The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-17
afraid Of the Truth.

meat of the Montana contested election
cases. A few DAYS ago the democrats pro-
posed to submit the cases 20 an investigating
committee composed equally of republicans
and democrats, for the purpose Of getting
before the public an authorized statement
of the facts. The republicans refu,ed 10
accept this proposition, although they were
unable to say that il was not a fair
one. The truth is, they know they
are in the wrong, and they do not
want the facts 10 go to the public
with the sanction Of an investigating com
mittee. They hope that the democrats
will become weary of the contest, and. to
secure a settlement, will give them one of
| thesenatorships. From present indications
this hope hasn't much to rest upon. The
democrats know they are in the right, and
they are likely to maintain their position
until public sentiment in Montana compels
the republicans to abandon their effort to
steal the two senatorships, or a way is
found to break the deadlock.
The Republican party has never hesitated
| to resort to unfair means to carry its point,
| and in the matter Of returning boards it has
a very unsaYory record. Many times in
! the southern states during the reconstruc-
ton period, it used the returning board to
| defeat the will of the people. The effort to
do the same thing in Montana was I'M
doubtedly suggested by what it had done
in the south.
1t seems strange that any honest republi-
can member of the Montana legislature
should lend assistance to the scheme to de-
feat the will of the people of that state as
expressed at the polls. If the re-
publicaus had had a majority OF the
legislature with out the disputed precinct
in Silver Bow county. it is certain that
there would have been no opposition to
receiving the vote of that precinct
The disputed precinct is No. 81, and there
were ia votes cast in it, all Of which were
for the decorate ticket except 8. When
the republicans found that they had lost
the governorship and also the legislature
they Immediately determined to get control
OF the legislature, if possible, and thus get
the two United States senatorships. They
found that il precinct "a were thrown out
Silver Bow county would elect the repub-
lican ticket and give the legislature to the
republicans. They asserted that the fact
that only 3 republican votes were cast in
precinct "a was suspicious, although in one
other precinct all of the votes cast were re-
publican, and in still another there were
only democratic votes in the 152 cast.
The voting was by the Australian method,
and there was therefore no chance for
fraud. The republicans however, secured
an affidavit which had the names of eight
persons to it, who declared that they all
voted the republican ticket at precinct No.
"a. The county canvassing board, which is
composed Of republicans, although it had
no authority to reject any votes, accepted
this affidavit without inquiring whether it
was genuine or not, and rejected the re-
turns from precinct No 81
The democrats looked up the history of
this affidavit, aud found that it had been
obtained by man who had been convicted
of murder in Washington. Territory, and
that he had been hired to obtain it. Four
of themen whose names were signed to it
declared that they had never signed it. and
the other four alleged signers could not be
found anywhere. 1t was discovered, how
ever. that one of the fugitives had probably
signed it, and that he did so after having
been made so drunk that he did not know
what he was doing. 1t was shown that the
Washington Territory convict had at
tempted to bride men to sign the affidavit.
1t was upon this fraudulent affidavit that
the republican canvassing board based its
illegal actio1.
But the law under which the election was
held provides that the clerk of the county
commissioners of each county shall issue
the certificates of election to members of
the legislature elected in that county. The
clerk in Silver Bow county is a democrat.
and in compiling the vote of the
county he counted precinct 81, and issued
certificates of election to the democratic
candidates. The republicans, seeing that
they were about to be beaten, applied to
the state board of canvassers, also COM
posed of republicans, to issue certificates to
the republican candidates for the legislature,
and the application was granted, although
that board had no authority to do anything
of the kind Il had only authority to can
vass the vote on the question of adopting
| the proposed constitution.
The refusal of the republican members of
the legislature to agree to the appointment
of an Investigating committee, as proposel
| by the democrats. is equivalent to an admis-
| sion that they are in the wrong They
\ intend, if possible, however, to profit by
their wrongful act When was the Repub-
lican party every known to refuse to accept
the fruits of fraud?