Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-12-15
the SwiFT.HOPKiNS CONTEST.

JU6 0WTSsUVTNSWO VVWI6OS
Another effort II being made to get
the swift-Hopkins election contest
dragged up in the County Court.
This time there Is hope on the part Of
the contestants that the matter may be
brought to speedy result In their
favor.
This hope Is based upon the change
recently wrought In the incumbency Of
the County Court.
o. N. Carter, the present County
Court Judge, Is an honorable man. hut
then he Ii Republican, and the poll.
ties Of the County Court Judge makes
all the difference In the world when
such Il matter rs IN election contest
comes up for adjudication. OF course.
as everybody now knows. the real OBJ
jcct In trying to revive this corpse Of
contest, one decaying limb of which
was supposed to have been slowed
away in the Supreme Court. Is not to
attain for the chief party to It the object
It Ostensibly aims at, namely. the seat.
Ing Of George Il. Swift as Mayor in.
stead of John =. Hopkins within the
few months of the latters term now re.
naming.
Even were the allegations of George
Il. Swift and his counsel true. such
result would be impossible, for the ar.
guments over the various stages of the
contest, the discussions over the re-
count. II one were ordered. and the
scrutiny and count Of the ballots them.
selves would occupy Mt least six
months. 1t might be demonstrated Mt
the end Of that time that the nllcga.
lions of the complainants were false
and that Mr.. Hopkins really received a
larger majority than that given him by
the official count, but what OF that?
George b. Swift would have attained
the object he really seeks, n political I'D
vantage over other competitors for the
Republican nomination for Mayor next
spring. George Il. Swift in the double
attitude Of a contestant In court over
IN election to the Mayoralty In which
he claims he was defraudcd, and mt the
same time pleading before the Republi-
can party for denomination, would be
very strong.
1t Is fine grand stand play. Wheth-
or 1t will be successful Is another ques.
ton. Everybody knows that the con.
test Of Mr.. Hopkins election was based
upon wind and buncOmbe. There new.
or was anything back Of 1t better than
vague rumOr, suspicion and wild-cyed
!anatical asseveration. Able attorneys
who handled the alleged proof We're I'M
able to make up bill of complaint con.
tanning a single specific allegation.
Their bill collapsed before the first
legal objection In the shape Of a dc.
murrer ana had to be withdrawn for
amendment. The law was stretched u
notch or two to permit the contestants
weeks to do 80, they found the material
ut hand too himsy to patch up their tot.
tering case. They hunted in vain for
something with which to meet the valid
objections of the demurrer. ana when
ut last they came In with the sO-called
amended bill 1t was found that the only
amendment was the addition of George
Il. Swift's name to the list Of parties to
the suit. For, 1t may be remarked, Mr..
| CWuI uuiScSi " TIC outScl CoutcuIpt'
uOusly refused to become party to the
suit, and had to be literally dragged
into the case In order to save the con-
tcstants from being laughed out of
court. At that time Mr.. Swift showed
openly how much he thought of the
contest. He Is a shrewd man and saw
there was 10 proof back Of the allega-
tons, that the allegations themselves
We're faulty, being general instead of
specific and having neither tangible
form nor point to them. Since then,
however, he has had change of heart.
Now he pretends to think the contest
justihable and supported by the facts
and the evidence In the case.
How much credence will be given to
the sincerity of his motives, and how
much value will be attached to his
claims In this regard, when seeking the
nomination next spring, remains to be
seen. We are humbly of the opinion,
however, that the Republican mana
gers will be able to see through Mr..
Swift's diaphanOus veil.