The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1892-12-07
ELECTION CERTTFIGATEs.
The Board Of Oanvassers Decide Who
Shall RAnaiYa Them,


secretary Of state and attorney general,
finished their work last Thursday. They
did more than that, IN fact, more than
the law required Of them. So anxious
were they to earn their salaries that they
overdid the job, taking unto themselves
the responsibility OF ordering the secre-
tary to issue certificates to men who
were not elected.
The duty Of the board was to canvass
the returns from county boards, and in
doing SO the frat two days Of the session
were occupied going over the vote on
governor and other state offices. This
did not materially change the result
from the reports previously published,
unless to make the Populist pluralitieS
a little larger. On Wednesday they
tackled the vote on electors, and found
that in Sedgwick county the vote for ono
elector was given to the name Of Camp
bell instead of to Cabbell. Although it
was plain that the new candidate for
presidential elector was merely mistake
Of the county clerk, the board decided
that Mr.. Dewey, the republican candi-
date, having plurality, should be de-
clared elected. Before adjournment q
corrected return was received from
Sedgwick county, but the final decision
was that the board would be exceeding
it's authority to go behind the returns,
and that the corrected returns should be
brought as evidence before the contest
court composed of the same officials, who
would then have authority to decide in
favor Of Cabbell.
On Thursday the vote on senators and
representatives was canvassed. In this
several Irregularities were found, such an
wrong number OF district, number Of
district and name Of county omitted.
All these were passed over and the
election decided in favor of the noRainee
who appeared to be fairly elected, except
in the ease Of Haskell county. Here the
clerk seemed to have transposed the fig
ures, giving Rosenthsl's vote to Stubbs
(republican) and OGce UerSG. Stubbs was
declared elected.
In the case Of the Coffey county tie
between Rice Populist) and Ballinger
republican,, the board got In it's work in
q manner that has already raised storm
Of indignation. This case had been
talked over several times during the ses-
sion, but the plan Of operation was not
disclosed until the secretary Of state
moved to 60 into executive session, and
decide the election in this district. At
torney General Ives advised the board to
declare no election in this case, so that Il
might be remRnded to the voters Of the
district for new election. He said If
the purpose Of going into secret session
was TO decide it by lot as the law pro-
vided, he wanted to know 1t, as he did
not propose to take part in any gambling
arrangement. Being informed that that
was the intention, the attorney general
withdrew along with the spectators who
had been invited to leave the room.
When the doors Of the secretary of states
Office were again opened to the public,
the statesmen who took part in this
secret game announced that Mr.. Ballin-
ger, the republican candidate, was elected
representative from Cohey county. How
it was done will probably always remain
q mystery, but it is supposed that the