Omaha daily bee., 1892-12-18
ISSUED TWO CERTIFICATES
Too Many Boyd County Representatives in
the Field.
HOW THE VOTERS WERE DIVIDED
Result of the Legislatures Work Viewed In
Different Ways by the Various Ele-
ments-Win he Heard
Next Week.

LINCOLN. Neb., Dec. 17.-[Special to The
BEE. THE Boyd county election contest
has taken the place of the Clay county case
in popular interest in this city and is today
the sole topic of conversation in political
circles. The stupidity of the legislature two
years ago is in part responsible for the COM
plicationS which now surround the legis-
lative situation in Boyd county. That legis-
lature created Boyd county, but the failure
of the Legislative apportonment bill left the
new county unattached to any senatorial,
representative or judicial district. Conse-
quently the voters of that county were very
much in doubt as to what course to pursue
in the la st election. AS result the matter
was looked at in two different ways. Hence
the present complications.
The advocates of one idea met in county
convention and nominated candidates for
the legislature. These candidates were A.
l.. Nickerson and G. j. Skuse the former by
the ndependent-democrats and the latter by
the neutrality-suspicious.. Nickerson re-
celyed 493 votes and Skuse 252. Both hold
certificates from the county clerk in spite of
the fact that their admission into the house
will swell the number of members above the
constitutional limits.
On the other hand, the advocates of the
theory that Boyd county was still attached
for the candidates placed in nomination by the
parties in Knox county. Chester Norton,
the candidate in Knox county, received 2l0
votes in Boyd county. The number com
bined with the votes he received in Knox
county gave him n majority over Kruse, his
competitor. The county clerk declined to
issue to him certificate, and did issue it to
kruse. Norton then commenced the contest
in the supreme court referred to in The BEE
this morning,
The answer of j. G. Kruse, as prepared by
Sawyer & Smell of this city, was filed with
the clerk of the supreme court late last night
1t alleges that the Twentieth legislative dis
trict is composed of Knox county and no
other county or unorganized territory and
that 1t Is entitled to one representative in
the legislature and no more; that Kruse was
nominated by the independent party of Knox
county and received the highest number of
votes cast for legislative candidates in that
county, that in neither of the conventions
held by the political parties in Knox county
was Boyd county represented by delegates,
and that at the time the conventions were
held 1t was not considered that Boyd county
was IN any sense part of the legislative
district; that Norton was not recognized as
candidate for representative by the county
clerk OF BOYD county and that his name was
not printed on the official and sample ballots
prepared under direction of theclerk of BOYD
county; that Norton afterwards had his
name written in the ballots in ink and that
even then he did not designate TO what po-
lltlcal party he belonged.
The case will come up for hearing before
the supreme court next Tuesday afternoon,
The merits of both sides of the case are freely
discussed and many assert their belief that
the supreme court will decline To odisfranchise
the voters of Boyd county by deciding that
Norton Is not entitled TO a certificate of cleo
tion. 1t is clearly certain that the citizens
OF Boyd county have right to vote for can
didates for the legislature, They will await
the decision of the supreme court with a
great deal of interest and will accept the
result as guide to future political action.
Laurel Gets Depot.
The findings Of the secretaries of the State