Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-23
Continued from Page One

NOntlnueu from Eage One
appeared momentarily dumfounded wher
Connor announced that there were $3.50
witnesses In the case against the first peti.
ton and 116 petitions in ALL"
BY noon forty witnesses had been called
and only ten answered to their names A
court rule was suspended to allow attach
ments to be served on missing witnesses
after IL o'clock.
Even one Of the subpoena servers was
absent or failed to answer to his name If
he was present in the mob" He was John
X Koenig.
In addition to Connor. the prosecution
was represented by j. Lee Patton, counsel
for the Republican city committees Samuel
G.. Burney, Daniel J. Shern former State
Representative and author of the so-called
Shern law; William Linton, William NJ
Booming and many others,
The defense WAS conducted by Thomas
Raeburn White, William A. Glasgow, Rob-
ert S. Bright and other lawyers represent
ing individuals named by the prosecution.
PATToNS CHARGES
Attorney Patton pointed out to Judge
Davis that forty-nine specific objections to
the nomination papers of the Town Meet.
ing candidates had been prepared and filed
in the very limited time allowed by law.
He said there were great many Of the
signers who refused to give any informa.
mission that there was something wrong
and that he could show forty-nine specific
instances of men who either admitted that
they didn't sign the papers or didn't swear
to them, or that they were not familiar
with the qualifications or did not know the
handwriting of others. He asserted that
men were brought in from all sections of
the city to the headquarters of the Town
Meeting party at Fifteenth and Chestnut
streets, where they were asked to sign the
papers and where they were identifld and
their signatures pronounced genuine by Ave
men, who had never seen them before He
also contended that boys had been sent
around through office buildings to obtain
signatures and were paid five cents for
each name they obtained.
MR.. WHITES LEGAL POINT
Mr.. White pointed out that the objection
to the validity of the paper of nomination,
containing over 5000 names, should be de-
cidedly specific and that the court had
jurisdiction only when such objections COM
piled with this requiremnt of the law under
which the proceedings were instituted. 1T
is not enough" he said, "for objectors to
say in a general broad sense that lot
of bogus names appear on the nominating
papers and that the signatures thereto are
not properly vouched. Such allegations are
not sufficient and must be more specific
If the court is to exercise its Jurisdiction
with well-settled principles and authorities"
Mr. Conner at this point declared, There
are forty-nine specific objections in this
case"
you are wrong" said Mr.. White, yours
is nothing more than a blanket averment.
l contend that the law means that objec-
tions like these must be exact and precise
so that respondents may have sufficient
notice in advance, when the objections are
filed, as to what allegations they are TO
meet The statute does not contemplate
such wide spread general objections. 1t is
contrary to the law to file such general
averments, and they should not be allowed
to stand"
Judge Davis said that the court would
rule upon the sufflciency of the objections
at the proper time and he received a copy
of the decision from Mr.. White upon which
the latter depended to support his conten-
tions Of insuftciency Of the objections.
SON SIGNED FOR HIM
When Solomon Weiss, one of the first
witnesses, was questioned to his sigma
ture on a nomination petition, he admitted
he did not sign II and asserted that his
son signed for him. Mr. Connor attempted
to question him as to witnesses, but Mr. |
Glasgow objected. He said that IL Weiss
did not sign the petition there was no use
in attempting TO prove anything further.
The objection was sustained.
Connor said he expected to prove that |
gross fraud was practiced, and IL So the |
court could not allow the Town Meeting |
Party to amend its petitions.
Andrew j. Prendergast, the next wit
ness. said he signed his petition at the |
Town Meeting party headquarters. AT this |
point Connor declared he would prove the |
whole thing was fraud. This declaration |
brought a burst of laughter from those |
assembled, and Judge Davis was compelled |
to reprimand them.
Asked whether he had seen any others |
sign petitions at the independent headquar- |
ters, Prendergast said he had, and that they |
were legally qualified, to the best of his |
knowledge and belief
Questioned as TO how he knew this. Prem
dergast said he only knew because he knew
the men.
Enrico Ritto, a butcher Of $40 Carpenter
street, said he signed his petition in a saloon
Al Second and South streets. He admitted
that he signed II at the request of the
bartender and that he did not know what I
It was about
When Herman Heinrich, of 1855 North
Mascher street. was called, an ATTEMPT was
made 10 prove that he signed the petition
inder the impression that he was not sign.
ng for the county offees but this effort
VAS unsuccessful.
Throurh the questioning ~ A.. rSl.e... a