Omaha daily bee., 1893-12-15
Smoke 7. d. King x Co.'S Partagas.
STILL THEY JAW.
Little Progress Made IN the contest Owe
the Shcrih"s ONCE.

Little Progress Made m the contest over
the Shcrihrs Omcr
h contest over the Pottawattamic county
snrievalty was resumed in the south room
of the court house Yesterday morning The
attorneys for Hazen had made the desired
investigation into the statements made by
their opponents last Monday and filed their
answer embodying their claims. III IL were
contained the allegations that the ballots of
Wright and Knox townships had been
counted correctly; that two votes had been
thrown out in Hazel Dell which should have
been counted for Ha2en two in Crescent
aud two in Valley were also thrown out
two in Center were counted for Scanlan
which should nave been for Ua2en, and that
mistakes had been made in counting the
ballots in Waveland and Miuden townships,
by which Scaulan gained one in the former
and two in the latter.
The first witness put upon the stand was
County Auditor Matthews. who was called
upon to tell how securely the ballot boxes,
poll books and other apparatus connected
with the last election had been kept since
they were turned over to him. He was also
called upon to identify the poll books of the
First precinct of the Third ward and the
First OF the Sixth, watch had been sealed
up BY him after the Board of Supervisors
decided to throw them out on account Of the
failure of the judges aud CLERKS to certify
/ them properly.
ih WIZ = - NUN " "A obb OtlS VI NAiS
Judges of election IN the Third ward, FIRST
precinct, was put upon the stand in order TO
identify the poll book in his ward. He tried
to do so, but his attempts were rendered
useless by the storm. or rather steady
driZhlc, uf objections of the attorneys on the
opposite side. These attorneys have
adopted dilatory tactics, it seems, and their
one ambition is to delay matters as much as
possible. AT the present rate of progress
the contest Is likely to be completed about
the ime the present term of Office expires,
Some people who don't know very much
about politics supposed that all that was nee
essary was that the boxes should be opened
and the ballots counted. II was not
fired that they found out just how
much wrangling and iawing and Directing
and hairsplitting and other things incident
to the legal profession had to be gone
through with before the boxes could be
opened and the judges be allowed to ascer.
tain BY q recount Just who had been elected.
The question which will have to be de.
cided first of all is whether or not the ballots
can be brought in in those precincts where
the judges forgot TO make the proper certifi
Gates. AS all of these precincts happen tc
give Seaman n majority l1azen's attorneys
claim that a return is no return at all unless
it is properly certified TO. Consequently
there was in effect no election in those pre-
cincts and the voters might as well hav,
stayed ut home. In the precincts that were
there are enough votes TO throw the seal,
one way or the other, and SO here Is wher;
the real fight comes, after all. The oul,
thing the public is to do is to hope that tn,
attorneys will kindly allow the Judges Il
make the agony as short as possible.