The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1910-02-24
ANSWERS GEMELICH
Election Returns as Made to the
Secretary of State Incorpo-
rated i'm Official Manual.

jefferson City, Missouri.
Dear Sir.-Your communication of
February 10 has been received. The
figures given in the Missouri Manual
of l909-l0 on the vote for Lieutenant
Governor by precincts and by coun-
ties are the figures reported by the
various county and city election Of
ficers to the Speaker of the House
and on file in this office. The Secre-
tary of the state has no power or
authority to change these records,
and if ! had | would not make a
change nor knowingly permit any
one else so to do. The official re-
turns of the last election of which |
become official custodian show that
Mr.. William Painter was elected
Lieutenant Governor by plurality of
twenty-three. The clerks in this Of
flee to whom was assigned the COM
pilation of election figures for the
Manual so found, and since receiving
your letter | have re-checked the fig
ures and find the official abstracts
confirm the margin of twenty-three
in Mr.. Painters favor. | have no
right power or inclination to publish
anything about those returns that the
records do not plainly show on their
face. Neither you nor can change
history that is made. Permit me to
call your attention to page 81 of the
House Journal Of the last session.
This record was signed by Speaker
Spear and compiled and signed by
Chief Clerk Goshorn. The paragraph
to which | would call your special at
tention was part of the report made
and signed by all members of the
Joint Committee, among whom are
such well known legislators of integ-
rity as Hons. M. E. Rhodes, Hiram
Lloyd, r. d. Silver, j. M. Grimes
and A. E. L. Gardner, and which
reads as follows;
"Second-There were given to us
by Speaker of the House various
amended returns from several coun-
ties, which we considered; and upon
these, not counting those precincts
disputed and on which the Committee
could not agree without recount,
William R. Painter had plurality Of
twenty-seven votes"
Believing that the amended returns
were honestly certified, founded on
good law, and entitled to credit,
chose those as the proper figures to
publish in the Manual. believe they
are entitled to greater credance than
any you or |, or any one else might
substitute, and have a better claim to
being official than any others that
may'exist, or that might be manufac-
tured by either an interested or dis
interested party. Regarding you as
an honest citizen, believe that if you
were Secretary of State in my place
you would use the same figures |
have used.
Since the totals in the vote for
Lieutenant Governor show that Mr..
Painter received the greater vote,
saw proper to add a sub-note to the
table of figures, explaining that the
lieutenant governorship being in dis
pute was referred to a committee
which, after investigation, reported
you were elected by plurality of
III. Allow me to assure you, esteem
ed sir, that gladly would | have pub
lished in the Manual had the Com
mittee so found that it was your
opponent that had a margin in his ia
vor, but finding in this office the
records as above given felt bound
in honor to respect the record and
publish the result as the Committee
reported it and wrote it into the rec
ord of the House Journal. The total
vote in the said sub-note giving yours
and Mr.. Painters vote each an even
one hundred less than the total in the
table is, manifestly, typographical
error, not, however, changing the
IN difference in your favor, again
shows my absolutely impartial spirit
in compiling for the Manual the rec
ords as they are.
Realizing my inability to change
past history, expressing a cheerful
desire to convince you from per-
sonal inspection of the records here
on file that the Manuals showing is