REGISTRATION LIST RENOVATION HAS
BEEN STARTED
Destruction of voter registration
lists under terms of an act of the 1937 legislative assembly was started
Tuesday by County Clerk E. H. Carr and reregistration of voters in Cascade
county was commenced simultaneously.
Under the law, the county clerks
and recorders have until June 5 in which to destroy the old records except the
so called “great register” The registration lists and cards are being
destroyed. ....
Great Falls Tribune June 2, 1937 p. 2, col. 4
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COUNTY REGISTRATION
LIST DESTRUCTION IS COMPLETED
Only
Obsolete ‘Great Register’ Is Retained:
Clerks and Recorders in Other Counties
Have Until June 5 to Finish Task
Destruction of the Cascade county
registration records was completed Wednesday, thereby nullifying signatures
obtained on referendum petitions now in circulation but not checked, it was
learned Wednesday from county officials and attorneys. Reregistration of the voters is now
proceeding.
The destruction of the records was
authorized by an act of the last legislative assembly, but the destruction work
was more complete than was initially indicated.
Some county clerks and recorders in Montana have not commenced the destruction
work as the law provides that this may be done between June 1 and 5 and a few
clerks and recorders have been restrained from carrying out the destruction
work due to the institution of legal proceedings.
In Cascade county, however, the
destruction work has for all intents and purposes been completed. Under
opinions clerks were advised that they might keep the so-called “great
register” of voters.
Retention of this register here has
no significance, it was learned, as the “great register” has not been kept
since 1911. In July of that year the policy of having registration cards was
placed in effect and no further attempt was made to keep up the “great
register”
This fact, it was further
explained, means that all registration records since 1911 have been destroyed.
This includes the registration cards, poll and voting books including those
used at the last general election and other materials.
At the time of the destruction of
the records here and in a few other counties, petitions were being circulated
to submit two measures passed by the 1937 legislature before the voters at the
next election. The measures were so-called SB 65, which gave the governor wider
powers and permitted removal of employees of state and SB 71 which relates to
the Montana
liquor control board.
Signatures on the petitions, which
have not been checked, cannot be checked now as the registration records have
been destroyed, it was stated. This in
effect nullifies the circulation of the unchecked petitions and will also
render the movements to submit the measures to the voters ineffective as little
probability exists of sufficient signatures being obtained and verified before
the time of filing of referendum measures expires.
The latter fact is indicated by the
present registration in Cascade county, whereas on the morning of June 1 there
were more than 18,000 voters.
Great Falls Tribune, June 3, 1937. p. 7
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I had been told that a judge was responsible for the destruction of the missing records
Here is the rest of that story
GRAND JURY CHARGED BY BUTTE JUDGE
Gambling, Election Practices,
Narcotics to be Probed; May Last 30 Days
BUTTE, March 2—(AP)—A far reaching
probe into conditions in Silver Bow county was ordered by District Judge J. J.
Lynch in his charge to a county grand jury Tuesday morning.
Included in the matters which the
jurors are directed to investigate are election irregularities, gambling and
sales of narcotics and liquor to minors.
The court particularly directed
the jurors’ attention to the section of the gambling statute which
relates to collection by officers of “protection money.”
As an indication of the extent of
the investigation, County Attorney John K. Claxton reported to the court that
the grand jury session would continue for not less than 30 days.
The grand jury session was called
by Judge Lynch last Thursday. The investigation into election irregularities
arises out of the contest for the district judgeship between Judge Lynch and
Frank Riley, in which Judge Lynch was declared the winner after a recount had
been ordered in a hearing before District Frank P. Leiper, presiding
judge.
Great Falls Tribune – March 3, 1937 p. 5,
col. 6.
BUTTE GRAND JURY DISMISSED ON 74th DAY; NONE
INDICTED
Butte , May 15—(UP)—Silver Bow’s first Grand
Jury in 20 years was discharged today by
DistrictCourt Judge J. J. Lynch
without returning a single indictment.
The jury, impaneled on March 4 to
investigate alleged election frauds, gambling, liquor and other vices was
dismissed on the ground “that sufficient amount of time had been expended to
gather evidence,” Judge Lynch’s order said.
The jury had been in session 74
days.
Great Falls Tribune-May 16, 1937 p. 6, col. 5
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