The Prescott daily news. (Prescott, Ark.) 1907-1941, 1914-04-15
SENATOR CLARKE SUBMITS
ANSWER TO JUDGE KIRBY
Judge Kirby Claims that Votes were
Irregular in Poinsett. Senator
Clarke will Investigate in
Other Counties.

Little Rock, April 15.-The Demo
cratic State Central Committee ar
rived at no decision Tuesday. having
adjourned until 8 a. m. today.
This was done to enable sub-com-
mittee of five members appointed for
that purpose an opportunity to tabu.
late the returns from the various
counties, particularly in the contest
flor United States Senator.
There are two contests before the
Committee. that of Judge w. F. Kir-
by against James p CLARKE, for Unit
ed States Senator, and that of T. j.
Raney against r. f. Wood for Rail
road Commissioner of the Northeast
ern district
Judge Kirby filed his formal contest
Tuesday morning alleging fraud in
Poinsett county, and asking that he
be declared the nominee At the af-
ternoon session Senator Clarke sub
mtted his answer.
The answer was read by Senator
Clarke himself and signed by his
counsel j. H. Carmichael, C. T. Cole
man and w. M. Lewis.
Senator Clarke said that he courted
the most thorough and prompt inves-
legations of fraud, but said that if the
committee decided that it could open
the question of alleged fraudulent
votes in Poinsett County he should
be given an opportunity to file a sup
Elemental answer setting forth al
legged Irregularities in other counties
where the results as announced are
not favorable to him
Judge Kirby declared that he would
throw no obstacle in the way OF a
complete and thorough Investigation,
in fact he Is anxious for the books to
be opened everywhere, that all pos
sible light might be thrown upon the
election. But he nor his counsel had
yet been able to get a view of the
| poll-books, tally sheets and ballots in
the Poinsett county election, and he
thought the issue would never be set
tied until these had been examined
that the truth may be known.
Senator Clarke, while he made no
charges o. IL l'av'ty, said thct :
casual examination h2i revealed the
! tact tnat in Little River county Alb
votes had been cast more than there
are poll tax receipts reported, in Qua
chita over 300, in Nevada over 100,
and similar conditions exist in other
counties. If Poinsett county is to be
opened on that question, he insisted
that the same course should be pur-
sued in other counties.
There was preliminary test vote
in the committee on the selection Of
a member to take the place of W. H..
Rector, formerly of Fort Smith, now
| of Little Rock. He nominated Vim
cent Miles of Fort Smith, a Clarke
man J. u. Head of Miller county,
nominated Joe NJ. Johnson, of Ash
NVMils q INll bA lilttit, anu AhtlNN Vas
elected by vote of Is to TO-
The subcommittee to tabulate the
returns are J. II. Parker of Ouachita,
Vincent Miles of Fort Smith, June
Wooton of Pulaski, W. G. Hutton the
Secretary and w. f. Coleman of JEFF
| ferson.
In his contest Judge Kirby repre-
sents that according to the official re-
turns from all the counties with the
exception of Poinsett, as declared by
the chairman and secretaries of the
various central committees, he has
received majority of all the votes
cast of $50.
Senator Clarke denies there was
any change made in the Poinsett
county returns, or any fraud rerpe
trated, and that the county cast 1921
votes for him and 430 for Judge kir-