Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1892-11-25

latter heing one of the affidavit -makers)
did the writing for the clerks.
On the strength Of these aff1davits the
board threw out tth returns from the
precinct, thereby depriving Aessrs. Lee
and Lynn of their msjorities in the
county and authorizing the giving of the
certificates of election to their compel:
itors.
There was considerable informal talk
indulged in-Messrs. Parker. McLaln.
Campbell and Weller in favor of throws
ing out, and Messrs. Lynn, GEL and
streeter against. Those in favor Of the
former based their claims entirely on the
affi'lavits of Lock, Lowe and Rowerdink.
There was not breath of suggestion
that any candidate had been wronged by
the action taken in Sell precinct, or that
single vote had beea counted for Lynn
and Lee to which thef were not entitled.
Neither did the stick business, in Mr..
Campbells iudgmentScut much of fig
ure. 3
Those opposed claimed that the board
had no power to 60 behind the returns );
that judicial action Gould only be taken
by the courts, and that the law provided
proper methods Of procedurein cases of
contest !; that, admitting the right of the
board to hold an Inquest on the returns,
it was not fair to act 80 hastily on one.
sided aHidavits, but that Messrs. Lynn
and Lee should have an opportunity to
procure counter testimony; that, even If
there we're technical irregularities in Selz
precinct, there had been no attempt to
change the result and II had! not been de-
nied.that the votes has; been counted as
desired by those who cast them that, 50
far as the guage-sticK Eas concerned, ip
the absence of law 70 the contrary, the
voter had right to uie stick, or tape.
:line or his finger to measure his ballot If
he wanted to. ~
But it was all of no svail, and eelz pre-
,ciesft was tossed overheard in short order.
,sssssae facts, as learned from English
speaking citizens wheswere in selz on
the day Of election---ana who were not
there with money ida their pockets to
attempt to; buy votes-1are these: When
the pals closed and thecanvass was about
TO baSp, Franz Wolff who writes En-
gl1sh- fairly we'll, but .Aowly, asked Mr..
Cell to write for him, 4s he could do it
much more rapidly; M. Geil was then
sworn in-not as clerkfsbut to faithfully
and fairly act as writer Tor Franz Wolf {;
Maurice Van soest, the republican clerk,
then asked for writer and VIM. Lowe
(who makes one of tie aftidavits) was
sworn in to do Van SoesIs writing. John
Miller, the inspector, isked Mr.. Lee to
read off the names on the ballots as he
(Miller) took them from the box, "and Mr.
Lee did so. All were satisfied. Even Mr.
Lock did not object. There were half
dozen English speaking and reading
men close around where the votes were
counted, and not one of them--evcn Mr.
Lock and Mr.. Lowe--will swear that the
vote was not cast and counted as the vo-
ters of Selz precinct intended 1t should be
cast ard coanted. Mr.. Parker knows very
we'll that no Russian German intended to
vote for him, did vote for him, or ever
will vote for him. The returns sent in
were signed by Clerks Wolf and Van Soest.
Mr.. Parker also presented protes,
against the reception of the returns from
Exeter precinct; but the returning board,
evidently considering that they had
achieved glory enough for one day, de-
clined to act on the suggestion, and 80
nineteen Russian votes that could do no
harm were counted Mr.. Parker uttered
some words in low tone about Exeter
precinct and the district court. The
throwing out of Exeter precinct, in addi
tion to Selz, would have overcome Shel.
If Elect Mahaney's majority of "a and
made him a tie with Lock.
1t is well-known fact that, under the
new Australian law, with the provisions
of which few were familiar the letter of
the law was more honored in the breach
than in the observance. Here in Will
iumsport, at the hour named in the stat.
ute for the opening of the polls-eight
o'clock--lhe election supplies had not
been taken to the polling-place, and
there was no fire in the building. As q
matter Of fact, the polls in Willamsport
precinct were not opened until after ten
o'clock; and yet the law says-section 40
--"tbe polls SHALL be opened st 8 o. clock
a. M" But here, as; In Sclz, it is not
claimed that the result OF the vote was
changed by the violation of manda-
tory provision of the statute, and no mi
nority candidate has thought of contest
ing on the ground that the polls were
not opened as the law provides. In a
number Of other precincts IN the county
the polls were not opened on time. us the
writer Is reliably Informed.
What will be the effect as to the bribery
prosecutions of the counting out of Lynn
and the counting in of Parker9 Will the
latter--if the district court sustains his
position--sift the bribery matter to the
bottom7 Was it intended by those who
counted him in that he should do so?
Was it not absolutely necessary to hush
ing up Of tEs matter that Lynn should
be counted outP These are questions
which we leave to the consideration of
our readers.
In conclusion the RECORD would ask