Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-14
POLICEMEN SEEKING
PHANTOM VOTERS
IN CLOSE CANVASS
Honest Election in This City
Promised as Result of
Doorbell Ringing a nd
r Questioning Householders.

in Philadelphia ringing doorbeHs ana
quizSing householders as tho principal
agencies In the fight against phantom
voters" and registry frauds being waged
by Director Porter and the Committee
of 20. Already the police have covered
the biggest part of 13 wards. and their
work today will complete the canvass,
II is expected. The result of the canvass
will be the ceanest election in Philadel-
phia, so far as repeating is concerned,
those watching the Investigations say.
Twenty wards were picked by the Com
mittee of 20 as needing determined in
vestigation to weed out phantom
voters" 1t was in these 20 wards votes
are said to have been cast illegally in
the past. Possibilities held out by the
confusion on election day and the in
ability to recognize voters, 1t is said,
have been seized upon and put to good
use by the ose-McNichul-Vare Or
ganizatlon.
have been cast by men who often never
even saw the residence placed after their
names on the registry books.
But this year a different system is In
use. A rush order was issued to copy
names put on the registry books at the
last registration day, and by employing
90 girls the Committee of Seventy was
able to turn over to the police names of
prospective voters as they were given two
weeks ago.
POLICEMEN SEEKING PHANTOMS.
So the policemen started out on their
canvass. None of them seems overly fond
of the task, but a jealous spirit Is shown.
Every morning squads are told off by the
lieutenant at the station house, and a few
minutes later, by twos and threes, the
patrolmen are out on the street.
The squad of girls Is at work at the
10th and Buttonwood streets police sta
ton on books sent from City Hall, trans
ferring names to small slips, which even
tually find their way into the policemen's
hands. Each voter or presumptive voter
has a slip to himself. One man usually
carries the slips, while another checks
him to see no mistake Is made. Two
policemen climb the steps of house and
ring the bell.
Now, the sight of two policemen at the
threshold is startling one to most
people. And in the 20 wards picked out
by the Committee of Seventy as being in
need of scrutiny, visiting policemen are
viewed with suspicion, not to say dislike.
Down in the Sd District householdeTs part
ly opened their doors to policemen with
papers In their hands. A group of small
boys and passerboys by crOwding the side
walk in front was not reassuring. So. in
many cases, the householders swung their
doors till only o modest two inches re-
mained or closed them entirely, according
to their regard for the police and the
state of their consciences.
When this happened the policemen
knocked considerably at the doors again
ard spoke embarrassed but soothing ex-
plantations of their mission. Whereupon
the householder usually pluCkad up couT-
age enough to open the door a little wider
and accept one of the slips. waving the
slips was conceded TO be a tactical error
on the part of the policemen, for white
papers savored OF warrants and arrests
and Jail. Most of the time the house
holder accepted them gngerly, after the
manner OF people taking a hot plate.
Then the policemen went on with their
parts. "Does John Jones live here?"
MR.. JONES AT HOME.
II the anxious person peering around
the door said he did the nollcemen con-
graduated themselves and forced slip
II they had not already done so, upon him.
with the words "Slgn here" The house
holder was known on the slip as "signa-
ture informant" BY this time he had
begun to get an idea of what 1t was all
about and the door was Hospitality open.
Often this was accomplished by visible
feelings of relief and a disposition to grow
chatty and talk about the world series.
The policemen always looked pleased
when told that John Jones did live there,
not only because 1t meant that civic right
eousness was in that house, but also be-
cause there were only two places TO sign
on the slip in such cases against six or
seven in case John Jones' address was a
fake. II John Jones did not live there,
these were the questions: "Tf removed
where tor" and Ward II knowR?" and
division. II known?" Besides this there
were three whole lines TO be flled with
"Other remarks" and policemen are nota-
bly, laconic.
So the policemen looked relieved when
they found there really was John Jones
in the house, and after saying Sign
here" and repossessing the slips, they
wished the householder good morning and
passed on 10 the next house.
II was bad enough 10 be able TO prog
ress only as far as the next house after
doing all that, but In the 30 District the
canvassers had other troubles. Usually
the more astute policeman effected some
sort OF n compromise, such as writing the
householders name and getting him TO
make a mark after It, but during the
canvass the policemans lot was not a
happy one.
cHII DREN MAY GIVE RIFLE