Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1896-12-11

THE OFFICIAL COUNT.
Irregular Returns from Lawrence and
Butte Counties Delay the Board.


Irregular Returns from Lawrence and
Butte Counties Delay the Board.
| There seems to be considerable mis-
apprehension throughout the state
says Pierre special to the Sioux City
Journal, as to the action of the can
vassing board on electors and con
gressmen. The state board declared
the purported returns from Lawrence
/, Butte and other unorganized counties
attached te Butte are no returns at all,
by their failure to bear the official seal
of the auditor, and instructed the sec
retary of state to secure properly certi-
fed returns from those counties for
the completion of the convass at u re.
cess meeting on the 17th.
The returns from these counties on
the national ticket were in the same
shape as the state ticket and it was not
believed the board fer the canvass of
the returns on national officers had the
power of adjournment, which is specifi-
cally granted to the board of state
canvassers. 1t was believed that when
the board on national returns met it
would he compelled to count the re-
turns i'll it's possession and issue GER
titicates accordingly. Such action
would result in the issuance of the GER
titicates to the republicans, but after
reading resolution giving the returns
with those of the counties in question
not counted. Governor Sheldon, as
chairman of the board, explained that
while the figures given in the resolu-
tito n were the totals of the votes which
had been regularly returned to the
board. and that it was tho opinion of
many attorneys that the board had no
power to adjourn to Il future date and
secure properly authenticated returns
from the counties mentioned, the
board members had looked the matter
up thoroughly and there was no ques-
ton in their minds as to their right to
take such action, and that the board
would be adjourned until Dec. 18th.
the date of the meeting of the other
board, and would then canvass the re
turns from those counties, to which
the secretary of state would go in the
meantime to secure the proper authen.
tication OF the votes cast in them. He
said it was neither the wish nor the in
tention of the board to take advantage
OF the irregularities and they would
only issue certificates to those who
We're shown to have the highest num-
Der of votes on Il canvass of all the
votes cast in the state.
Attorney Stewart for the republican
candidates demanded the certificates
for his clients. as they were shown to
have ssmajorities on the canvassed re.
turns, which demand was refused.
Following this demand Melvin
Grigsby, for the populist candidates,
demanded certificates for the parties
shown to have the largest number of
votes on the abstract list, which had
been made of the canvass and which
contained the figures from the coun-
ties in dispute, which was also re-
fused.
Following arc tho official returns
canvassed by the board from all coun-
ties having regular returns:
Robert j. Gamble .3s.41O
Goe !; Crawford. d.................38 38o4G
Freeman Knowles. 3798e
NJ. ID. Alexander. r.. 64e
X. Lewis. e95
The same figures stand for the cleo
tors for president.
Kirk Phillips, state treasurer, com.
menting on the situation says: s.It
these Irregularities are held by the SUI.
preme court to be fatal in the instances
specified in the resolution in regard to
the counties without regular returns
then the republican candidates fo1
congress and the presidential electors
will receive the certificates of election.
| But whichever Way the decision of the