The daily progressive-miner., 1919-04-10

of G. F. Cramer and Florence Cramel
 and Thomas Riggs, Jr. and Renia Cou
 dert Riggs signed to the registration
 lists in those official records at tn,
 time their wives voted at Nenana or
 November ', 1916, in violation of law
 One who comes into Alaska for the
 first time in June is not qualived under
 the law of Congress to vote on Novem
 Der 7th following. Section 15 of the
 act of Congress of May ', 1916 GA Stat
 L. Sec. 16) also fixes the penalty fol
 a violation of the provicions of the act
 It provides that any person who shall ] vote: "At any time when he may not
 be lawfully entitled to vote, Or unlaw. fully votes himself Or procures another ] to vote, or who shall aid, counsel or procure any person to do so or attempt ! to do any act made a crime hereinafter
 shall be guilty of a crime, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished ,by fine of not more than five hundred
 dollars nor less than one hundred dol
 lars, or imprisonment not more than
 three years, or both, in the discretion
 of the court, and pay the costs of pro-
 secution.'
 And when Commissioner Riggs pro- { cured Renia Coudert Riggs. his wife, to
 vote at that election, and disbursing ! officer Cramer procured Florence E.. , Cramer, his wife to vote at the same polls both they and their wives Were guilty of the criminal acts denounced in the congressional election law, and ought to be punished as if they Were plain common people. instead of Sc.
 curing immunity because they We're high officials in the Alaska Engineer
 ing Commission. and more recently the Governor and Secretary to the Governor of Alaska.
 In addition to the penalties imposed
 by the act of congress for illegal voting the legislature of Alaska in 1915 passed an act to protect the purity of the bal lot box in the territory. Session laws 1915, Chapt 25) Section 27 of the act provides:
 "sec. 27, Disqualified persons voting If any person knowing that he does not possess the legal qualifications of q 1 voter, at any election authorized by law to be held in the territory for any office whatever, shall vote at such election, such person shall be guilty of felony"
 Both these women were disqualified, and they and husbands knew of their lack of qualifications when they pro- cured them to vote, they Were each guilty of crime if they so voted.
 The official records of the election i'll the Nenana precinct show that Ora. mer and wife and Riggs and wife voted at the same polling place and signed the same registration list for the pur- pose of this communication. the eyid ence is convincing that all were guilty of the crimes denounced in both the and territorial election laws. A grand juror informed me that body attempted to indict Riggs for these alleged violations of the con sressional election laws but was pre- vented from doing so by the court off eials at Fairbanks.
 But you will say, what had the Sc. cretary of the Interior to do with the commission of these crimes, even if he facts stated are assumed to be rue? Just this Mir. Secretary: By 'our telegram and letters and by your action in forcing the government rail- 'oad organization into uartisan politics r 'ou gave such employees as Cramer 1 md Riggs to know that it was your ! iesire that the employees of the com mission should do likewise; should rive their time and attention to local politics. They got overly enthusiastic II aid of your idea of conducting par isan politics from the office fthe ( governmet nrailroad, and "went over he top.' With your unworthy example hey concluded it was your desire hey should be as active in their offices IS you Were in your office as admins rator of government ownership and operation of public railroads, and voted heir wives illegally and committed the offences mentioned thereby. It was our bad example which caused them . o become violators of the law. It was our bad example which made the 2 Alaska Engineering Commission the cad and front of the most corrupt | 'olitical machine we have ever seen in Alaska-a corrupt political machine < and in hand with the White Pass Co., Il nd the Alaska Syndicate corporation ' md when the electors of Alaska gave T majority against you, your associates ndertook to steal the election for delegate.