The Oskaloosa herald., 1916-11-30
CARELESS CHECK
OF SOLDIERS VOTE
COUNTY AUDITORS FlnD INcoR.
RECT ELECTION RETURNS.
81 CERTIFICATES SENT BACK
Incorrect Result of Soldier Vote In
Iowa County Gave CIerkship to
Defeated Candidate, and
Now Fight is On.

DesMoines, Nov. 2S.-Wholesale er.
rors in checking the soldiers vote and
in certifying the results out from the
state house to the various counties
have been discovered.
More than twenty-one certificates
have been sent back to the Office of the
secretary of the executive council for
correction. Many more certificates
are thought to be incorrect.
An incorrect certificate sent to
Iowa county elected the wrong man
as clerk of the district court. Before
the error was discovered a certificate
of election had been issued to the de
feated candidate. Now spirited fight
is on between the two candidates. A
corrected certificate was sent out yes
terday to Iowa county.
Canvassers at Fault.
Investigation by w. S. Allen, sec
rotary of state, has revealed the fact
that errors in checking and certifica
ton were made by the force delegated
to canvass the vote.
County auditors who discovered the
irregularities asked Mr.. Allen to in
Ivestigate, supposing that his Office had
had charge of the canvass.
MY office had nothing to do with
the canvass of the soldiers vote
declared Mr.. Allen. THE count was
made by the office of secretary of the
executive council.
THE errors were made by the
clerks assigned to do the work The
members of the council were unable
to personally check over more thar
1000 votes. Clerks had to be called tc
assist. When the results were totalleC
by the force, the members of the coun
Gil had every reason to believe thai
the certificates were correct.
Many Counties Overlooked.
However, on looking over the pol
books we discovered that the clerks
had overlooked twenty.one counties
in the vote of one regiment.
Everyone who is familiar with the
soldiers voting law knows that my of
| flee had nothing to do with the can
vass of the vote. The work was done
by the office of the secretary of the
executive council, with the aid o.
some additional help called in"
AS an illustration of the trouble re
sulting through the errors, officials
cite the case of Iowa county. Wher
tho soldiers vote was certified, J. w
Hadley, candidate for clerk of the Dis
trict court was credited with SO votes
to II for his opponent, Randolph. This
was sufficient to give Hadley lead OF
one over Randolph, and oyerturnine
the result of the home vote.
Fight Now On.
However it was discovered that the
office of secretary of the executive
council had certified the Hadley vote
as thirty.two when it should have been
twenty-three. This was not sufficient
to give the office to Hadley. However
the certificate of election was issued
to him when the incorrect certlhcate
arrived and it is said he intends to
keep it. Randolph, the man really
elected, must fight in the courts to es
tablish his election.
When the auditor of Cherokee coun
ty examined the certificate he receiv
cd from the state house, it gave the
vote of only one man, while Cherokee
county had more than fifty men in the
Iowa National guard entitled to vote
The auditor sent the certificate back
to the capitol and the rest of the votes
we're discovered by examining the poll
books. The same thing happened with
the Woodbury. county certificate as
we'll as many other counties.