Sharp County record., 1914-05-15
DAVID |, KING ON
FRANKL|N'S PRIMARY
Says AccuserS In That Affair
Are Neighbors OF The
Accused, Not Him.

Editor Record-I am sorry that |
feel called upon again to respond to
a communication in regard to the
recent primary election, but, seeing
an article which appeared in the
Record last week, purporting to
have been written by the judges
and clerks of the primary at Frank
lin, in lizard county, and signed by
them, attacking the Record, the
Williford News, the Sharp county
democratic convention, the can
vassing board, some of the judges
holding said primary, and every
body in Sharp county in general
and me in particular, | make this
reply.
They call on all the papers that
have been printing the Scurrilous
attacks of David L. King and his
henchmen upon their honesty" to
publish their reply. They further
say that since his (King'S) contin-
uous efforts to defame us . through
his home paper, the Williford News,
he reiterates his charge of fraud
against us, we feel called upon &, . to
refute some of the charges he is
making or causing to be published
throughout the circuit" Now, |
desire to say to the very sensitive
gentlemen that | have only written
for publication or for printing" one
article since the March primary,
and that was in response to a very
courteous(?) telegram sent me by
j. B. Baker on the 28th Of March,
and in that article there was moth
ing said about fraud.
In their article they say that |
with Charlie Mathes, secured the
country to get signatures to his
paper saying that they had voted
} for King, but we are reliably in.
formed that a number Of those who
signed said paper have gone tc
Mathes and demanded that theil
names be taken off, declaring that
they had been induced to sigr
through Misrepresentation" Ii
that connection | will say that | re
ceived what | believed to be reli
able information from a number o
Franklin township citizens to the
effect that fraud had been commit
ted. | made no charge, but at theil
solicitation and in justice to my
self and the voters of the circuit,
undertook to investigate.
| notice that these gentlemen
say the entire vote Of lizard county
was published in the Melbourne
Times of March 26th by townships
| have before me the Melbourne
Times of the 9th, the first issue
after the primary, and in giving
the election news in the headlines
it says, Cook precinct has not
been received and we have been
unable to Get the vote for assessor
in Franklin township. The vote is
unofficial, but near about correct,
Then it gives the vote by town
ships, except Cook precinct, until
Franklin is reached There it gives
Kirby, Clarke, 0ldfeld Campbell,
and then says; For circuit judge,
Wallace 7, Mankin 8, Ashley 81,
Campbell 10. For sheriff, Billings
ley 81, Harris H." That's all that
is given from that township, Some
time during the next week, after
the convention had canvassed the
official returns, | was furnished
with what purported to be the Of
fetal vote, and in three or four
townships the vote showed to be
different from that published in the
paper, and In Franklin township |
was given 5 votes and Baker 81,
Then at the solicitation OF citi-
zens from lizard county, and after
| n Al Had ain