The San Francisco call., 1896-04-29
SANTA ROSA'S
ELECTION ROW.
Two Candidates Accused
OF Having Pooled
Issues.
COZAD THROWS A BOMB.
Produces a Contract Alleged to
Have Been Signed by His
Opponents.
CONTEST SUIT is ON TODAY.
American Protective Association Ad.
visory Board Accused of Forming
the Compact.
CONTEST SUIT is ON TODAY.

SANTA ROSA. CAL, April 2s.-The
election contest of D. w. Cozad against
John McMinn will come up for hearing
before Judge Crawford of the Superior
Court tomorrow, and public interest will
be divided between the courthouse and
the carnival. Local politicians were being
subpenaed to-day to tell what they know
of "dark-lantern" politics. and the whole
town is agog over the promised revela-
tions.
The contest is over the Office of Street
Commissioner of this city, to which John
McMinn was elected on the Democratic
ticket at the recent election. The oppo-
nenrs of the successful Offices seeker were
John Carleton the Republican candidate.
and d. W. Cozad, Independent. On elec-
ton day Cozad declared that he was being
"iobbed" by the other two candidates, and
announced his intention OF remaining in
the Office, which he had then held for two
terms, and contesting in the courts the
election of the successful candidate.
The reason given by Cozad for his early
announcement of hostilities was that both
of his opponents belonged to the Ameri
can Protective Association and that they
had agreed to abide by the decision of the
advisory board of the association as to
which should make the fight to defeat
him. The winner, he claimed, was to de-
fray the expenses of election for both and
give the loser the preference in all street
work.
The election resulted in Cozad's defeat
by several hundred votes, and he at once
filed complaint, setting forth his side
OF the case. That there was no attempt
made to enioin the council from issuing
certificate of election to McMinn led MANY
to believe that the contest would not be
carried to the courts, and the assertion of
CoZad that he had in his possession a con-
tract in writing. signed by all of the
parties, was laughed at by the leading
members of the American Protective Asso-
citation.
To-day Mr.. Cozad produced the follow
ing contract, which he declares to be an
exact copy of the original document:
CONTRACT.
This contract between John McMinn and
John Carleton and the advisory board of Coun-
ell No. SO of the A. P. A. of Santa Rosa. Cal
Witnesseth: That the said parties do hereby
agree to abide the decision of the said advisory
board in the matter of selecting a candidate to
be indorsed by the A. P. A. for Street Commits
sioner in the coming city election of the city
OF Santa Rosa, Cal, and do further bind them
selves that from the time they shall be informed
OF the decision OF said board that the candidate
not selected shall use all honorable means to
procure the election of the candidate selected
and chosen, in consideration of which the
indorsee of said board in the event of his
election at the polls, agrees to give his unsuc-
cessfu1 competitor the preference of any and
all streetwork, and shall also refund to him by
installments all campaign expenses.
J. MCMINN.
]. CARLETON.
The plaintiff will call into court to-
morrow the members of the advisory
board, whom he alleges to be W. Conger,
chairman, and Frank Rhodes, Dave Kidd,
A. D. Laughlin, R. M. Miller, N. R. Shaw.
G. F. French. J. M. Streining and G. A.
Strongren. Cozad says that Attorney A.
d. Laughlin, who is retained by the de-
fense, was the author of the alleged con-
tract, which, he declares, was made in the
presence of Charm an Conger of the ad-
vlsory board, and signed by McMinn in
the presence of Laughlin and Conger. He
will call these two gentlemen to the wit
ness-stand tomorrow to prove his asser-
tiOnS,