The South western news., 1888-08-01
THE CONTEST.
The Dawson Precinct Thrown Out
Stevens Withdraws- Minority
Report.
Dawson journal.

REPORT
Dawson journal.
Last Monday was a day full of
interest to the people of Terrell
county, aud early Monday morning
they began arriving in Dawson
from all sections and by ten o'clock
the town was pretty well filed. AS
is known, at the primary to nomi-
nate a candidate for the legislature,
held on the 30th Of June, DIR, w.
G. Kendrick received one r aioritv
over O. B, Stevens. Mr.. Stevens
decided ia contest the nomination.
and Monday was the day set apart
hv the Executive Committee to be-
gin the investigation. Ever since
the day of the nomination each of
the opposing side had worked UNI
tiringly to get up evidence, and by
Monday had volumes Of alleged ir>
regularitieS practiced OF the day of
the nomination to go before the
committee, but by a mere techni
cality the matter took an unexpect-
ed turn and what promised to be
Il weeks hard work for the commit
tee was cut short by throwing out
the entire vote OF the DAVIS IN pre-
cinct.
There was full attendance of
the committee, and the body was
called to order at 10 o'clock by
Chairman S. r. Christie and the
contest proper begun. The first
clash was when Mr.. Stevens asked
that inasmuch as he had engaged
counsel to assist him in the contest
that they be admitted to the room,
but this request was denied by a
vote of ten to nine.
Resolutions to govern the contest
were introduced by j. w F. Lows
rey and +. L. Rainey, but both
sets of resolutions we're tabled ald
the State election laws adopted as
the rule under which to conduct
the contest.
Mr.. Lowrey theI. threw a bomb
among the Stevens faction by max
ing.a motion to throw out the town
precinct, which gave Stevens a ma
jority of seventy votes. In support of
this motion Mr.. Lowrey argued
that the votes cast at Dawson were
illegal because the polls were opens
cd before Z o'clock. The motion
was sustained, ten voting for and
nine against it. 1t was in evidence
before the committee that the polls
here were opened before Z o'clock
by consent of both Kendrick and
Stevens and the three managers
of the election present. Que of
the managers was absent. It
could not be shown that the result
, of the election would have been
changed at the Dawson precinct
had the polls not been opened un>
til Z O'Clock.
The next question before the
committee was the matter of illeS
gal voters. Stevens asked per.
mission to introduce as a rebuttal
against a similar list a number of
names who voted at the primary
but had not given in any taxes in
the county for 1887. This list was
served on Mr.. Stevens on the 18TH
inst, and hit list to reinHt the eff
fects of one served en- him MAS
served on DIR. Kendrick on the
21st inst. The committee refused
to admit this testimony on the
grounds that notice had not been
given DR.. Ken1rick FIVE days be.
fore the commencement of the in
vestigation.
After the committee had refused
to allow the above evidence to be
introduced, together with the tact
that the Dawson precinct had been
thrown out, Mr.. Stevens arose and
stated that it would be useless to
proceed further with the contest,
and the investigation ended.
A motion was then made and
carried by vote of nine to ten to
declare DIR. Kendrick the nomi.
nee.
Some of the committee were not
satisfied with the throwing out Of
Dawson precinct and made the
following:
MINORITY REPORT,
WE, the undersigned minority
of the Democratic Executive Com.
'mittee of Terrell county, do hereby
enter our solemn protest against
the action Of bare majority OF
said committee this day had for the
reason that the Dawson precinct
should not be thrown out on q mere
technicality of law, when both can.
didates were present and gave their
consent to the opening of the polls
at els o'clock, and when it could
not be shown that the result would
have been changed, all of which