People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-02-03
This case is still pending
John Morrison VS.. Ora B. Douglass.

SOhH WVTTisOn W.. Ord D. OOuyidss.
From House Journal. Tuesday, January
"a, 1893.
Chairman Lupfer submitted the follow
ing report and resolutions
Mr.. SPEAKER: Your standing committee on
elections, TO whom was shown the petition Of
John Morrison, claiming the right to a seat in
this house as a representative for the one hun
bred and twenty-second representative district,
Gray county, andalleging that frauds had been
committed in several OF the townships in said
county, at the election held for representative
on the Sth day OF November last have taken tes-
timony in said case, and have instructed me to
report as follows:
Your committee sent subpoena TO Z. G. Bar
ton, the county clerk Of Gray county, requiring
him to bring before your committee the poll
books Of the townships OF Cimarron, ingalls,,
Logan and Montezuma, returned to him by the
judges and clerks of election of said townships,
and also the packages Of tickets returned by the
judges of election from said townships to him as
county clerk. Mr.. Barton reached Topeka
early this morning, and reported to your COM
mittee. Your committee, therefore, issued a
notice to Hon. Ora B. Douglass, who claims to
have been duly elected the representative for
said district, which notice was served personally
on him by the sergeant-at-arms Of this house,
and due return Of said service was made before
your committee. The notice to Mr.. Douglass in
formed him that the committee would meet at
10 o'clock a. m. to-day, and take up the Morrison
contest. Mr.. Douglass failed to attend before
your committee. Shortly after the time desig-
mated in the notice, and after the sergeant-at-
arms had made return Of personal service Of
said notice on Mr.. Douglass, your committee
proceeded to take testimony.
Mr.. Barton was sworn as witness, and testi-
ned that he had been fer three years last past
county clerk of Gray county, and Is still such
othcer; that, In obedience to the notice served on
him, he now had before the committee the
original poll-bOoks and returns made by the
judges and clerks Of election of four townships,
namely, Cimarron, Ingalls,, Logan, and Monte
yuma, and the original packages of tickets re-
turned by the judges and clerks of election in
said several townships; that the said poll-books
and said packages Of tickets had been received
by him a, county clerk, the poll-books and
tickets Of the township Of Logan on the Sth OF
November, and from the other three townships
on the 9thof November last, and that all of them
had been in his possession and under his control
as county clerk from the time they were received
by him down until the present time; and that
the packages of tickets had not been opened at
all, to his knowledge, by any one. He testified
that the returns from the four townships named
had been included in the canvass made by the
commissioners of his county on the 18th and 18th
days of November, 1892, of the votes cast in
Gray county for representative and other off,
GERS voted for at the election held on the sth
OF November. He testified that the original
canvass Of the county commissioners of the vote
cast In the whole county showed that o. B.
Douglass had received 259 votes, and that John
Morrison had received PA votes, for representa-
tive Of said One hundred and twenty-second dis
trct, and that said canvass included the votes of
the townships of Cimarron, ingalls,, Logan, and
Montezuma, as returned by the judges and
clerks of election to him, and as such vouchers
were shown by the original poll-books and re-
turns now produced by him before your commit
tee. Your Committee examined the returns of
the four townships named, and, as certified by
the judges and clerks of election, they were and
are as follows: