The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-11-21
PUT IN REVIEW.

| cal dist urbance i'm Montana ought to
Ike constantly before the public. They
are these. \ precinct was established
by the republicans at the IIOmestake
tunnel and the managers g~leefully an
nounced that every vote east there
would he theirs. Before the sun went
down on election day, il was evident
that they had missed their guess: the
precinct was overwhelmingly demo
cratic. Not u wore of criticism had
been passed on the registration at the
tunnel. That was almost exclusively the
work of republicans and although they
were bOastfully offering rewards for
detection of illegal registration. no
complaint was made of the voting
quality of any man registered there:
and nine names out of ten about which
any suspicion might arise were put Oh
the books by republicans.
The vote of the precinct was thrown
o M because there were but three judges
the law requiring five because the
count was not conducted at the polling
place but was made in private. because
the entries were made i'm another hand
tina n of the clerk. On the other
hand, il was shown i'm the presence of
the returning board that the poll was
orderly throughout the day. that the
count was transferred from n tent at
the brow of IIomestake hill. when the
night air became too chilling. tn "a cabin
near by, that an orderly count with
wide open doors was rendered impOssi-
BILE by the annoying presence of a
drunken deputy sheriff. but that Others
witnessed the count although the doors
were closed against this interfering
officer and his I'M that n entries
were made by "a Judge at the request of
a clerk who WAS not skilled i'm penman-
ship and who requested help. The
clerical work was in the hands of re-
publicans and none of them could he
nduced to admit that the vote or it's
total was in any sense wrong or dis
honest.
To help perfect u fraud. anidavits
were submitted to the canvassing
board. In almost every instance the
authorship of these afiidavits has been
denied under oath by the men who
were alleged tn ave made them. and
this newspaper has published the sworn
testimony of several voters at the tun-
mel precinct who declare that they were
offered large sums of none if they
would make false oath regarding the
vote there. Some of this testim Ony
comes from Did residents near Home
stake hill who have been known per-
sonally to the writer for years. who
NV shtASVb WV bVyIbstN't sthhu WI
tainly above purchase.
The three judges i'm question were APP
pointed by h very men who threw out
the tunnel vote becaust, five Judges
were not named. The law calls for u
number of Judges i'm proportion to the
vote at the preciuct. The tunnel poll
was new and the event proved that
Mr.. Jack and his associates did not
know. when Judges were appointed,
how large the vote would be. The
same mistake was made right in the
city of Butte but il was not i'm the
thought of the ~canvassers to throw
thai precinct out. il being assumed that
h vote itself was honestly counted, M
was the case ut the IIOmestake tunnel.
This being the situation, it was
deemed an outrage hat 3a4 voters
should be thrown out by any canvass
ing board. The question was promptly
carried tn "a court. than which no court
on the continent has enjoyed more uni
versal respect. Lawyers in behalf of
h attempted steal delayed proceedings
by every form of trivial delay. 1t was
whispered that h state would be pro-
claimed i'm IL hurry. h state returning
board got out Of the way and thus in
quiry int the action of the c~anvassing
board he blocked. President IIarrisOn's
son flew to Washington with returns
that did not take account of the vote
In dispute, ON the counting of which the
political complexion of the Legislature
depended. but ~ he ~journeyed the court
was pushing its inquiry and the state
canvassers, fearing relief might not
come in time from Washington, hastily
adjourned without "a day. Just when
the court, after thorough investigation
of all the facts. reached a conclusion
and ordered the vote counted, President
Harrison proclaimed the state. without
consultation with his cabinet. with full
knowledge that the Montana returns
were not completed and with "a degree
of haste thai has caused unpleasantness
i'm his official household and subjected
him to the criticisms of honest men
and newspapers of commanding infiu-
ence in the East.
Then the handful of republicans who
had managed the conspiracy smiled be-
nignly AS they remarked tn the MEM
bers of the assembly elected by the tun-
mel vote: You must get your state
certificates. The state board has ad-
journed and we secured President Har-
rison's proclamation in time to prevent