New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-28

Assembly districts IN Brooklyn, two dls-
;ricts in Queens and one in Richmond.
Mr. Bennett lost three in the lst As
anbly District in Queens and gained
three in the I'd District. In the Sd
District he gained eight. In the sth
Assembly District in The Bronx Mr..
Mitchell gained six. In the I'd Assem-
bly District in Richmond Mr.. Bennett
gained I'VE. The count OF the first four
Assembly districts in Brooklyn was as
follows:
Dist Candidate. Gain
lst--Bennett ...............'..''. .
9d-Bernett ........... ......'' y
3d-Bennett .....'..'''.'.. '...'.'''''' - o
Benefits total gain in the eight dis
tricts in The Bronx was about sixty.
II was stated at o'clock this morn
ing that the inspection in all boroughs
would be completed by 8 o'clock to-
night.
Swami Starts Fraud Inquiry
The principal other developments
yesterday were:
Steps taken by District Attorney
Swami toward 3 grand jury investi-
cation Of TIE primary election, in
view Of possible fraud in the Mitchell
Bennett contest.
The announcement by Mayor
Mitchell and his counsel. Abraham $.
Gilbert, that if the final results of
the ballot inspection showed Mr..
Bennett 10 be the Republican nomi-
nee, they would join him in an appll-
cation 10 the court 10 legalize his
title 10 the Mayoralty place on the
Republican ballot.
The practical assurance that the
Mayor would run independently
against Bennett, and the reorganlza-
tlon Of the Fusion campaign com
mittee 10 handle the Mitchell cam
paign independently from headquar-
ters in the Hotel Manhattan, with
the Mayor himself at the helm.
An order obtained by counsel for
Mr. Bennett from Justice Goff re-
strsining the Board of Elections
from certifying the name Of Mayor
Mitchell TO the Secretary Of State At
Albany as the Republican candidate
for Mayor This was to forestall the
early printing Of the ballots, with
Mayor MitchePs name on them, to be
sent TO the American soldiers in
France.
Hurried conferences between
Mayor Mitchell and r-Ominent mem
berS of the Fusion Committee of
1917. and members Il the Fusion
campaign committee, al Fusion mead
quarters, at which the Mayor did
most of the talking.
The statement by Morris Hillquit,
the Socialist candidate for Mayor, at
the luncheon of the Brooklyn Civic
Club. that the local situation was
growing more favorable every day 10
the Socialist cause in the coming
election, and the prediction that the
local Socialist vote on November 9
would be an "eye-opener."
Bennett Gains Steadily
While the first Bennett gains in the
lower districts Of Manhattan might
nave indicated unintentional errors on
the part Of unintelligent voters, the
monotonous recurrence Of palpable mis-.
takes in the official count led to the
general suspicion that systematic fraud
had been practiscd. Bennett continued
10 gain steadily in Manhattan and The
Bronx, IN one or two districts tallying
!Iom forty TO sixty votes more than
Mitchell
The Fusion leaders and Mayor Mitch
el himself had expressed confidence
that the examination of the ballots in
Brooklyn would show material gains
Tor the Mayor. They predicted that
tue Bennett lead would be Offset in
hinRs The count in the first few AS
sembly districts Of Brooklyn did not
snow this. Bennett made material
gains in the first three Brooklyn dis
uicts inspected. Mayor Mitchell showed
gain Of nine votes in the 4th Assem-
bly, District, which left Benefits lead
az that time 426.
The action Of the District Attorney
Yesterday followed a conference with
EDWARD F. Boyle, president of the
Board Of Elections. The District At
tomey said that he and Mr.. Boyle
agreed that official action was neces-
sary in view Of the condition of the
ballots and other indicated irregulari-
ueS. Subppnas were prepared for ser
wee on ballot clerks and inspectors in
every election district where fraud was
suspected.
Irregularities Found
District Attorney Swami dispatched
tNo Of his assistants, Nelson Olcott
and John c. Wallace, TO 125 Worth
street, 70 watch the inspection Of the
ballots and take notes. Mr.. Nelson
and Mr.. Wallace reported to the Dis
met Attorney later that they had dis
severed irregularities in some of the
osllotS, indicating that they could not
POSSIBLY have been the result Of honest
mistakes.
The District Attorney declared he
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