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Show I FUSION GANDiDATES ,j MAY CONTEST VGTE I Charge Weber County Voting Vot-ing Machines Were Not Legally Inspected. FIFE MAY BE ELECTED Throwing Out of Machine Tallies Will Cut Smoot ; Plurality 1000. ' Democrats and Progressives are care-j care-j '. fully investigating the election returns in ' ' Weber county with a view to ascertaining ascertain-ing whether or not the election laws were fully complied with in the recent election in that county. The fusion forces are at a loss to account for the heavy nepubli- ' can plurality in a county which they thought would be very close. An apparent irregularity in the use of 1 the voting machines in the cities of Og-. Og-. den. Tluntsvllle and Plain CiXy may form ' the hasU of an election contest in Weber ' . county. The laws of Utah apparent!! rlnarly provide for an Inspection or the voting machines by the governor, the attorney at-torney teneral and the secretary ot state ' hefore the machines shall be used at any ' election. The contention is made that no i inspection of the machines used in US? ; I, was made prior to the recent election. ' Inspection Required. ; ' One section of the laws of 1SC7 relative to voting machines provides as foUows: ! ' $6Sx Commission on voting ma chines established. Duties: The gov - i ' enior. the secretarv of state and at- I toinev general, and their successors I in office, arc hereby created and con- '- stituted the state commission oil v-ot- i ' ing or balloting machines. It shall he I the dutv of said commissioners to ex- ''" amine all voting or balloting machines , which mav be offered for their Inspec- tion in order to determine whether I." such machines comply with the re- : quiremonts of this chapter and can : safclv be used hv voters at elections f tind.-"r Hie provisions of this chapter: and no macliine or machines shall be provided by the board of county com-l com-l missioners or city council, or otn.-r board having charge and control of ! ' elections In each of tne counties and ' clues or towns of the state, unless the ! said machine or macnines shall have received the approval ot a majoiity of said commission as herein pro- !' ided. Another section bearing on the same 1 1 sr.bject follows: 7 sii2 Approval ninety days before election No machine or machines 1 s ill he used unless such machine or I machines shall have received the ap- i .roval of the .te com rn.ss .onat at "which "such" machine or machines -. are to be 'used. : f Mav Bar Machines. ' i Granting that there was no inspection nr aDuroval bv the board ot t.e 'I machines u-ed in Weber county prior I1- to the recent election the question i , ari--e" as to whether or not failure to r. .Imply with the statutes invalidate the election in the districts 'i wlier- the machines were used. If it sioiM invalidate the election In districts w'h-re machines were used it would mean i t' it the vot of Weber county would be counted onlv in the districts where paper ': "lh Idling would mean the election of some of the fusion candidates for coun-tv coun-tv o-'ficts in Weber county and would cut Smoot's pluralitv in the stale more than ;, K'f.o votes. Alex Fife, the fusion candidate candi-date for sheriff of Weber county, wno was defeated by 210 votes, called on the leaders lead-ers of the Democrats and progressives In Salt lake vesterdav and discussed with them tne possibility of a contest If the : returns from the voting machine d.stricts, in Weber county were thrown out ri,C wouid be elected by a large margin. |