The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-12-02
Only 2,0Sl Valid Signatures
on Councilmanic Petition
and 1904 on City Manager
Irregularities
Not Yet Corrected-Recall
Committee to Meet Today.

NOllilllillSS ~ A'ASSt
The amended petition for the recall
OF the eleven members OF city So"'''
last night was certified 10y cry 'teFN
Howard &. Lane as tnsutdcient l"
make the recall effective. reference III
the clerks certificate II his taouiat"n
report on the petition FOR the reEa" y.
civ MANAGER Homer {. Crago Indicates
hat the city clerk holds that the city
manager recall petition Is ais" inSot"-
Gent. shortly after eight o'SlocN iaSt
evening, City Clerk Lane summ"heu
newspaper reporters TO his office. ana
made public the following cert''c"'e
which he had just signed:
II, Howard G.. Lane. clerk of the lily
Of Wheeling do hereby certify mat 'Ne
within petition. consisting OF lht papers
has been examined by me. and nave
ascertained that the said petition i 'n
sufficient 1t is accordingly hereWN't
returned to samuel NJ. Moves ana Ohr'
0. Schmidt. who originally h'eu '"e
same. ~
with this cCrtthcate offer taou-
ra,ion of the petitions and refer furth-
~ m nv report on this petition and
,h,t filed for the recall OF the CITY
CsigneO HOWARD t. LANE
Clerk OF the
city OF Wheeling
december !. 1921.
Many Doubtful Signatures
SEetching hurriedly over his 'aoul"I-
ed report with lutelhG"ncer reporters
civ clerk Lane said chat the report
shows that the clerk approved 2'oSl sIS-
natures on the petition Tor the reC8l! VI
the city CounCilmen. OF "htCh hp"'oe''
he said, 1876 are doubtful
On the petition for the recall or the
city MANAGER. Mr. Lane said. the re-
mort apuroves 2.O34 signatures. Of which
he said a. are doubtful. In case oI
doubt regarding any names, the c!erS
said. the petition was given the oeneH'
Of the doubt
The city clerk said thai there are
approximately six thousand names on
each Of the recall petitions. Signatures
other than the number reported rs
'approyed' on each petition. he said
.were rejected for reasons recited in the
report.
IAN examination Of the petitions re
Med on November 81" according to the
city clerks report. "discloses that there
has been no effort whatsoever TO correct
ANY Of the ire ulari;tes OF these retl'
tons. except 10 supply the athda'!
required in Section Twenty-Five t22) oil
the charter. Even this has not beer
done thorouChly There has been full
and free discussion OF the subject OF
addresses. right OF one person TO SigF
for another. proper afddavits. and. II
brief, OF practically every subject sus
rested in this report. Our Information
WAS that these papers would be correc'
beyond Al criticism. II should o.
known laat they have not been corrected
at ALL
Some Of the Reasons
After explaining the lester and mum
Der Identification Of the petition papers
the city c,erR IN his report goes on L
signatures on the petitions were re
jectNd.
One a. the principal reasons. accord
Ing 20 the clerk. Is that signatures (th'
clerk would not estimate the nnmpe'
for repnrtersYs!fre. no. |the genuine sig
natures Of the voters whose names they
are, In many instances. the clerk re-
ported. one person would sign Tor al
the Other voters in the house. Ever
with their permission. this docs no
r'"Ka -" signatures genuine. ana man!
signatures were rejected for this reason
the clerk explained
Another reason FOR many Of the sin
natures hc,uS rejected. the clerk Sale
= ;rar the afNdnv!ts Of the person
who circulated sections Of the petition
ar. in~aNd. The section OF the charte
idirs for n recall. said Mr.. Lane
gIareS that the affant on each pet
ton must he one OF the stgners as
petitioner. and IN many Instances. ~he
the rapar he'd been hlled with sigma
tmres. another sheet was started. Fac
sheet used had tho came caption. tn
clerk holds. this making each d!feren
ret'tinn The af!!an;. Mr.. Lane sale
when signing the afhdayi, would sig
me bottom o. the second or third shee
rs the case might be. instead OF SIgnin
each sheet: thus. he holds. but one snee
nf man" sections Of the petition ~ WALTZ
Had the afaant signed zach sheet. h
said. Ne would have had 20 sign eac
shcat ;,l.o 80 retittoner. thus maxim
the raper invalid again.
Several Of the persons who "ircnia'c
tho petitions. Mr.. Lane said. were SAN
.ncrrd before the city clerk and whe
questioned. told OF one person siGnsn
for several persons in the same nous
In sob Instances. Mr.. Lane said. IN
SIGNATURES in question were rejected.
Expected IT." Says Noyss.
ct, Is nothing more than we expected
u,s ,ra comment last night OF AttOrne
9 NJ Moves. chairman OF the recall con
mittcc representing the Good Cover
u,eut League and League OF Wome
Voters. 1T is 4 continuation OF II
,hiry which was started on May -. ar
is ftting finale.
Mr. Noyes said that he and other 4
,ornevs Interested in the recall NOV
ment Will meet this morning TO mai
full study OF the city clerks repo
and decide upon their future course.
Mr.. Moves declared on the origin
60 n eli