Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-10-04
and procured a statement from the di

age in the state; that in 1900 ther
were one hundred and twenty-nin
thousand two hundred and seventy-s 81:
129,276). The white voting popula
ton, therefore, increased in ten year
thirty-four thousand nine hundred an
twenty four (34,924) or at the rate o
three thousand four hundred and nine
ty-two (3,492) per annum. Therefore
for the two years from May, 1910, t
May, 1912, add six thousand nine hun
dred and eighty-four (6,984) to the on
hundred and sixty-four thousand tw,
hundred G64,200) and you have whit
voters in the state, one hundred ant
seventy -one thousand one hundred ant
eighty-four (171,184.) This includes
only native born whites and those for
eign born who are naturalized or II
process of naturalization, and, there
fore, entitled to vote under our primar!
laws. The margin of thirty Thousand
votes, considering the great interes
taken in the election and the fact tina
clerks and sheriffs were being elected
in most counties, and that these cleo
tions bring out the vote most general
ly, Is probably ample, and what ap
peared at first to be an unmistakablt
badge Of widespread fraud Is fully ex.
planned.
Fraudulent Votes.
The vote derived from the county
records developed four classes Of fraud.
ulent or irregular circumstances:
1. Men voted who were not on the
club roll or whose names were placed
there on the day of election.
2. Men appeared to have voted twice
or oftener under the same name.
3. Men not entitled to vote even II
enrolled have voted.
4. The managers failed to do theil
duty either as to being sworn them.
selves or as to swearing the voters OF
in other respects, such as counting
state tickets put in county boxes.
AS to the first, there was little OF
no excuse for men voting whose names
were not on the club roll; and quite 6
number of such instances were proven
by the records and affldavits submit.
ted. Some Of those cases were, how.
ever, only apparent. For instance 6
man called Charlie Smith" comes tC
vote and is enrolled Nv. c. Smith," but
in the hurry Of keeping the poll list the
clerk puts him on the club list Char
lie Smith," or he may be enrolled or
the club roll in 1908 or 1910 and wher
the names are brought forward he Is
inadvertently or otherwise omitted. He
comes to vote, and having done all be
could, the officers let him vote rather
than let their carelessness disfranchise
him. But these are only exceptional
cases. In most instances the voting
when not on the club roll, is wilfu
disregard of the rules Of the party by
both the voter and the managers, and
all such votes should be discarded. The
number of these instances is not large
"The Vicious System"
AS to the second class, In every
county almost there are two or more
men of Identical names, some times
more. The fact that a man of the
same name appears to have voted al
two precincts or twice at one precinct
raises presumption rather that there
were two men Of the same name than
that one man voted twice in his own
name. Under the vicious system OF
managing our club rolls, wherein
can have names enrolled, and
the same man may have his name or
two or more club rolls ct once, a ras-
cal may go to a club and impersonate
man and vote in his name
while that other man has voted at an
other precinct and is unaware Of the
use made of his name; and In this way
repeaters may occasionally operate In
such a way as to make one name ap.
pear twice; but ordinarily they follow.
ed the course of voting in a name
enrolled or in the name OF
a person who had moved away, so that
the same name does not appear twice
in connection with any such transac-
tions.
These remarks are illustrated by
our experience in Greenville, Spar
tanburg and Anderson. At Anderson
we had list Of names apparently re-
peaters, in which many names appear
ed twice and one as high as eight
times. In calling the IS instances In
which this occurred before a represen-
tative Anderson audience of probably
200 people over so per cent, were in
stantly recognized by parties in the
audience and affidavits voluntarily CIV
en- of the identity Of the bona fides OF
the different parties Of the same name
at the different precincts.
On the other hand, at Central box
at Greenville, where about $50 votes
were cast, a painstaking and expen-
sive investigation was made to ascer.
tain the identity of the voters, and
where every means were exhausted
there were 1913 voters who have not
been found, and at last two of them
were dead men.
If repeating was done to any great
extent 1t was done in that way, vot-
ing in the name Of people who were
dead or moved away or never existed
but the names were placed on the club
roll for the very purpose of using them
in that way.
Third, people not entitled to vote
,,to Of c
were shown by the affidavits submit
ted. These consisted Of minors, men
not in the state long enough, men who
now live in Georgia, and negroes.
Non-residents Voted.
We desire to call attention to the
two last classes. Non-residents seem
ed to have voted freely at Bath in
Aiken county, and, in some instances
are found elsewhere.
Negroes were allowed to vote In
violation of the rules in a good many
counties; and If this is not stopped
we may as well abandon the primary
and allow everybody to run in the
general election, as the negro man
will have voice anyhow.
Fourth. Managers at Bath in Ak
en- county were not sworn, nor did they
swear TIE NOleiS dl Soiu opi 1853 VI
in Abbeville county or
August 81. The votes cast in those
precincts are embraced in those
classed below as questioned.
There were a good many votes fol
state officers put in county boxes and
counted by the managers. This may
have been honest, but it Is easy fol
one interested in a state officer tC
vote for such officers in both boxes
and get counted twice. All instances
of this are classed below as questioned
votes. See exhibit "a"
The said list contains all the vote:
questioned by any statement reach.
ing us. Many Of them are explained
and many are mere Implications OF
names by the fact that more than one
person of the same name voted in the
same county. There Is no proof before
us to the candidate for whom the
irregular votes were cast.
As to Fraud.
AS to fraud. Fraud may have ex
listed. The opportunity to commit i
from the fact that no identification |!
necessary, either to be enrolled or Il
vote, no proof except the assertion o.
the alleged voter that he Is qualified
to enroll, is required, and no state
ment of his place of residence Of
occupation is required to be stated
with his enrolment, and nothing bu
the statement of the name that is OF
the club roll is required when he pre-
sents himself to the managers to vote
all open the door to the grossest fraud
The fact also that IL is almost i'm