Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-29
HARD TO TRACE
ILLEGAL VOTES
emocratic State Chairman lens
How Difficult Task
il Is.


.ha,,man today explained the difficulties
under " hich the DEMOCRATS have labored
IN their efforts to keep the registration
lists clean of illegal voters. Ills statement
which reviews the situation follows:
Il think il reasonably certain that
citi,ens generally are well acquainted
with thu facts pertaining to registration
anneals lately heard by the resident asso-
LAT. ;udcr of New Castle county. In
WOW of ccrta in statements appearing
in the public press OF thus morning
thought i, prudent 20 make hriei state
ment so that there may be no doun' aS
to the exact condition which developed
q, the hearings III, !.
Thu, outstanding fact, probabiN oe-
serving chief attention, Is the statehloi't
OF the chairman of the Republican sta'c
COMMITTEES made several days ago when
IDLY Justified the Inference that the
Rcn,hlican State Committee began TO
extend protection to Republican voters
from the very moment of the publication
of my warning against Illegal lcglstra-
zion ON the dav prior to the last registra-
non dav. If this Is correct. then II Is lih-
n.ssihlc 10 calculate how much my state
mont of the 18th instant may have ac-
complShcd.
ON, az the statements appearing IN
Tho ncv-s item of the press article above
,.fcrr,d 10 Is that Ill thirty eases II was
,npossihl, to procure service OF process,
and therefore the parties appealed coulu
not br brought before the court. II +
undoubtcdlv we'll understood that ~
Tho prosecution of registration appeaiS
formal notice must he served upon tht
marty appealed requiring hun or heT 70
a,rcar IN court AZ a certain time and cs-
L. n
t,,n ~ the nudge Failure 70 procure
,cr,.,c, ~ process. therefore. means that
tLo ,ortics could not hc found he reWs
.,o,,ncnt reports the number oi such
cescs a, thirty | am lncllrcd 10 believe
,ha, tau,c> Rovcc esquire. who hao
.haryc ~ the appeals for the Democratic
mart, has told me that the NUMBER @
cases M winch process could not hC scrvet
50 greatly IN excess ot th.tN Now the
r.,,,,,cnt uuesti0n ls do thc>c individuals
a., b,y, Iccn appealed and Who canno
-, N. l,ratcd i've III " Ilmngton |
80. R,puhhcan state Chairman coul,
.,t,sf, The people II Wilmington upoI
,h,s po,ut am surC they would he hlgh
Ngam. one u the questions tai>cd i
~. sppeal~ was the educational quahh
ratton set M ~ thc state onSututlol
The prnNislon oi the CONSTITUTION i ina
=. ,if,rcn shall vote. where the cltlzeI
hes reached the axe q twentN-one Slhc
Ionnqrv 1900. unless such Cltlzen
can url,e his name and read the consttu
t,on ~ the state According 20 Mt
Rovce.s information To me many 81 IN
rcsistrants who were appealed on TIN
ground openlv testified that they wer'
horn either in 1877 or 1873, thereby put
ting tnem bevond the pale u the Constr
tuticnal provision In fact, 50 frequentl,
was this the case. that Mr. Boyce has re
nor,ed to me that aS soon as q registrar
-eported his or her birth in one Of the tw'
wears above mentioned. i would create
laugh in the Court The check used b
the Democratic organization was, I
my oninion. lust as accurate rs. under a
tho circumstances Of the case, II was pos
.;hIe 10 make it. Ii could hardly be con
elusive. absolutely because Of the dit
Guilty involved in the matter. Therefore
when the registrant testified that ne wa
horn II. 1877 or 1S7S. and was supporfe
nv the testimony Of father or q Inothe'
II can readily be seen how dltilcult the>
situations arc and how serious n probleI
il i. to undertake 10 solve them
FINALLY III the matter q the age test
xerv much IN. same difficulty Is ahov
outlined developed A'ii IL Ct'-e - NJ -
unfortunately not available IN TACT, -
cordinr 10 information received from u
Rovce. the reglstrants usually testlhe
that hey were born in Maryland. nd'
the circumstances II Is quite clear that Il
best possible check upon these cas'
would be the previous admission III II
presence Of two witnesses that The paru.
were under the age OF twentY-ona.
the prosecution OF Mamie Wilkinson 81
denied the statement previously mat
and coDtended that she was over tWeit.
one and further brought her mother IN
Court 10 support her statement. n
,aunt condition also DEVELOPED IN the d
peals The result in the Wilkinson ca
was that 81. was dismissed so also 7
result in a number OF the appeals on II
ground was dismissal.
The foregoing VIII make clear. /.
,ure. TO all good citizens the great dlf
Guilty involved IN these cases. / am co
WINGED. however hat much good has oe'
accomplished. PRIOR statements of the Il
pubhcan state chairman, above reterT
10 confirm nv view ! only wish that o
appeals might have been more effective
supported bu, under the clrcumstanC
the hest possible checks were appil
end undoubtedly the best doue that cot
be- dotc am quite satisfied that the cat
of ri,.,u elections has been served and l
suhverted by our efforts.