The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1911-09-25
GATOR insists
ON VIGILANCE
At The POLLS
President OF Election Commits
sion Warns Officers That
Prison Awaits Guilty
Attorney General and Governor
to Be Invoked for Aid,
if Necessary

trict Attorney Fickert and de-
cIaring that the attorney gen.
eral and the governor would be called
upon If necessary. President Thomas v.
Gator of the election commission yes
terday warned the election officers that
state prison awaited the official guilty
of any infraction of the law Tuesday.
AS many of the nearly 5000 men
who will serve as election officers
Tuesday as could crowd their way into
the Valencia theater yesterday after
noon heard from President Gator the
most sensational instructions ever
given to San Francisco's election
boards.
States Authority Upheld
With President Gator on the plat
form were representatives of the at
torney generals ONCE to sustain the
states leading authority on election
laws in his admonitions to the men
who will receive and tally the vote on
Tuesday
Gators instructions did not stop
with an exposition of their duties to
the election officers. He advised the
representatives of the political parties
present that. they should instruct
their watchers and the public gener-
ally carefully to observe and make
note Of any infraction of the law by
election officers to the end that such
infractions might Immediately be
brought to the attention of the grand
jury.
He advised that watchers should
make written notes of any violations
of regulations and Immediately trans
nit the same to the grand jury, which
he said would be in continuous session
until the polls closed and the count
was completed.
Prison for Crooked Work
Gator declared fatty that he had
sent men to the penitentiary for mis-
tallying votes and that he had made
number if any crooked work was at
tempted Tuesday. President Gator
went through the prescribed instruc-
tions for election officers section by
section.
In conclusion and speaking gener-
ally he said:
Every election officer who becomes
intoxicated or who fails to perform his
duties, or who violates any provisions
Of the election laws. or who behaves
himself uncivilly to watchers or persons
watching the election, will be instantly
removed from the list of officers for the
election of October 10, and the election
of November T. and all future elections:
and no warrant will be drawn for such
26.
Fears of Wrong Counting
II regret to ascertain that an enor-
nous number of persons believe that
there are election officers upon the list
who would attempt to misread or mis-
tally votes at the election in the inter-
est of some favorite candidate. If it
were possible to secure the election Of,
or obtain an office for favorite candi-
date by any such felony, I can UNDER
stand that there are some men in every
great city degraded enough and desper-
otC civ OA5Ai ~ ~ J " t1A0uCC CiCCllOu Oltl-
GERS to commit such felony. but it is i'm
possible by any amount of miscounting
Of votes. or mistallying of votes, to elect
any candidate to an Office, or secure
such an office for him.
by a new law passed at the last
session of the legislature, all the votes
may Immediately be recounted in court.
and all the judges in this city, together
with as many other judges as the gov
ernor may assign from the country.
may be set to work counting such votes,
all at the same time. so that the whole
vote could be counted in two or three
days in court and therefore all such
crimes and felonies would fall upon the
heads of those who attempted them
without any possibility OF securing any
office or benefit to any candidate what
ever.
Vaults to Hold Ballots
I'm few hours after the election
is over the ballots themselves will be
doubly barred and locked and sealed in
the steel vaults Of the election commits
ssx,r, lar the are1 ~ 4<t,