St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-17

| ly solicited to dispense patronage in
Maine that has not been coming his
way. He will relieve the president OF a
most embarrassing dilemma if he will
prevent the passage of the silver bill in
| the house. There is more mischief for
him in the bill than in any other that
has been presented. Unless it is settled
at this session, it is not probable that it
| can be kept out of the contest i'll 1892.
| In some sections it would take prece-
| dence of other issues. and might affect
| the political status of several states.
THE CONTESTED ELECTIONS.
Judge CORNISH disposed Of the RAM
sey county contested election cases
night before last by his rulings on three
points which were raised, and his vie ws
in reference to which made further pro-
ceedngs by the contestants impossible.
He held that prima facie case of fraud
or misconduct Oh the part of the cleo
ton officers would have to be first
shown in each precinct before the con-
testaut could have the ballots there cast
recounted: that the decision in the
O'GoRsIAN-RICHTER case us to what
constituted fraud OF misconduct on the
part of the election officers had been
abrogated by the amendment to the
election laws made i'll 1887, and was not
now sufficient, and that the correctness
and good faith of the ballots issued by
cfof n l1o GUctpm
not be brought in question after they
had been used in an election. The first
point has been the general rule hereto
fore IN election cases. and the second
has purely local and technical signifi-
canoe. The third. however. is of great
general interest because it is one OF the
first authoritative decisions on the Aus
adopted for our large cities, and which
it is proposed now to extend over the
entire state.
To make the meaning of Judge Cor
NISH'S position clear it will be neceS-
sary to remember that at the last county
election the Democratic candidates
were also the candidates of the Alliance
party, and their names appeared as such
on the ballots used. Some votes, al
though not very many, were cast for
them as Alliance candidates, and in the
general result the aggregate of votes
they had received from Democratic and
Alliance voters was reported as the
total cast for them, and on this their
majority WIS reckoned. The contest
ants claimed that the Democrats were
not really the candidates of the Alliance
party, and that their names were i'm
properly put upon the ballots as such.
They offered to show that while the
nomination by the requisite number of
citizens had been filed, as by law re-
Quired, this nomination was fictitious,
signed by individuals some of whom
had no existence at all, and was not in
proper shape to have been acted on.
Their position was that, having shown
this, such votes as. were cast for them
as Alliance candidates would have to be
thrown out.
Judge CORNISH refused to allow any
evidence in this direction to be received.
He held in substance and effect that
under our present system of voting, in
which the state prepares and provides
the voter with his ballot, the mere fact
of its issue by the state imports that the
preliminaries required by law have been
complied with, and that it is valid and
correct The law furnishes machinery
for parties likely to be affected to pre-
vent mistakes and frauds in the ballots
in advance of their issue and use, and
afforded for the purpose they cannot be
heard afterwards when they undertake
to reverse what has been done, and to
vItiate the ballots on which the state
had put the stamp of registry, and
which the citizens have actually used.
There is no greater satisfaction to a
lawyer than when he wins suit in this
way OH what amounts to demurrer to
his opponents case. In poiut of fact,
had the judges decision been the other
way, and the Alliance votes all rejected,
it would not have affected the general
result. Nor, for that matter, would the
reception of any other evidence the
contestants had to offer They were
simply on fishing excursion, hoping
to find something by which they could
reverse the recent Democratic victory.
1t is matter for great congratulation
that they were stopped on the outskirts,
without consuming the time and ener-
gies of Our judiciary in case the end
of which everybody could fOreSee.