The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-09-17
HIS OWN SWEET WILL
Registry Agent Kirby Carried Things
With Z High Hand.
blinded by Pnrti~snahip. He Briss- nsa
O0ece Into UniverualC Oatesnpa-
~nnstaace~ ut GFOss In
Justice.

special TO the SfAndaru.
BUTTE, Sept. 16.-Mfuch Indignation is
Expressed here over the disgraceful man.
ner I'm which tire office for registration
district No. 3 has been conducted by the
registration agent. John Kirby. Respecta-
BILE republicans Join with the democrats
i'm condemninR Kirby's higt-handcd ad-
ministration Of the affairs Of his office.
The question asked how ON every side IL
"How did the county commissioners ever
come to appoint such a man as Kirby reg
istration agent" Kirby Is n well known
republican politician, whose chief recon-
tn recognition at the hands of
his party In this city has always been his
indomitable gall and peculiar knack Of
kicking up q very di~saRreeable row i'm the
party ranks IL he did not get all lac asked.
His seal in behalf OF his party has
brought din culties upon him i'm the past
upon several different occasions; mo-
toriously when, n few years ago, he took
the stump I'm the interests of Col. Sanders
and presumed To speak for the knights Of
Labor Of Butte; of which order Kirby was
u IN The laboring men were not
long in calling the blatant intri8aer down,
nSSey se :.e. Ih e, , ssp%d anaS ,S Mri n Hi5hy,s
platform, and NO bitterly did they resent
the claim set up by Kirby To net as their
owned as 9 mer1,er Of the order OF the
The appointment of Kirby as registry
i'm District No 3: and the men who made
the appointments did violence to the trust
Imposed In them by the electors OF Silver
office il was not to he expected that Kirby
would forget his politics in office. Some
rageously unjust and many good and
morally and icRaIiy. entitled 70 reg
political ~autocrat, who missed no oppor~
tiinity TO impress upon the people OF his
district ING irnportance OF ms Office. His
to register was, I'm many instances, posi.
lively insulting. Scores Of incidents could
man for this office. As example: When
a young man, who had been, for four or
five years, "a resident of Montana. and
States, went to Kirby's office to register
he was informed that he was disqualified
because he had paid Q visit OF "a couple OF
sisted that he had only been ON a visit;
t tl,as ne fr saa n Mor,. ,saily yb rsn S " sag nis rim IN
i'm fact, all his business interests has been
past five Years. Kirby said he
would not allow him To register.
His Interpretation of the law was literal
and according to- his reasoning any man
who, though living i'm Montana. yet left
the territory Tor any period OF time during
tne psss. s,s months, wnGthsS @m pieas;,re
ering!
A man sworc he came to Montana on
The election will be held on October LIST.
and the man would therefore he just quill
fled to register under the six months
clause. But Kirby knew he was a demo
crat and barred him out.
"A poor fellow who could not speak the
great majorss osiiee and signed the aitld"-
Wit declaring himself a citizen of the
United States, and stating that he had
been six months i'm the territory and thirty
days i'm the county. Kirby i'm his usual
and importont manner, began
asking the poor fellow irreylant questions
confusing him. The elictor swore that he
came to Helena from the east ON
that h he arrived in Butte %s on thc 9th OF
March, and engaged board at the Chicago
House. The GEAR of the registration office
in a voice full OF judicial dignity Informed
the would-be voter that II would he neces-
sary s;r him to 20 to the he, no; tel, and md bring
ment that he had arrived at that date was
correct. The man who wanted to register
House kept a register for the names of
well, then, proclaimed King Kirby.
ssYou will have to- go down and get the
landlord of the hotel to come mp here and
testify that You came here upon the date
YOU have sworn you arrived
The man, who was no doubt innocent of
the law, then left to hunt up proof that he
came to Butte when he sworc he did. Per-
maps liz otr&NStsu VIII NV NaNt
amount of worry and annoyance caused
him i'm his endeavor to place himself in n
position to exercise the franchise, and he
may never have returned to regis
ter. In any case he was entitled to reg
lister without being subjected to- such i'm
dignities as those heaped upon him by the
agent of the law.
Again, a man who was known to he a
, democrat entered the place to register.
! but because he did not know the number
) of the house he was told his "applicatioii
to register was refused!" 1t was all In
vain that the man argued that his house
had no number Kirby said the law was
very strict upon that point and he must
have the number or he could not register
the voter.
A German who Is employed i'm the Cen.
tennial brewery swore he had taken out
, his naturalization papers years ago. HI
named the court and year when he had
obtained them. He said they were left IN
a safe in Helena. but wer, mislaid by
some one there and he could not find
them. But Kirby would not allow
him to register. though the law dis
tinctly allows IL under these circumstances
until q number of people hearing Of the
case went to Kirby's Office and. by threats
of administering some unpleasant per
suasion, finally compelled the naughty
Individual to accept the mans sworn
statement and to register the mans
Another instance was where a man whe
had lived d years i'm Montana, and who