The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-07-07

lutely no cause for an attack upon
Mr. Branson or any othe member
O, the board
OF course, recognize that it is
possible that you may have some in
formation that have not been able
to obtain, and l therefore ask you
70 submit any such evidence TO nae.
Il shall certainly insist that the
ballots cast at the approaching pri-
mary shall be honestly cauyasse and
a truthful retur made and an attack
on the membership OF a board ap-
r,ointed by me is directly an attack
upon me, if l permitted members OF
such board to remain in office in the
face of any evidence of misconduct.
Depressing for one moment, l be-
lieye you have been misinformed as
10 the personal or political attitude
toward you Of Mr.. Branson. find
from page 3S of the Joural OF the
house of representatives, first ses-
sion. that Mr.. Branson voted for the
guaranty law, and from page 327 OF
the same Journal that Mr.. Branson
voted for the prohibition law, and
from page COL of the same journa!
that Mr.. Branson voted for the
gross production tax upon oil anu
| IL these record facts have been mis-
stated to you from the mouth OF
/ reckless gossip, it would be much
easier for the IDLE gossip to have
misstated things of which 10 Off
clal record exists.
"For the last three weeks my of
flee has been on the same floor oil
the same building with Mr.. Bran
son and Secretary Linn, so that !
have had the best possible oppor-
tunlty 10 know of their general con
duct and | have seen nothing to
indicate any partisan reference in
favor of either yourself or Mr.. Cruce.
On the contrary, | have seen every
thing to indicate their strictest in
tegrity and strictest neutrality in
this pending primary.
Their records as an election board
Is open at all times to the inspec-
ton of both yourself and Mr. Cruce,
and any other citizen of the state of
Oklahoma for any information that
any of you may want. The records
of Mr.. Branson as an officer of the
democratic state organization are
open at all times to the inspection
Of either yourself or Mr. Cruce or
any other democrat of Oklahoma for
any information that any of you
may want
Il am positive from the most care
full observation and inquiry that III
assailng the integrity of Mr.. Bran
son you have acted upon gossip
wholly groundless and utterly un-
truthful.
"As to having a watcher at the
canvass of the ballot representing
you as candidate. after conuslting
the law, | find that the election law
as it existed prior to the act of the
first state legislature, permitted a
candidate to designate any elector
of the precinct to be present at the
canvassing of the votes cast, but
the first state legislature, wherein
YOU presided as speaker of the
house Of representatives, amended
this law, and therein provided that
no person except the precinct can
vassing board should be allowed
within fifty feet of the official
counters when the vote was being
caCvassed. | am sure that you must
have thought that was a proper law
or you never would have voted foc
its adoption, but | am assured by
the election board that whenever
the reports Of the precinct can.
yasScrs come before the state elec.
tion board to be canvassed by the
state election board that, while the
law does not specifically authorize
the presence of a watcher, and that
II is the policy of the election board
to permit the presence of any can
diiate ar any representative of any
candidate to be present and witness
every act that the state election
board may perform.
Il agree with you that the purity
/ of elections. both primary and gen
eral is Of vital Importance to gov.
eminent by the people and for the
/ people and that no one viii be more
emphatic in demanding honest cleo
tionS than myself. and ii there is
any evido.ce reflecting in any way
upon the honor, the integrity, or the
! efficiency of Mr. iPranson Mr. Linn