The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-06-08
STATE SCHOOLS
ARE YET SAFE
Findings Of the Secretary,

uary II, 1912. The petition contain
ling the signatures was filed on April
10, 1912,
THE number of votes cast at the
last general election for governor,
who received the highest vote, was
247,666 Eight per cent of that num-
ber which is required to initiate a
statute is 1888.
when this petition was filed on
the tenth day of April. 1912, it con
tanned the purported signatures of 20
914 people
"a great deal Of evidence has been
introduced in support of the conten-
tion made by the protestants Ger
tain things have been pointed out
which the petition itself or the pamph-
let will show, among which are, 149
names duplicated, names have been
i Implicated, pamphlets containing 20
names each have not been sworn to
or verified. There are pamphlets in
which line has been drawn across
the page where the affant should have
| written in the names of the signers
of the petition; it is immaterial
whether this mark was made before
or after the names were written. If it
was made there before the names were
signed it is evident that the affidavit
was made before the petition was
signed, and if it was made after the
petition was signed, it san evident
attempt to strike out the names.
1T is also in evidence that there
are 1416 names which do not cores
pond in the affidavit with the names
signed in the petition, or they are so
illegible that they cannot be read In
addition to that there are 631 pamph
lets that are verified by J. w. Akin
it is pointed out by the protestants
and these pamphlets contain 1880
names which is an average of 1902
! names for each and every day of the
ninety days of the time which was
allowed for the securing of signatures;
it. is also shown that these names were
taken from GA counties, in the towns
and cities, some inland towns far
away from the railroad, and it is con
tended that this is a physical impos-
sibility, This is one of the reasons
that the protestants have set up in
their protest that fraud has been prac-
ticed in securing the names to this
petition.
"In addition to this they have
brought experts here who have com
pared the similarity of various sigma
lures and they have pointed out 20i
pamphlets containing 200 names each
which show the writing is similar,
have not examined personally all Of
the signatures they have pointed out
but from time to time have compared
different names they have pointed out
as being written in the same hand
writing, and although am not hand
writing expert, the similarity is very
plain to me.
"The question has been raised
whether the signing of a petition by
proxy is permissible Now in the face
of the petition setting out the text of
the measure and the command to the
governor to call an election the yot-
ers whose names are on the petition
or purport to be on the petition say
this for themselves Il, have person
ally signed the petition" IN the afi
dayit the person circulating the petit
tion makes this declaration; a. after
being first duly sworn say. (after copy
ing the names of the signers who
signed who signed this sheet of the
foregoing petition), and each of them
signed his name thereto in my pres
ence. | believe that each has stated
his name and post Office address cor
Irectly"
There is another provision in the
statutes which contains these words
"Snyder's Compiled Laws, Section
1893: Any person signing any name
other than his own to any petition, or
knowingly signing his name more
than once for the same measure at one
election or who is not at the time of
lsigning the same legal voter of this
state. shall upon conviction thereof
be punished by fine Of not exceeding
five hundred dollars and by imprison-
ment in the penitentiary not exceed
ing one year. or by both such fine and
imprisonment in the discretion of the
court before which said conviction
shall be had
1T cannot be contended by the pro
tponents Of this measure that they had
the permission of these people to sign
these other peoples names, and the