OF
the law which Mr.. Wilson seems to
regard as so sacred and binding?
Can Prove MARITIME Fraud.
Would Mr.. Wilson have declared as
emphatically as he did in favor of MIR.
MARITIME had he known the latter
name was permitted to go on the
Democratic primary ticket through
fraud, which had its origin in the office
of the secretary of state, as l can prove
by documents in my possession?
Il have in my possession a certified
copy of the election returns on The Sch
atorial preference act of 1907 and an
additional certificate stating that the
petitions of James j.. MARITIME and my
self were filed on Tuesday. August %,
the last date under the law that would
give the secretary of state an oppor-
tunity to transmit copies to the county
clerks not less than twenty days
prior to the primary
Il defy anyone connected with the
secretary of states office to swear that
the MARITIME petition was filed before
August "a, about noon. / ask the sec
rotary of states office II an affidavit
will be made that a cop of the MARITIME
petition was forwarded to the several
county clerks in the manner and form
provided by law.
Returns Incomplete.
Governor Wilson may assume that
an ~irregularity of that character is
technical just as he assumes that AS
900 votes were cast for Mr.. MARITIME.
But l ask him will he still insist on
the selection of MARITIME If | demon
strate that the returns are unofficial
and show no Democratic vote from
| nz.-A o..,tx xt.l1Ara TIM UrnqCacf fra nd
Is found to have been committed in
an attempt to steal a State Senator.
II am morally certain that there are
not 5000 voters in New Jersey so de-
void of the eternal fitness of things as
to be swayed by any motive to vote for
MARITIME in preference to myself with
all my admitted faults.
Returns Were Manipulated.
TT is evident that the returns We're
manipulated. just as the filing OF the
petition, and / am inclined TO belieFe
DR.. Wilson will recede from his advo-
cacy of MARITIME, unless. as he is
auoted as saying. he does not know
for what port he Is bound and does not
care AS for myself, / know where l
am bound.
"As for myself 1 propose to take the
law into court and have it's constlti-
tionality passed upon. 1t has been
held that the act is vulnerable in many
respects; besides that. it attempts TO
provide for the election of united
States senators by n method not con-
temrlated in the Constitution OF the
United States. For example, no
method is provided to enforce the
collection of the election returns
and, notwithstanding repeated ef-
forts by the secretary of state, no
returns have yet been received rom
the township of Deptford in Gloucester
county. Mr.. MARITIME is supposed 70
have received nine votes in that town.
ship. u that is only guesswork. The
act further fails to provide any method
for a recount OF votes, so that in the
event of a close election there would
be no way of determining the actual
winner. If a score of districts failed
to make any returns they could not
be compelled to do so.
After the last primary election ths
assistant secretary of state spent sew
eral days trying to induce local OFF,
Gals to collect the returns. Many oil
these were not made 20 county clerks
for days after the .lection, the ballot
boxes in some instances being lett IL
, farmhouses and wen bcrns until rura
= election officers made their next trlr
to town. Had these facts been In the
/ possession of DR.. Wilson ] doubt II ne
, would have made the blunder of re-
garding the primary vote which was
I ignored by the legislators-elect az
, seriously as he has"