The Detroit times., 1910-11-12
bETTORS BEHIND
OWENS RECOUNT
PETITION
Hope Scrutiny Of Ballots Will Cut
ThOmpsOns Plurality To Less
Than 5000 and Win Their
Wagers.
Hally Says Law Should Be Amended
To Provide for Non Partisan
Election Boards.

Proctor X. Owens, the defeated Re
publican candidate for mayor. ALI
nounced late Thursday night that he
had decided To ask for recount. He
reached this conclusion after a con-
ference with several members OF the
Business Mems Non-Partisan Proctor
X. Owens committee. in the Library
Park hotel.
Mr.. Owens explained that he took
his action because OF the many irreg-
ularities reported 10 him by his
friends.
Il am satisfied from my own OBJ
servation that a recount will develop
many Irregularities, which will con-
siderably reduce, II not wholly over
come, my opponents majority" he
said.
G. L. Eddy, who says be is a Demo
crat. and that he helped elect Edward
+. Dunn, mayor OF Chicago. is chair
man OF the Owens Business Mems
committee. He points out, as one al
legged indication OF fraud, that Louis
Beckman. the general challenger for
Mr.. Owens, was expelled from several
booths while the o'clock count was
Al UIOkICdny nG uah UGCh pei
mitted to watch the progress of the
2 o'clock count without molestation.
IL was on the 8 o'clock count that
Owens expected TO make his big gains.
II Is also asserted that Henry Glic-
man, an Owens challenger. was thrown
out of the booth in Eddie Barnett's
precinct.
Mr.. Eddy also thought IL queer that
Owens should make such poor show
ing as he did In the fourth district OF
the First ward, when the third and
fifth precincts each gave him large
vote.
Mr.. Eddy is local manager for the
George Q. Hill Co., OF Boston, dealers
In screw machine products. Other
members actively identified with the
committee are George Brown, Victor
Fink OF the Victor Trunk Co., No. 60
6ratiot-ave., and Soren Sorensen, pres
ident OF the Trio Manufacturing Co..
No. 1906 Bellevue-ave.
City Clerk Nichols has completed
his tabulation OF the vote on mayor,
with the exception Of the s o'clock
count in the ninth district Of the
Eighth ward. According TO these fig-
ures William b. Thompson received
27,57s votes and Owens 22.297. a ma
jority of 5,276 for the former. The
missing returns are expected TO de-
crease Thompson's majority by about
80 votes.
Mr.. Nichols found most OF the miss
ing returns in the ballot boxes. The
figures given will stand until the OFF,
cial canvass is made by the election
4 A. l.
for a recount probably will hold up
most OF the bets made on the size OF
Thompson's majority In fact. it is
persistently declared that those who
bet that Thompson's majority would
be less than 5000 are putting up the
money for the recount.
Indications now are that Frank +.
Doremus plurality over Congressman
DENLY will reach close TO $500.
City Treasurer Max Koch is wroth
over the discovery that In three or
four precincts he ran far behind the
other Republican candidates for city
ofices. He claims TO have been delib-
erately robbed OF votes I'm these pre-
cincts, and declares that the next time
there will be a square count IL the
authorities have 10 hire men with
guns to stand guard.
The tabulation OF the vote on the
Republican legislative candidates in
this district was given out by County
Clerk Farrell Thursday afternoon
The figures are as follows: Jerome,
24.3S7; Martz, 2433S; Stevenson, "a.
335; Austin. 24.276; Unsoeld, 24,192;
Ogg, 24,169; Flowers 24.l61: Copley.
Aahlnu % I0T. ord 81 nGns
Leonard. 1886.
Good. I'm mighty glad TO hear it
declared Corporation Counsel p J. NJ.
Hally, when informed that Proctor X.
Owens had decided to ask for re-
count Of the mayoral vote.
We need a recount for its educa-
tional value" continued Mr.. Hally.
There is much to be learned from a
study Of the ballots, and the only way
TO get at them, now that the central
counting board has been abolished is
by a recount. Let us have one by all
meansl"
That the election Just passed has
demonstrated the need for a change
in the election law so as To provide
for non-partisan election boards was
one Of the interesting observations
made by Mr.. Hally.
''The boards are supposed to be
non-partisan now" said he, "but there
ie nothing to prevent the council from
flling a Democratic vacancy by ap-
pointing Republican or vice versa
The result is that in several OF the
precincts the boards are all Republi
can or all Democratic, which Is not
right The law should provide that
no party should have more than four
out of the six members OF an election
board, and the next legislature should
see to IL that the law is amended IN
this respect"
Mr.. Hally makes no charge that
there were irregularities as a result
OF this situation but II is evident that
the opportunities for crooked work
are greater when one party has con-
troll OF a booth.