Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-12-28
CROOKED WORK
Of REPUBLICANS
COMES To LIGHT
DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE CHAIR
MAN ISSUES STATEMENT OF
FACTS AND FIGURES.
MANY ILLEGAL ACTS EXPOSED
Impeachment of Partisan Courts Will
Probably Follow Investigation of
Frauds - Negro Colonization
Scheme Partly Thwarted.

Facts have come to light, since
election day, which demonstrate be-
yond any doubt that there was an in
sidious and widespread attempt on
the part of some of the Republican
state organizations TO commit series
of illegal acts leading up to the recent
general election, with the object of
casting a lot of fraudulent votes and
causing to be miscounted votes le-
gally cast.
This concerted action on the part
of some of the Republican managers
was of such nature and of such wide
extent that it jeopardized the lawful
will of the people Of this state as ex-
pressed by their ballots.
So wrongful was this attempt and
so many instances Of its existence
have come to light that we feel it IS
due to the people of the state Of
Missouri that these acts should be
made public and that they be put on
their guard in the future against any
such willful, malicious and wrongful
conduct on the part of few unscru-
pulous men. With that object in view
this statement is made and is given
to the public.
There existed conspiracy to regis
ter and to vote, in the city of st.
Louis alone, thousands of negroes
brought here from places outside of
the state Of Missouri only a short
time before registration day. They
were induced to register, as required
by the law of the city of St. Louis,
before they could vote. To support
that allegation we hereto append a
few names copied from report mad
| by order of the chief of police of the
] City of St. Louis and now on file in
his office. This report is the result
of canvass that was made in order
to determine whether or not there ex
listed any fraud in registration and
was made before election day II
contains nearly a thousand names OF
persons not entitled to vote for vari
Gus reasons specified in the report
These names are just few picked out
| simply as giving substantial evidence
of the charge made and to point tc
particular cases and individuals. The
report in part reads as follows:
Ward Is, Precinct 4.-Louis Benion AZ
S, Garrison avenue. Only six months II
city.
Ward %, Precinct S-wm. L. Chandler
| 4033 w. Bell place. In the city only eigh
months from Frankford Ind
| Ward 23. Precinct S-Robert Howell
406S w. Bell place. Here only six months
E, from the south.
| Ward =, Precinct 9-William Bradley
4O4S Cook avenue. Here only four month
from Arkansas.
Ward II, Precinct 15-Charles Prich
ard, $500 I3awton avenue. Only in cit!
| three months.
To further substantiate the charge
attention is called to the fact that al
election was held in the city Of 81
Louis during the carly months o
1916, at which the question Of negr'
segregation was to be voted upon
This was a question of peculiar in
port to the negro race. A specia
registration was held, prior to tn
election, in order that all who wer
not regularly on the books and VIII
were entitled to be registered nigh
be so registered. After that registrG
ton it developed that there was neal
ly, but not quite, nine thousand M
groes registered as voters. After tn
rumors of negro colonization ha
spread through the country, and afte
the reports had been dignifed by con
ment thereon by the attorney genert
of the United States, ard after hu
ried and cursory investigation at tn
hands of the department of justice
and after the registration in the cit
of St. Louis preceding the recent gel
eral election, there appeared nearl
fourteen thousand negroes registered
an increase of nearly five thousan
in the city of St. Louis alone.
Besides registration of negroes r
Gently moved here from the sout'
there was an attempt to register ar
vote many thousands of negroes WI
> had forfeited their right to vote b
> cause of conviction of certain offens'
! specified by law. Quoting from tn
same police report, there are here
appended the names of a few of mar
individuals taken from that report:
Ward 90 Precinct 14--Abe Shelton, AZ
' Kennerly avenue. Served term OF $
months in city jail on charge OF attempt
y robbery: also term in city workhouse
Y six months for murder in second degr6
!, Ward 49, Precinct flames BucSnt
2739 Papin street. Served one year In ci
I workhouse on charge of burglary, seco
decree, and larceny.
Ward g. Precinct 14-Edw Moore, 2a
Scott avenue. Served one year in ci
workhouse on charge Of burglary seco
degree and larceny,
Ward Z, Precinct 10-Charles Postl
,' (alias Priestlyl, 1414 Papin street. Serv
|, two terms in penitentiary in Joliet, Ill
!. Entirely separate and distinct fro
4 the names appearing on the police ]
a port there was made at the request
q tho Democratic state committee a Il
4 Of persons not entitled to vote becau
q they had been convicted of certa
I crimes. The names Of the persoi
the offenses with which they we
charged, the fact that they we're fou
guilty and the sentence with viii
J. they were punished, together WI
fhe date of the sentence. were TAX