Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-10-26


out last night by John w. Hammond,
of the Telegraph and Chronicle news
bureau, Atlanta
ATLANTA, Ga, Oct 25.-The alleg-
ed illegality in the state democratic
licked, discovered by Cranston Will
liams, of Americus, will have to be
corrected before the ticket can be
used in the November general cleo
ton.
This is according to a verbal ruling
by Attorney General Clifford Walker
iris morning. Under the law the
names of the state presidential lelec-
tors only are supposed to be on the
ticket. AS prepared, the ticket carries
the names of both the electors and the
alternates, which has not been the
case in general elections heretofore.
Governor Harris and State Secretay
Ham L. Gardner have been in com
munication over the phone on the
subject, and Mr.. Gardner says, the
governor expressed the opinion that
the tickets would be all right with the
names of the alternates, and he saw
no reason why they should or could
be held illegal for that reason.
Walker Asked For Opinion.
Under section 109, however, meth
od of filling vacancies is provided
and, as matter of fact, one vacancy
was filled today among the presiden-
tial electors-and there is, therefore. a
question about the legality of the use
OF the names of alternates on the
ticket to be voted. Governor Harris
referred the question to Attorney Gen
eral Walker for an opinion, and Mr..
Walker today said:
Il have not written an opinion yet,
but l am going to hold that there hav-
ing been so much doubt about it, and
the question of the validity of the
ticket having been raised, the safest
thing to do is to play safe and take the
names of the alternates off the ticker.
The electoral vote of this state may
be necessary to elect a president Of
the United States, and the matter is
one of so great Importance that it
will not do to take chances on it. If
the alternates' names are left on tire
ticket it may bring on a fight, and
leave the vote Of Georgia in question.
Certainly, therefore, the safest thing
to do will be to follow the custom OF
the past, and leave those names off
For that reason 1 am going to so hold
in my opinion
One ElectOr is Disqualified.
Announcement is made today by Sec
retary Hiram L. Gardner, of Eatonton,
OF the resignation of Howard Coates, Of
Hawkinsville, as an elector from the
First district, because of disqualified
tion. State Chairman j. j. Flynt has
appointed to fill that vacancy j. Pope
Brown, of Hawkinsvillle.
Under the law, officers of or direc-
tors in national banks, city or state
officials, may not be presidential cleo
tors. Mr.. Coates, it is stated, came
within the disqualifications.
It has been reported that four of the
fourteen electors are disqualified, but
Secretary Gardner says so far as he
knows there are no others than Mr..
Coates, and that single disqualified
tion has been corrected.
Wished Onto New Committee.
The muddle over the state electors,
Mr.. Gardner says, was wished onto the
new state committee"
''All the business of arranging for
the national end of the political sit
uation was attended to by the May
convention in Macon" says Mr.. Gard
nel, and was handed down to US. The
selections were made at that time of
both electors and alternates, and
took it for granted, when the dual list
Of names was given to me, that it was
inter ded they should be printed on the
state ticket for the November cleo
lior
when my attention was called 10
the newspaper story sent out by your
bureau that the democratic ticket
might be attacked as invalid because
OF the use of the names of alternates,
took the matter ~ with Judge Flynt
and with Governor Harris. foth of
these gentlemen were of tha opinion
that this would not affect the ticket as
prepared at all, and that the use of
the ticket would be perfectly LEGAL.
Qualifications Not Discussed.
The qualifications of electors, or
their disqualification was not discuss
Y PAPER PTTRTJCHEl