Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-08

Zion of every newspaper In the city both
I'|IItntn of the Democracy. including the
.HUNeIly Democrats well as Reorgan-
futItn Democrats remnants OF real inde-
IEn0tnte. In addition TO all the Penrose-Mc-
|IrHol OUTFIT, was a complete reputation
81 ftnrose In Philadelphia among the Re
r1h||cnnH
The pre-emption OF the Town Meeting
party IN the State Is a confession on the
part Of the Penrose people that they ex-
I0lt 20 have very little to do with the
roinination OF the Republican Governor and
NII the state Offices next year"
The fight 20 contest Tuesdays election in
The courts was begun today when the Town
Meeting party, accusing the Republican Or
eAui1ation of throwing out thousands Of
votes, checked up the returns in many di-
r|sione
About 10000 votes cast for Town Meet
ing condidates. or more than enough to-
elect them. were thrown away by Ware
auifn election officials because the electors
legally voted the straight independent
ticket and also for District Attorney Rotan.
Republican, candidate for reelection, ac-
corilng to Town Meeting leaders.
Twenty thousand is the majority by
which the Independents overwhelmed
"eovcrnnent by murder" declared United
States Senator Boies Penrose, calling for
the opening OF the ballot boxes.
.'The fight to clean house in Philadelphia |
has just begun" he asserted.
The election court, which opened today ]
for the official count will be petitioned for |
n complete recount by Town Meeting coun-
sci saturday.
Further charges that the election COM
fnlssioners appointed by Governor Brum-
baugh TO take the vote Of Philadelphia
soldiers and sailors In camp worked for
the Organization and jugged the returns
caused steps to be taken today to ask the
Federal Government to take hand in
counting the military vote. The camp VOTE
estimated at 5000, will not be counted
until November 20.
Meetings of watchers who looked after
the Interests of the Town Meeting Candi-
dates were held last night in many wards
and divisions, and by tonight the returns
IN every division in the city will have been
checked up
on the basis of this return petitions will
be filed before Judge J. Willis Martin in
the election court on Saturday morning for
a recount of the ballots in every division
where II can be shown votes were illegally
discarded by the Ware election boards.
The procedure according to Town Meet !
ing party attorneys will differ slightly from
that ordinarily used In cases of election
fraud. where appeals are made for the re-
opening of ballot-boXes. In such appeals il ! |
Is necessary to file affidavits by five quail
fed voters alleging fraud.
Petitions must be filed within forty y-eight |
hours after the opening of the election |
court which convenes at noon today, to be-
gin the official count of the ballot That
gives the Town Meeting party until noon
Saturday to make it's appeals.
IN the present case the appeals, backed
by affidavits. will be made the ground ! |
that the returns show papable fraud or
error in that thousands of votes cast |
out either through a misinterpretation of
the law or I'm deliberate defiance of the |
statutes and the decision of the Supreme
Court.
PENRoSE DEMANDS FINISH FIGHT
Senator Penroses statement demanding |
a fight to- a finish was as follows:
Reports of the methods used in wards
throughout the city to defeat the Town
Meeting ticket indicate that IL the ballot
boxes are opened the ticket will be found |
a searching investigation should be inst-
tuted and legal proceedings taken to ex- |
pose and correct the fraudulent returns.
No methods were too desperate for the
contractor-bund to employ to defeat the
will of the people at Tuesdays election |
Men who deliberately used gunmen and
murder to carry the primary would, of !
course. not stop at anything to avert dis =
aster and defeat at the election. 1
An especially careful scrutiny should be
given the returns of the soldiers vote L
from the camps. These votes were taken
BY commissioners owing allegiance to the
Wares, with apparently wide-opeu oppor. II
tuDity for juggling. 1t is significant. not II
to say suspicious that these returns have II
been held back while the result in the city ii
has been in question. III
II necessary, every ballot box should ii
be opened in court and the light of pub III
iicity turned upon the election returns III
The fight to clean house in PhiIadel. III
phia has just begun, and II could have III
no better start than by a thorough ex. III
posure of the fraudulent methods used by III
contractor government to resort to the III
tactics of gunmen to mob the Town Meet III
Ing party ticket In the election. III
. Congressman Ware, in a statement made III
4 Washington declared that the Ware III
sniith ticket had won cean-cut victory III
nd that the election marked the "elimiua- III
lon Of Senator Penrose a factor i'm the III
Republican, party" III
In regard to Senator Penroses sugges- III
Ion that the ballot boxes be opened and III
thorough investigation made, Senator III
ARE said today: III
The Republican Organization will ioin III
auds in opening any and all ballot boxes III
Eere is any question about. suggest that III
hey open the seven divisions in the eastern j!