| Show wi gal ali 1 inquisitorial body scored elections held in chicago ca 01 voting machines advised chicago dec 4 the ballots ol of men long residents of other cities of temporary absentees of the insane and even of tile the dead were cast in the primary election of last august in chicago repeaters voted in platoons with the connivance of wilfully unseeing judges and clerks of election and fraud rampant to an extent hitherto unknown in a city nem never famous for the purity of its political atmosphere rendered the resultant party nomina eions worthless worth loas these and allegations were made today in the report of the special grand jury which after several weeks of delving into charges growing out of Chi cagos first primary and returning 81 indictments against two score or more of politicians and others was adjourned jour ned the investigation owing to physical limitations merely scratched the surface of the situation according to the report and doubt is expressed that there has been an honest city or general election in chicago in years the findings of the industrial body characterized the primary election as a disgrace to the city voting machines are urgently advised as a step in a remedial direction and a wider application of civil service is recommended it is stated that while the jury cannot affirm that no frauds were perpetrated by civil service em aloyes it is significant that the in qui found none such on the other hand the report remarks the fact that although the police were in the vicinity of every polling booth the investigators received no aid from them in seeking to fasten responsibility for the conditions which prevailed referring to the fact that frank J loesch the special states attorney appointed to conduct the investigation had been compelled by injunction to perform his public duty without compensation pensa tion even drawing on hid hl own purse for necessary expenses in one instance the report denounces the men Iv responsible touching on conditions which have obtained at elections the report says in addition to the testimony directly hearing upon the crimes and misdemeanors meanous for which true bills were found the grand jury heard much testimony regarding the conduct of said primary election and also general elections and find a deplorable condition of affairs of certain wards not creditable to the officials who are charged by law with the conduct of elections and disgraceful to the city of chicago which has permitted such election frauds to go on almost unquestioned until this time we find and so report that no confidence can be placed in the reported results in favor of or against any candidate for a party nomination at the primary election and yet that election cost tho abo taxpayers of chicago fully fraudulent registration leading to fraudulent voting repeating by platoons of men who were voted first for one party then for the other party candidates at the same precinct voting names of absentees non residents insane and dead men accepting false affidavits on behalf of the disqualified voters known to the judge to be so numerous and flagrant perjuries per juries by party voters to enable them to cast illegal votes taking votes from nonresident voters without affidavits in support of such votes fraudulently writing names on tile the poll books and putting ballots in the boxes to correspond keeping up on the registers names of men who had removed from the precincts and voting them voting ing the same name more than once at the saine same precinct franchising voters by permitting their names to be voted by others marking ballots after tile flie boxes word were opened handing voters ballots already marked tor for te certain ertain candidates marking ballots for voters against their wishes and so putting ballots into the ballot boxes ing vot voters le rs and compelling them to vote tor for their candidates cand candi lates ates contrary to their wishes strangers and police officers being permitted to handle the ballots after the boxes wore opened so as to permit of fraudulent marking of lal tal lots wore were proved before us and aro ar by no mea means ns all of the devices which we have reason to believe were resorted to from the facts coming to our knowledge we express serious doubt whether there has been any honest general or city election in chicago for years past we report that in our I 1 opinion much of said fraudulent voting was done in pursuance of general schemes of corruption the nature ch character ameter and extent of which we haa had not the time fully to develop the report declares that tile the election commissioner should exercise greater care in the selection of election officials in closing it recommends recommend a law making compulsory the services of voters as judges and clerks of election and that general elections inspectors provided for by law shall be men of character and standing with police authority |
