The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1916-11-16
TEMPEST IN
A TEAPOT
Charges of Election Fraud
By Wholesale Made by
Defeated Party. Act
Like Bad Losers.

There has been great tempest in 2
teapot raised by D. ". Davis and his
supporters on a charge that Mr.. Davis
was elected toPthe Office of governor and
has been illegally counted out, and that
hundreds of votes were fraudulently cast.
All this is pure buncombe, and simply
emphasizes the fact that they are bad
losers. The utter absurdity Of the claim
is shown by the fact that the returns
which are claimed to count Mr.. Davis
out we're made in republican counties by
republican judges and clerks. BY every
construction of friendship and politics,
they would certainly see that Mr.. Davis
had fair count, at least. One OF the
counties in which the frauds were al.
legged to have occurred was Mr., Davis
own county. Tuesday night the com
missioners Of that county met after ad-
iournment had been taken for the day,
and when no notice for such action had
been given, and opened four ballot boxes
in violation Of laS, and recounted the
ballots. They found eleven votes which
they claimed should have been given to
Mr.. Davis, and rest aled the ballot boxes.
They then announced that no more
would he opened, and that the returns
would be certified. In Bonneville coun-
ty the commissioners opened one ballot
box found tn returns correct and an
nounced that the results would be certi-
fed. In neitIer case did the commits
sioners have any more right to open
those boxes than you or l. That can be
done only upon the order Of the court or
of the legislature. and then only upon q
CONTEXT, or upon sworn charge OF
fraud Joe Peterson also broke into the
game with the usual habit 81 putting his
foot into it, alleging that he believed
that fraud might have been committed.
Joe always knows that fraud has been
committed when the people don't do
what he wants them to do He thinks
that there might have been too many
voters registered at the polls and, so far
as Joe's interests are eoncerne@, we are
inclined to agree with him. But up to
the present time there has not been a
single affidavit made that there was
fraud committed, or that any candidate
failed to be accredited with every legal
vote cast for him.
The suspicion that illegal registration
at the polls might have occurred was
caused by the large percentage OF votes
registered there. a moments consider
alton by any thinking man would show
the absurdity OF such suspicion. That
percentage was as large in Parma pre-
cinct as perhaps any other in the state.
In this precinct there were not more
than two voters whose legal right to cast
the ballot might have been questioned.
lone OF these was a democrat, and one a
republican. Both watchers at the polls
knew that these votes were to be cas-; ;
and neither made any objection. because
while the legal right might be ques
toned, their moral right was not de-
MED. And to have some irresponsible
gambler m Boise charge that fraud was
practised in Parma precinct causes our
people to start a little perspiration IN
der the collar.
Of course there was some little irregn-
larity in every precinct in every county
in the state. Anyone who has ever had
anything to do with the conduct of an
election knows that that is always the
case. But these Irregularities do not
reach to the subversion OF the verdict Of
the people, and as that verdict was rea-
dered last week it will so stand. Ale2.
snder viii be governor of Idaho TVS
years more. You can depend on thai.