Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-10-24
Trying to Steal the Montana. Legisla-
ture.

The Republicans i'm Montana are en-
gagged in the old game of stealing the
Legislature, which has been so often
played by that party in other States.
The Republicans on Sunday last began
to "claim" q majority. Dispatches
from Helena state that "the count in
Silver Bow county. of which Butte is
the county seat, has been completed,
but the Republican counsel have pro-
tested against counting the returns
from the eighth and thirty-foulth pre-
cints. Arguments have BEEN made be-
fore the board by the counsel for both
sides. If these precincts are thrown
out, it will elect nearly all the Republi-
can county officials, and seat the Re-
publican State Senator and two Repre-
sentatives from this county. The Re-
publican arguments weresupplemented
by affidavits alleging fraud in the thir-
ty-fourth precinct. The objections to
the returns from the eight precinct are
purely technical. Both give Demo-
cratic majorities. The total member
ship of the legislature is II, and by the
above calculation the Republicans have
36 aud probably 81. The canvas in
Lewis and Clarke county (Helena) is
still incomplete. The legislative vote
is not yet counted. The Democrats are
alarmed at the outlook"
A dispatch from Helena on Tuesday
says: "While excitement runs high
over the Republican attempt to capture
the legislature by unseating members
in Silver Bow county, there has been no
outbreak of any sort. The Democrats
are confident that the courts will sus-
tain their view that the county can
vassing board had no right to throw out
any duly certified returns. The courts
have held in other cases that the can
vassers exercised only ministerial func-
tions, and had no right to reject any re-
turns.
"Leading Republican lawyers concur
in this opionion, and say the Democrats
will have their men seated by order of
the court. The more reputable Repub-
licans condemn the resort of the party
managers to such high-handed proceed
ings. Chief Justice Blake, of the terri
torial court, Is strongly opposed to such
tactics. Ex-Governor B. Platt Carpen-
ter says: The Republicans have no
case and the masses of the party will not
support them in this outrageous pro-
ceeding' Mayor Fuller, strong Re-
publican, says he will have nothing to
do with the party if it resorts to viola
tions of law to win.
1.-THE attempted Republican steal is
engineered by Colonel w. F. Sanders,
who wants to be q United States Sena.
tor; A. J. Seligman, formerly of New
York; L. HI. Hershfield, and one or two
others who want to go to the Senate.
1t was disclosed that Henry Bernard,
the man who made affidavits of the
Silver Bow cases, was an old State pris-
on convict. He was convicted of mur-
der in Murray, Idaho, in 1854, and SEN
fenced to eight years. imprisonment.
He served part Of his time and was
pardoned through political influence.
He has been a Republican hanger-on
here during the campaign, but was not
prominent until the Republican man.
ayers employed him as affidavit maker
in the interest of pure elections. If
Bernard does not run away he will make
an interesting witness for the Demo-
Gratis in the contest in the courts. 1t is
on Bernard's work that the Republicans
have made their entire case.
"The only fear the Democrats now