The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-22
BOARDS OF ELECTION.
Stupid Blunder of the Demo-
cratic Committee.
WHERE THE "JUGGLERY" AROSE
Committee Sends in = Name Which It
Afterward Wanted withdraw, and
This Was Acceded to.

The Telegraph yesterday n ornfng new into
rage over hat it called an attempt of the King
couuty commissioners to use their official
positions TO control the counting OF votes. and
based its charge upon the following gsroied
statement:
The county commissioners last Saturday fur
nlshed for publication list OF officials for al
the precincts in King county. The list was pub
Nshed IN the newspapers on sunday,
October l6. For the Mercer island precinct the
following offlctais were selected, ali Repuoti-
cans: G W. Rogers, V. Schmidt aud E. u. Buck
horn When the residents of that precinct
discovered what the county commissioners had
done, much Indignation was aroused. ana pro-
tests were made ngsinst the appointment OF an
election board which ignored the Democrats
entirely. On October 10 "wednesday, J. d.
McDermott, q Democrat, and resident In
the Mercer tsia1d precinct, received an
official notice from County Auditor Twttchel!
that he had been appointed one OF the judges OF
election IN that precinct The envelope con-
tanning this official notice bears the postoiilce
stamp of october IS, or Tuesday p IN. Ths
inclosed notice is dated October ii, or Friday OK
last week.
Ii J. d. McDermott, Democrat, was elected as
Judge previous 10 the preparation OF the notice
sent by him. why were three Republicans after,
wards selected and their names written ana
published in the official list OF election orcers1
There could be no error made by reason OF the
mingling of names, for three officers are ap-
pointed for each precinct ana Mr. McDeTmotts
name does not appear in the list
II Mr.. McDermott had really been selected on
or previous TO Friday, OCTOBER ii, why oiu uis
nome not appear in the official list?
The facts are shamefuly distorted The
Democratic central committee sent In a list OF
names for officers of election on Mercer island.
They asked that Vitus Schmidt be appointed
judge and J. d. McDermott be appointed clerk
The board has no power to appoint clerks out IL
did appoint Schmidt judge as requested by
the Democratic committee. When the ofhciat
list was published some of the Mercer island
inf
missioners that Schmidt was not Democrat
but Republican. The commissioners, there
fore, took off Buck horns name and substituted
that OF J. d. MeDermott, at the request OF the
Democratic central committee. The notice was
accordingly sent to Mr.. McDermott on the usual
blank.
The difference IN the dates is due to the most
simple and commonplace fact that as large
number OF notices had to be sent ont, the blanks
were filed in by clerk several days before,
leaving space only for the names, SO that as
soon as the selections had been made, the
names could be filed in and the notices dis
patched with the least possible delay.
The Democrats have now two officers on the
Mercer Island election board selected by them
selves, aud the bIunder was entirely their own.
I he original list OF names supplied by the DEM
ocratc central committee and containing the
recommendation of Vitus Schmidt IS judge
and J. D. McDermott as clerk, is on Gle at the
court mouse.
Referring to the charge OF the Telegraph that
the county commissioners had refused the
Democrats representation on the election
boards, Mr. Twichell yesterday declared it to
be without any foundation.
1.-THE board" he says, 'appoints the election
boards by virtue OF an act of the legislature
(section 3.06S, Hills code) as follows:
1t shall be the duty OF the county commits
sioners, at their regular session held previous
to the day Of holding the general election. to
appoint Tor each precinct from the qualified
electors OF said precinct one inspector and two
judges, who shall constitute board OF judges
OF election.
The next section, Sec 5,069, says:
The inspector and judges for each precinct
shall. before the time of opening the polls, ap-
point two suitable persons to act as clerks. W no
shall be qualified electors
"The rule is to appoint of the three members
OF the board two of the dominant faction and
one OF the minority. This year the Democrats
wanted the third man in every case, but the
board had to consider that there were four
tickets In the field, SO it divided up the repre-
sentation among all the tickets.'
nesc dtpssioa of the city into precincts has been
ma de aud all rioters should get their names entered
nd fbas,o dir r.nfs-e