New-York tribune., 1919-09-06
Swami to Subpoena Re-
publicans i'm Ill Elec.
ton Districts in Quest
of BALLOT Grimes
To Ask How
They Voted
Prosecutor Says He Found
Violations i'm Bennett
La Cuardia Contest

Every enrolled Republican in the III
election districts of the first eight
Assembly districts in Manhattan who
is recorded as having voted in Tues
days primaries will be supenaed be-
fore the grand jury next week in an
effort to discover if there is any
foundation for former Senator William
NJ. Bennett's charge that he was robbed
of the Republican nomination for
President of the Board of Aldermen.
In these districts every vote cast was
recorded for Benefits opponent, Rep
rcsentative Fiorello II. La Guardia,
ceived the nomination by 1858 ma
jority
District Attorney Swami, accom-
panied by two Of his assistants, visited
the Board Of Elections yesterday after
noon and inspected the poll books in
the eight Assembly Districts.
Swami Charges Fraud
The District Attorney said he v'aa
convinced that gross, claring and raw
! frauds had been committed in the Ben
metz La Guardia contest"
Bennett in his request for crimina,
inv. stgation told the District Attorney
he believed frauds were committed
throughout the city, and declared it
was Impossible that he could not have
received a single vote in Ill election
districts in the 1st to the 9Th Assem-
bly, district.
The District Attorney said last night
that il the grand jury investigation re-
vealed fraud he would ask for court
order to subpoena the ballot boxes for
examination by the grand jury
Assistant District Attorney Ferdi-
nand N. Pccora has been assigned to
take charge Of the investigation. Yes
/ terday Pecora spent most of his time
pairing them with the poll lists in a
search for discrepancies. He also
made lists of voters in the 32d Election
! District of the I'd Assembly District,
where Bennett was credited with not
one Of the fifty-four votes recorded
Eleven votes in this district were re-
iccted and declared void by the in
Spectors.
Voters To Be Questioned
The District Attorneys office, Mr..
Swami said, is particularly anxious to
| find out the names of the candidates
in whose favor the rejected ballots
we're cast.
District Attorney Swami said that
the voters would be asked the name of
the candidate for whom they voted.
He said:
eff we find single man in that
district who voted for Bennett we will
have established sufficient evidence
of fraud to enable us to go before the
court and ask for the authority to
subpoena the ballot boxes and open
them up in the grand jury room.
There is absolutely no doubt in
my mind that fraud has been COM
mitted. 1t is absolutely impossible
that there could have been so many
districts in which not single vote
was cast for Bennett. A candidate is
certain to get small number of votes,
ii only by mistake.
Fraud has been committed and
can only say that we mean to get the
offenders, just as we did in the cleo
tion Of 1917. l propose asking for
prison sentences for every man we
convict
Bennett announced yesterday that he
was spending his time preparing the
papers to ask the courts for a recount
in the event the official canvass does
not show he has been nominated.
"In 1917 the primary returns sent
in to the newspapers were incorrect,
and | feel that this year the official
canvass will develop the same result"
said Bennett. There are so many dis
crepancies in the returns have al
ready had inspected that, in his opin-
ion, the official canvass will on the
face of the returns declare me to be
the nominee of the Republican party
for the presidency of the Board of AL
dermen. In that event there will be
no necessity for a recount.
''1n the mean time, however, papers
are being drawn and the necessary
steps taken to get everything in shape
for application to the court early next
week, as soon as the result Of the Off
cial canvass has been announced.
II predict that the result will show
am the Republican nominee, and
also predict that | shall be elected
President of the Board of Aldermen