The record-union., 1893-11-11
RECLAMATION DISTRICT $50.
The Contestants of the Trustee Elec-
ton Successful.
j. G. HIte Must Give Way to e. II. Ed
wards-The Lowlands to be at
Once Reclaimed.

hearing of the contest over the election OF
j. G. Hite as one of the Trustees in Re-
clamation District No. $50, just south of
the city. He decided that Hite's election
was informal, and that L. r. Edwards is
entitled to the place.
The case was brought by George Peters,
in the name of the people, on the relation
of the eAttorney-General, To unseat Hite,
who had received certificate of election
from the board which conducted the cleo
Iion for Trustees, held at Oak Hall on Oc-
tober 1st.
The complaint alleged that errors were
committed by which many illegal votes
were cast for Hite, and that Edwards was
duly elected and should have received the
certificate awarded to Hite hence a re-
count of the ballots was demanded.
There were five candidates for Trustees,
representing what are known as the high
lands and loWlands in the district-James
McNasser, j. q. Hite, 4. r. Edwards,
John Cox and Carl Munger. Those de-
clared elected were McNasser, Hite and
Cox. According TO the returns made by
the election board, the entire vote of the
district amounted to 1884, ,99S 70-100, of
which Cox received 4S3,06S Hite 1876, ,636,
McNasser 465, ,543 and Edwards 456, ,l70.
AT the bottom of all the strife lay the
question OF putting in a pumping plant
at the lower end of the pocket" to re-
lease the district OF the surplus waters
and bring all Of the land under cultiva-
ton. There were some landowners op-
posed to the pumping plant, claiming
that their own land was not injured by
surplus water and holding that they
could not be taxed for improving other
portions of the district. This element
was represented by Cox and Hite, and
the other by McNasser and Edwards.
Cox was an anti-pump man, hence the
desire of each side TO secure as the second
member of the Board of Trustees one
who would be in its interest.
Cox and Hite organized a Board of
Trustees, and so did McNasser and Ed
wards, but the landowners who wanted
the pumping plant instituted in the
courts contest to determine who was
legally elected trustee-Hite or Edwards.
The case began on Wednesday, and
Judge Catlin canvassed all the ballots
cast at the election. The attorneys for the
contestants were Armstrong, Bruner d
Platnauer, and for the defendant Albert
NJ. Johnson and w. NJ. Sims. The num-
ber of ballots to which each landowner
was entitled was determined by the as
sessment roll of the county.
The process was a tedious one, but as
Edwards was entitled to 459, 345 votes,
and Hite 1891, giving Edwards a ma
jority of 1884.
Colonel McNaSser was very jubilant
when met by a RECORD UNION reporter
after the court had rendered its iudg-
ment.
Now" said the Colonel, "this thing is
settled, and you will see a boom down
our way. 1t is the biggest thing that has
ever occurred for the whole low country
lying between this city and Freeport.
We intend to set right at work and place
our levee in a better condition than it has
ever been. We can do it in few weeks,
now that we have a set of Trustees who
believe In progress.
That whole district, SIR" said the
Colonel, with great animation, ''com-
prises as rich land as can be found along
the sacramento River anywhere, and can
be made the garden spot of this State
Yes, sir, the garden spot of the State
Wait till we get In a pumping plant and
relieve it of tho water that for years has
prevented the people from cultivating
their land, and you Will see the fairest
spot in California-many thousands of
acres of fertile land producing several
crops year and adding immensely to
the taxable wealth of the county.
'All that we shall ask of outsiders"
continued Colonel McNasser. sis that
they cease to drain their surplus waters
down upon US, and leave us to handle
only the natural rainfall and the sipage
incident TO the proximity of the river.
We believe that the people of the city
will admit the justice of otherwise dis
posing of their drainage ard sewage, for
these are the worst obstacles our people
down there have had to deal with, ex-
cept the drainage sent down from the
plains.
Together these evils have combined
to make for years a swamp OF what
should be and otherwise would have been
the fairest section OF the county. But we
think our day Of deliverance is at hand.
At any rate, we're going to work now in
earnest to perfect our levees and inaugu-
rate pumping system that will cause an
increase in the value and productiveness
of every acre of land in the district"