Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-12-28

cast for me were illegally rejected, as fol
; lows: Burke's Mill, 10 votes; Bolivar, %
Buffalo Gap, 10; Burnett, is; Churchville, 10
, Centreville, 6; Folly Mills Q; Greenville, so
Mt. Meridian, 4; Mt. Solon IS; New Hope, %
Newport, II; Pond Gap, 19; Parnassus, 20
Peaco's Mill. 50; Sandy Hollow, "a; Sheran
| do. 49, Sangersville, 6; Spottswood, 10
Waynesboro, 20. Total $50.
10. Ishall claim that the votes cast for me-
and Illegally rejected, at the various precincts
in this county, mentioned above, shall bt
counted for me.
i sTAUNTON.
And in Staunton MI. Yost charges the
following:
| Ward 1.-The vote thrown out as illegal
by the Judges of election at this precinct was
112, or more than 20 per cent of the entire
vote counted. aver and charge that at least
9Oper cent. of this rejected vote was cast for me-
and intended to be SO counted. and that its
rejection was illegal and fraudulent.
| (0) l aver and charge that at least adj
ditional votes, intended to be cast for me,
should have been so counted; these votes hav-
ing been Illegally refused upon challenge.
| (b) I aver and charge that two votes
counted for you were illegal and should be
deducted from the number returned for you
at this precinct-said votes having been cast
by non-residents and Illegally received by the
Judges of Election after challenge.
| (c) aver and charge that the conduct OF
the Constable was partizan and illegal in
that he refused to properly assist voters who
intended to vote for me, but on the contrary
when such voters requested his assistance, he
(to use his own words) met them with this
declaration: Don't tell me how you want
| to vote; l don't want to know it," The large
percentage Of the vote thrown out at this pre-
cinct shows the result of such illegal and
partzan action upon the part of a sworn Off
| Ger of the law ana renders the entire poll
false and fraudulent. | therefore claim that
the entire vote atthis precinct which gave
| you plurality of 49, was SO charged with
illegality and fraud that no reliance can be
placed in its integrity and that it should be
| rejected
(d.) In case the entire poll is not thrown
out shall claim So votes cast for me and lille
gally rejected.
W0rd2. The vote thrown out as lille
al at this precinct was 70, OF ~ per cent. of
the entire vote counted. / aver and charge
that at least Is per cent OF this rejected vote
was cast for me and should have been so
counted
(G.) The booth at this precinct was locat-
ed in the rear of a long dark room, the only
light being dim candle. On the official bal
lot the name of James Seldom Cowden occur
red last, and the official seal cut through and
in many instances almost obliterated it.
n
failed to mark this last name, the light being
so imperie and the name being SO nearly OBJ
liberated, that it could not be detected except
by the closest examination.
l shall claim that at least 60 votes cast at
this precinct for me and Illegally re jected
shall be counted for me.
SUMMING UP.
Thirty Segenth.-As to all and several of
the election precincts, counties and cities in
the said Congressional District, 1 shall in
this contest insist on having all the frauds,
bribefies illegalities, informalities, errors,
and Irregularities in the conducting of the
election and in making the returns thereof,
set aside and l shall insist upon having
counted for me all of the votes of which |
have been deprived and defrauded.
(a)-I shall claim: Cd that in number
of the counties composing this Congressional
District, the Judges of Election were not ap-
pointed at the time and in the manner pre-
scribed by law; CD that the Commissioners
of Election did not canvass the vote at the
time and in the manner prescribed by law;
(3) that the ballots were not printed in the
manner prescribed by law; (4) that SAID bal
lots were not distributed to the Judges of
Election in the manner prescribed by law; 90
that at number of precincts at the opening of
the polls, the ballots were not counted; CD
that at the close Of the polls the amused bal
lots were not destroyed before the ballot box
was opened; CD that the ballots were not
legally canvassed, counted and strung; (S)
that he'Judges and Clerks were not legally
qualified, and that the law in other respects
was not complied with.
THIRTY Eigata.-Upon the foregoing aver
ments charge that upon a fair and honest
count of the vote as cast, and of the vote lille
gally prevented from being cast, there is not
a county Of the district with possibly the ex-
ception Of Nelson and Fluvanna, from which
plurality should not have been returned for
me, and that instead ofthe total returned plu-
rality for you of 1872, large plurality should
have been returned for me, to-wit: at least
1900.
MI. Yost subjoins a table with figures to
show that the whole rejected ballots thrown
out in Augusta was 621; in Staunton 1911,
and in the whole District, 1914. He claims
that if the ballots for him, which were
thrown out in the district, were counted,
be would have net plurality Of 1892.
Mr.. Tucker has thirty days in which to
answer MI. Yosts notice of contest,
Messrs. w. E. Craig and Chas. Curry of
Staunton, and Jas. d. Brady of N. Y,
will represent MI. J ost in the contest.