The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1921-11-18
To prevent |. Y. A. OFF.
GALS FROM TAKING OFFICE
State Supreme Court Will Be Asked to Issue In
innction Against Canvassing Board Restrain
ina It From Certifying to the Election

Members of the taxpayers com
mittee claim they are not so much
interested in who shall hold the Of
fees at Bismarck, as they are in
discovering the lengths to which
fraud may be carried in North Da-
kota. IF it is permissible for a
man to sign petition twice, he may
sign it hundred times, or a thou
sand times" said member of the
committee yesterday. "The initia-
tive, the referendum and the recall
give the people Of North Dakota
greater power than is possessed by
the people of any other state, but
If this power is to mean anything
to them it. must be safeguarded
against fraud.
Convinced Frauds were Practiced
''From the Investigations we have
made we are convinced there was
gross fraud in the circulation of the
recall petitions, ana that those pet
ttions are far short of the required
number Of signers. We propose to
nut it right up to the supreme
court, to learn whether we have any
remedy against such vicious mis-
uss Of the recall as was used in this
case"
According to the count MADE py
Secretary of State Tom Hall, the
highest I. v. A. petition carried
1898. names, and the lowest 73.-
1877. The actual number required
was 68,881 names, SO that the high
est petition had 5,012 more names
than the required number, and the
lowest 1906. An average of only
100 illegal names to each county
wcu,d leave the petitions shy of the
required number of names.
Secretary of State Hall claims
that his force did not count dupli-
Gated names. Mr.. Sinkler reported
hat on many lists names have been
scratched off, but that the figures at
the bottom, showing the number on
each list, show that names that are
now scratched off We're at one time
counted.
Too Late, Says Hall
The recall section Of the consti-
tution provides that "such trecalI)
setitions shall be signed by at least
% per cent Of the qualified electors
who voted at the last previous e.ec-
ton for the Office of governor in
the state, county or district from
which such officer is to be recalled. "
Secretary of State Hail yesterday
gave out an interview in Bismarck,
defending the sufficiency OF the pet
tions, and declaring that it is too
late now to attack them. He said:
tsThe attorney general had a
force Of men down in my office
checking the recall petitions long
before the election, and as soon as
hey were filed. That Is why the
law prescribes that the petitions
shall be filed 40 days in acyance of
an election, so that any irregulari-
ties might be loceted. II there had
been any frauds Lemke would have
iiled action prior to the election.
Furthermore there is no fraud per-
petrated when man signs a petit
ton twice, as long as the name is
only counted once "A signer might
have his name on |. dozen petitions,
but 1t would be counted only once
Ind the comparatively small number
Of Implications on the recall petit
tions were counted but once. The
40 days time when legal action
might have been taken has long
since passed. The Leaguers passed
it up themselves and the law is very
plain"