Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-10-07
COUNTY CASTS 7c.ooo VOTES, THE
LARGEST NUMBER IN IT'S HIS
ToRY--cousTRy DIS
TaicTs WET.
CHARGES or WHOLESALE
FRAUDS MADE By "DRYs"
Anti-Saioon League Head Declares .
Municipality Never Before Expert
snesd Such Illegal vosinG--No
Mers Option Elections for
Three Years.


Three Years
Minneapolis. Oct. 8. -- Hennspin
voters have declared against local
prohibition by u majority Of about
5000.
Heanepin cast nearly 10000 vntes.
more than the most vivid imagination
conceived prior to election day. OF
the ID city wards. In Minneapolis. 9
voted wet and 4 dry. The country
district Joined the wet column There
can not be another option election In
this county for at least three years
by the terms OF the law.
Or. George b. Stafford. president of
the Anti-Szloon league. makes charge
that the election was won by whole,
sale frauds 1t the polling places. Not
within the memory OF man. he de-
clares, has municipality experienced
such wholesale Illegal voting.
The -four wards which voted dry
were the Second. Seventh. Eighth and
Thirteenth. The Second went dry by
> few hundred, the Seventh by inches.
the Eighth BY only fair majority.
considering It's sire, aud the Thir-
tsenth proved dryest Of all.
Third Ward Wet. . to 4.
The First ward was about M wet an
= ward could be. The Third voted
wet better than three to one. The
Fourth piled up nearly 1000 wet ina.
jority and the Fifth about a thousand.
The Sixth, tiniest OF all wards. did its
little best with TOO majority for the
vets out OF about 2.Oeo votes cast.
The Ninth was little better than q
thousand wet The Tenth didn't quite
reach the thousand majority mark.
The Eleventh went wet by about 500
and the Twelfth gave the vets q sub
atantfai majority. The country indi-
Gates itself OF wet preference by about
500.
Last fall at the general election a
grand total OF 5l.as7 votes were cast
In city and county. excluding the
female vote. there being f.ll3 OF these
cast. There were registered and priyg-
legged TO vote ut that general election
60.603 males and 2,Iss females A.
women were not permitted the prtvf.
lege OF the ballot In this election the
vote can be properly compared only
with the male vote of last fail, con-
sidered high figure.
Like Lse-Hammond Contest.
The election returns followed close
" the returns OF the Lee-Hammond
contest of last fall when liquor was
the principal issne between the two
candidates. There were 1927 votes
cast In Hennepin for these two gu.
berHatorial candidates aud Mr.. Ham.
mond had s.9ss more than Mr.. Lee.
In that election MIR. Lee lost every
thing but the Eighth and Thirteenth
wards. He lost the Second and Sew.
enth. carried by the drys by small
maiorsties. by narrow margins.
Unless one should cite the rural
portion OF Hennepin county Ii could
not be said that any particular section
went far away from advance predie.
tons. OF course. the drys were sur.
priscd at some of the wards they
lost. but those they did lose were
wards they figured their narrowest
malorities In. And rural Hennepin
was claimed In advance by the wet
forces by q majority somewhat more
substantial than indicated ON the face
Of the returns.
Fraud Charges Numerous.
Nothing approaching riots or gen,
eral disorder marked the battle at the
polls. There were number OF
charges OF fraud. Three brewery EN-
ployes were arrested at Seven Cor.
ners for violation of the corrupt prac.
tees act In that they were alleged to
have peddied wet hand bills. Several
men were taken from the polling place
. N the public comfort station opposite
the Nicollet hotel. the Nineteenth pre-
cinct OF the Fourth ward, always a
battle-ground precinct In which the
forces OF whatever reform In pending
count on getting the worst II IL. 9th.
er such arrests were made, These
men were released. no charges being
made against them.
Unrscsstsrsd Voters Cast Ballet.
That which marked the election
more than anything outside OF the
emphatic protest against adoption OF
prohibition was the number OF un.
registered voters who cast their bal.
lots.
DR. Stafford makes claim that these
voters were largely imported tor the
occasion or repeaters. II In conceded
however. that the wet or dry issue
aroused the voters Of Hennepfu coun.
ty a never before. creating an inter.
est which brought to the polls men
who apparently have neglected this
duty of citizenship for years,