The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-02-06
TOO WEAK TO STAND ov ITS LEGS.

Of all tie miserable, sick cases ever
brought into court, was the case OF John
Cleland who wanted the courts to elect him
treasurer Of this county. after the people
had rejected him.
In the first place he AYERS that the polls
were closed in Buffalo Prairie before o.
clock, but he has not even one witness to
prove the fact. None Of the officers OF
the election had a watch. They opened
the polls at what was believed to be the
usual hour. Sometime during the DAY,
there being an old clock in the school house,
somebody wound it up and set 1t by guess.
1t ran awhile and stopped. 1t was started
again. AS it began to grow dark it was
suggested that whoever set the clock set it
too slow,-all agreed that it must be too
slow, and it is said that it was moved for
ward some three.fourths of an hour to what
was thought to be the right time. Lights
were procured, and the election officers
waited for what they believed to BET o.
clock and then closed the polls. No votes
had been offered for sometime. They COM
menced to count, and one man dropped in.
He didn't offer a ballot, but asked if the
box was closed. On being informed that it
was he went away. Politically that man
was opposed to Mr.. Cleland and to all on
his ticket He was the only man who
came to the polls, after closing.
That's all there is of the case. The poll
books are regular in every respect and
there is no pretense of fraud or unfairness
on the part of any body: no pretense that
an illegal vote was cast, or that there was
any error, either in counting or in making
up the returns And all the officers of the
election, we are informed, will testify that
they believed it to be o'clock when the
polls were closed-and believe so now.
What on earth there was to make con
test about is more than we can perceive
unless the John Cleland party want thu
court to count votes for him which wer,
never cast for him, or even offered to b
cast Suppose 1907 even 100, legal voter
in that precinct had gone to the polls afte
they were closed, and, finding them closed
had gone homeland were now to come u
and swear that they were there and want
ed to vote for John Cleland but couldn'
because the polls were closed? Tha
would not help his case any. They mus
first show that is was before o'clock tina
this occurred (even if it had occurred1 an
that they can't do. And they must mex
show that they actually rendered ballot
for Cleland, Failing in both or either {
these points they have no case.
IF it were true that the box was close
before o'clock, and that after the closin
and before the hour of o'clock enoug
legal voters had rendered ballots for Gle
and to change the result, then Porter ougl
to be deprived of the Office. But it ca
not be proven that the box was closed b
fore 7, and it can be proven that not 81
gle ballot was tendered-one man came
vote and he would have voted for Porter
he had got there in time. And now let us,
friendly way, suggest to the John Clelal
party that they have made themselves
object of ridicule throughout the count
by asking the courts to put them in posse
sion of an office they could not get fro
the people. They had neither law, pret
dent or justice on their side. And \
Porter stands stronger in the affections
the people to-day than ever before,