The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-11-09

What the Result Will be From These Con.
tests-wood County Case TO be Left tn Tho
C0urts-Democrats do Not Concsde Re.
publican Majority in Legislature
Columbus, Ohio, November 5.-The
Ohio legislature stands a republicans,
20 democrats and one doubtful on the
official returns received up to tonight.
With a dozen OF more Of the eighty
eight counties very close. there have
been no material changes except in
Wood county, which viii be claimed by
both parties till the courts pass on
the action Of the supervisors. There
have been no unusual proceedings be-
fore the returning boards of any of
the counties, except that Of Wood, al
though both parties have had their
representatives and attorneys in the
county seats wherever the vote was
close. Chairman McConville, of the
democratic state committee, has not
changed his claims Of democratic ma
jority on joint ballot and will not do SO
till the official returns Of all counties
| are in and show the flnal result to diff
fer from those he has at hand.
Chairman McConville and others
from the democratic state headQuar-
ters, went to Cincinnati tonight to con-
| fer with Mr.. job r. Mclean n 9TH
er party leaders regarding the contests
that are to be made in the close
| ties.
Chairman Nash insists tonight that
the legislature stands rs republicans
to 20 democrats and that the majority
! on joint ballot for senator will not be
less than five. He says he is tonight
satisfied with the situation in Wood
county. What he feared was that the
official count might wipe out the nall
republican plurality in that county.
Since the face of the official tally sheets
show a plurality of 81 for the republi-
can representative, Judge Nash is will
ling and ready to have any court pass
on the case, He says the law provides
that the members Of the board of cleo
| ton cannot go behind the. returns and
the supreme court has held that they
have no ministerial powers whatever,
cannot hear evidence or use their dis
erection in throwing out any votes.
| That is left to the courts and to each
| branch Of the legislature in passing on
the credentials Of it's members. In
Wood county today Norris, the repub-
lican candidate for representative, filed
a protest against the board counting
the vote of Freedom township be-
cause the ballots should be tailed in
oAoSno u Nv S~NS ~
ris Isl and Meares, the democratic
candidate for representative 263. If the
vote of the township had been thrown
out it would have increased the plu-
rality Of Norris by LIZ, but it was
counted. The republicans. insisted that
Norris will be declared elected in Wood
county and that the legislature stands
rs to 70.
It is learned here tonight tha coun-
sci for both the democratic and the
! republican committees at Bowling
Green today agreed to submit the Wood
county case at once ITO the circuit cOu
and the lawyers on both sides went to
Toledo for that purpose. The court
will be asked to decide whether the
election board can go behind the re-
turns. OF course, it will be left fer
proceedings i'm contest in the house ro
decide whether h vote Of Center
township shall be counted.
Information has been received at le-
! publican headquarters of protests to the
soldiers home vote at Dayton on the
| ground that the voting precincts were
not in b proper place. If that vote
| should be thrown out the democrats
would gain two representatives. from
| Montgomery county and one senator,
enough Con the claims Of the republi-
| cans) to make the legislature stand 73
| democrats and u republicans on joint
| ballot.
Chairman Nash says there are about
forty precincts in the state where these
| technical points on the 10 cAtion of the
| polls can be raised and if it is made an
issus of contest it will work both ways
| with no one knowing the ina result.