The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-01-09
REVENGE FOR THE PEOPLE
The FrenCh-Beard Gang Routed
and Baldwin Elected
Police Judge.
w. S. Mckay and w. R. CasWell
Returned for TWO More
Years.

C0ISs
The city election last Tuesday re-
suited in sweeping victory for the
people as against j. A. Beard, 3. D.
French and their manipulators having
headquarters up near the Jail on Sec
ond street. w. F. Dickinson was
elected mayor without any apparent
opposition, although VIM. Smith, who
had positively refused to be candi-
date of the up-street crowd, was voted
for in both wards to total of 55 votes.
Some of these votes we're from voters
who laid the present high taxation to
the administration. Consequently it
is safe to say that the Beard-French-
Byram combination did not have over
IS votes under their control.
Fred. L. Warner received the high
est number of votes cast for any one
of the candidates, and although he was
the only man on thu ticket for the
office of city recorder the above COM
bination scattered their votes as their
compliments to Mr.. Warner. Fred.
received POI votes out of possible
337 votes cast.
For city treasurer H. A. Baldwin
had no opposition and he was re-.
elected to the office held by him for so
many years with 297 votes to his
credit.
The particular fight was on the
jndge of the police court. 1t will be
remembered that in April of last year
the entire city council and three
fcurths of the voters of the city of
Redwood Falls asked for the retention
of H. D. Baldwin as judge of the
police court. just prior to that time
the legislature had passed a new
municipal court act, which was after
wards adopted by the city council and
which legislated Mr.. Baldwin out of
the office to which he had been elected
in the January preceding. Both
Senator French and Representative
Jones opposed Baldwin before the
governor and the result was that their
pressure influenced Gov. Clough into
appointing D. A. Stuart, who had come
here only few months previous, and
who was not taxpayer, to the office
made vacant by the legislature.
There was considerable bad feeling
over the appointment at the time but
the people peacefully awaited their
chance. That chance came last Tues
day. In one of>the hardest fights ever
carried on here, in which trading was
frequently attempted, H. D. Baldwin
was elected judge by majority of
100 votes out of 337 votes cast.
In the first ward a fight was pre-
cipitated early in the season when
the name of G. w. George was placed
on the city ballot in opposition to the
administration candidate, w. S. Nc
Kay. There were many rumors flying
around that Mr.. George was the can
didate of Beard and French. Mr..
George denied this emphatically, con-
tending that he would never think of
coming out as the candidate of that
gang. His friends we're also active in
denying the rumor. On the other
hand w. S. Mckay was made the
target for the cry of high taxation.
When the votes we're counted Mr..
Mckay had a handsome majority of
"A.
Over in the second ward no opposi-
ton to W. R. Caswell had come to
the surface until Monday. On the
morning of that day the Beard French
Byram combination spoke of running
H. &. Baker as their candidate. But
the rumor died out and it was not un-
til Monday afternoon, when a gang
committee consisting of G.. B. Hughes
and G. D. Thompson waited on Frank
Birkenmeyer, that a candidate seem
ed possibility. Mr.. Birkenmeyer
merely told the committee that he
would not be candidate but that he
would qualify, if elected. The Beard
combination at once got out cards an
nouncing that Frank was candidate
and made desperate rush through
the ward crying high taxation. On
Tuesday morning they had stickers
ready to hand to voters, they evident
II not knowing that sticker on an