Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-04-13
Especial to the Newark Star. ]

PHILADELPHIA, April 13.-The
effort to prevent the wholesale assist
ance of voters by Republican organ
ization henchmen was given its
death blow yesterday when the jury,
after being out less than an hour found
John Gallagher, judge of the Twenty
sixth division, Seventh ward, not guilty
of charge of neglect of duty in per-
mitting such assistance The trial was
considered test case and upon the an
nouncement of the verdict Assistant
District Attorney Taulane submitted for
similar verdict not only the other bills
of indictment in that division, but all
the other so-called assistance cases"
In submitting the bills Mr. Taulane
stated that the Committee of Seventy.
which was back of the prosecution, be-
,ieved it useless to allow the cases to
go to trial.
AS result OF this trial the Repuo-
lican organization is free to keep tabs
on how it's followers vote, and an office
holder or Would-be office holder, or even
a mere follower who wants to be con-
sidered loyal, no matter how intelligent,
is liable to be compelled to play the
dummy and take a trusted worker into
the booth with him to see that he votes
right
The Defendants Cleared,
The defendants in the bills submitted
were John Gallagher, George ]. Hall,
William Cheeseman. William MacFar-
land, Calvin D. Lee. George Chapman,
Edmond V. Green. twenty-sixth divi-
sion of the Seventh ward; John McGin-
ley, John j. Keffer. Philip Carlin, Rob-
ert Craig, Morris Colbert, jr., Robert
Black, eighth division of the Eighth
ward Adrian d. Elston, judge eigh-
teenth division Fifth ward; John Carr
judge thrty-eighth division Twenty
sixth ward; Henry Smullen. Judge
fourteenth division Second ward; Will
lam Reuter-, Charles Young, Albert
Maucher, Charles Strumpf, Woodford
II. Thomas, Edward S. Moffett third
division Twelfth ward; Gilbert II.
Smith, judge thirteenth division Fifth
ward.
John C. Hincl1ley, an attorney and a
William Penn watcher, was the first
witness yesterday morning and made a
good impression until he permitted At
torney A S. l.. Shields to rattle" him.
Mr.. Hinckley testified that as soon as
the voting began the voters started to
ask for assistance without declaring
their disability. The first objection
made by the witness and Dr.. oonn b.
Roberts, another independent watcher,
was in the case of Edmond V. Green,
a young man casting his first vote and
who entered the polling place accom-
panied by his father
When Mr.. Hincllley asked the young
man to state his disability, or if he
could not read or write, Green, accord
ing to the witness, became quite in
n 1frY11 f,, HI ,a.al1
tion that he was able to write. Green's S
father, however, told Gallagher that
the young man required assistance, and
was permitted to enter the voting booth
with his son.
Election Officers "Assisted."
MacFarland and Lee, two Republican
election officers, according to the wit
ness, were also granted assistance, al
though they did not declare their dis
ability, but to the contrary, stated they
had no disability. The witness, read
ing from a list, gave the individual
cases of fifty voters who, he asserted,
asked for and We're permitted assist
ance by Gallagher, regardless of the
protests of the Independent party men.
when these men came in," said Mr..
Hinckley. "Dr. Roberts and l would
ask: Have you any disability In
some instances they would not reply,
while Gallagher would say that they
could have assistance. Our protests
were fruitltss. Many of these voters
were assisted in the booth by Chapman
and Mason, who saw the ballots
marked. All these ballots upon which
assistance was given were placed in
the ballot box"
Mr.. Hncl1ley stated that there were
a number of instances during the day
in which voters who were given as
sistance stated that they had no dis
ability. One of these was Charles
Sluth. who said he could read and
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