The Montana nonpartisan. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1918-192?, 1919-01-25
(By Special Correspondent A. B
Fussel,)

(By Special correspondent a. d.
Fussel.)
Nearly 1900 cases OF alleged
frauds and irregularities in the gen
cral election in Silver Bow county
have been submitted to the house priv
ilege and elections committee, to
substantiate charges Of illegal voting
and ballot box stuffing at the gen.
cral election.
The house committee, however, did
not seem to be greatly impressed by
the showing made. Chairman Coon
cv of Great Falls informed Attorney
Wellington D. Rankin, representing
the contestants, in effect, that he had
failed to make out case. The COM
mittce decided not to make any in
vestigation or take up the matter in
anv way at present. Mr.. Rankin was
informed that if his clients, the con-
testants, wanted to do anything, they
might take dispositions before the
district court in Silver Bow County
The committee has thus established
the principle that the state does not
have any particular regard as to the
purity Of elections-that if the con-
testants have the necessary money to
investigate wholesale frauds and
want to undergo the expense Of TAX
ing testimony, which may amount to
thousands of dollars, they may do SO:
Just how the poor man, counted
out by an election board. is to OBJ
tain redress in Montana, the commit
tee failed to make plain. i,
The bill of particulars, submitted
bv attorney Rankin on behalf OF the
contestants, is a document of ap-
proximately 200 typewriter pages.
+ covers an investigation of the 81
voting precints of Silver Bow county,
In less than half a dozen voting pre-
cincts there arc no charges OF 1rauos'
Corruption Everywhere.
In each of the other precincts there
is given, first list Of "draft evad-
crs." These are men who failed 70
fill out registration cards or ques-
tionaires and who have been sought
unsuccessfully, by the United States
government for war service.
In some precincts the records snow
that dozens of these men, whose
whereabouts were supposed to be uh-
known, voted either in person or as
absent voters. OF course it is a
matter for individual Judgment
whether they actually voted or wheth-
er other men were found who obliging-
" voted under these names.
Running through the bill of partic-
ulars, the following few cases Of cir
regularities" are taken the hum
dreds cited by the contestants.
In Precinct Julia T. Holland was
unable to write her name on the reg
istration books, putting down cross
as her signature. On the voting reg
ister nelection day the name Julia
T. Holland, is written out in full. In
the same precinct Terry Kinsella also
made his mark for registration, but
was able to write his name perfectly
legiblv on election day.
In Precinct No. 3 it is alleged IN
the bill of particulars that Susie
Fischer, certified as voting, was sick
in bed on election day and did not
vote. James Mccarthy, certified as
voting, never lived at the address Civ
en-. Percy Trethaway, also certified
as voting, left year ago and is with
the army. Others certified as voting
when Investigation showed that they
were not known at all at the adj
dresses given.
In Precinct No. 4 there are two
more cases of voters who could not
write when they registered but were
able to sign the election register. Also
Joe Zucco, with the United States
army. is certified as voting in person.
In Precinct No. s there was still
greater number fvoters who learned
to sign their names between registra-
ton time and election day, four who
used the cross for registration sign
ing the books later.
In Precinct No. 6 a man registered
as James ODonnell must have forgot
ten that fact, the name "James Nc.