The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-07-27
PROTEST ENTERED.

election. The vote was found to be
the same as published in these col
umns, and L. G. NJ Fletcher, Clark
keysor, w. w. p. Mcconnell and c.
L. Williams were declared elected.
The new board will hold it's first meet
ing on the second Saturday night in
September, but the present board
holds several meetings before that
| time.
The main interest in the meeting
centered in protest made by HI. l..
Schmitt, the unsuccessful candidate
in the first precinct, against the ac-
tion of the judges in that precinct,
which he claims was Illegal. He pre-
faced his statement by saying that he
| had no complaint to make against Mr..
Fletcher, and that what he would say
was to be applied only to the action
of the judges. He held that the board
has auth GRITTY to declare the election
illegal, as it must be the judge of the
qualifications of it's own members.
The members Of the board took the
ground that it could not 60 back of
the returns as made by the Judges
and that Mr.. Schmitt'S only recourse
is in the courts. The complaint and
affidavits presented by Mr.. Schmitt
were placed on file, but no further no.
tice of the matter will be taken by the
board, and the matter will probably
rest here, as Mr.. Schmitt disclaims
having had any intention of contest
ing the election, or of doing more than
enter this protest.
The complaint is as follows:
To THE HONORABLE BOARD OF EDU-
CATION, CITY OF MANKATO:
! GENTLEMEN: You are hereby re-
spectfully requested, as a board of
canvaSSerS of election, to declare the
election held in the first precinct of
this school district, on the 2lSt day of
July, 1884, null and void, for the fol-
lowing reasons:
|. That the only ballot box used
at the polls it the lst precinct was
brought there 30 minutes late by one
of the judges of said election district,
which judge of election is and was an
ardent supporter of l.. G. M. Fletcher,
one of the candidates for election at
the said election, the said box being
nailed up and not supplied with lock
and key or hinges, and not having been
opened and emptied in presence of all
or any of the judges of the said cleo
tion district before the balloting be-
gan, and before ballots were placed
therein, as required by law.
IL. That the judges illegally and
fraudulently kept a private record of
the number of votes that were cast
for each candidate for election at the
said election, and did then and there
| illegally and with intent to aid one of
the candidates for election, and to I'M
lawfully and deceitfully defeat the
other, inform divers persons of how
many votes had been cast for each of
the said candidates at frequent inter-
walls during the progress of the said
election, and thereby causing the de-
feat of one of the said candidates for
office.
III. That at frequent intervals
during the progress of the said cleo
ton the said judges left the polls and
mingled with the electors and voters
OF the said voting district, and tried
to influence, and did influence, a
large number of voters to vote for one
Of the said candidates in preference
to the other, thereby causing the de-
feat of one, and the election of the
other.
". That no separate ballot box was
| furnished or used for the reception of
votes or ballots cast by female voters,
and no separate register of names of
female voters was kept at the ssaid
election; and because of all of these
things wrongfully and unlawfully
done, as above stated, and as verified
by the atfidavitS hereto attached, this
contestant was illegally defeated at
the said election.
Atfidavits of H. L. Schmitt, Geo.
MaXfield and Patrick Madigan were
attached to the complaint, support
ing the charges and allegations there
in contained
Mr.. Schmitt among other things,
states in his affidavit that two of the
judges, Henry Hillesheim and John
Q. Leonard, kept memorandum OF
the number of ballots cast for each
candidate, upon separate slip of pa
per, which was kept upon the table be-
fore them, and that during the pro-
gress of the election they informed
Geo. MaXtield, one of the clerks, and
divers other persons, including Mr..
Fletcher, of the number of votes cast
for each candidate. These two judges
also left the polls at various times and
mingled with the voters and, the af-
faint is informed and believes, tried
to and did influence some of the cleo
tors to vote for Mr.. Fletcher. Also
that for more than week prior to
the election, and after having been
appointed judges, the three, including
John Duane, used their influence with
the voters against the affiant.
Mr.. MaXfeld affirmed that the bal
lot box was not brought to the polls
until 9:30 on, by John Duane, and that
there was no lock or key, but that it
was securely nailed; he saw Henry
Hillesheim and John Q. Leonard keep