People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-10-28
Gilmore will be the beneficiary if
Wool is elected county clerk.

Gilmore will be the beneficiary if
Wood is elected county clerk.
But let US see if we cannot find a
motive fora these persistent efforts
of Republicans to obscure the po-
litical sky with matter entirely foreign
to the issues involved in the cam
paigr!
1t is easy; for when we come to
think of it the office of county clerk
Of this county has never yet passed
out of The hands of the Republican
party. That party has never failed
to use every strategy to retain control
OF that office. We have ousted them
from most all the other Offices but
have never been able to secure the
office OF county clerk. 1t is of course
a very important office, which of late
years has probably been well filed
even BY Republicans, but just why it
should be so sacred to the Republican
machine is hard TO understand, unless
it be that it has so much bearing on
the politics Of the county.
The law makes it the duty OF the
county clerk to PREPARE AND DIS
TRIBUTE THE OFFICIAL BALLOTS be-
fore the election and TO be THE GUS
TODIAN OF THE OFFICIAL BALLOTS
AND ELECTION RETURNS AFTER THEY
ARE CAST AND BEFORE THEY ARE Of
FICIALLY COUNTED.
All patriotic and honest citizens
want at least these public duties to be
performed honestly, whether the in
cumbent be a Republican, Democrat
or Popullst. In important political
campaigns party feeling runs high
and elections are frequently very
close. While no official record in this
county bears testimony of any wrong
doing upon the part of any county
clerk in the discharge of his duties in
relation to the ballots and election
returns in his custody after they were
cast an! before they were officially
counted. Yet many remember that
laCE ln the eighties Cass Markley,
(DemOcrat) was thought from the un-
official returns at one time to have
been elected to the legislature by a
very small majority, yet when the
official canvass Of the votes was made
he Repub lean candidate was pulled
through by a very few votes; then
again it was believed by many that
the late |. N. King was elected to the
legislature over John A. Murray by less
than a score of votes, yet by the time
the official count came off Murray had
secured enough votes 10 pull him
through and afterwards gave us the
famed Murray law; then again the late
lamented Luke Herring when a candi-
date for register Of deeds, the morn
irg after election was conceded to
have been elected, but the official
count pulled the Republican candidate
through; still! later Ga 1892 VIM.
Lawrence (Populist) Of Guelph town.
ship was conceded to have been
elected county commissioner until the
official canvass was made when 10, and
behold J P. FaurOt appeared to have
few more votes than Lawrence.
We merely mention these things to
show that probably there is method in
the Republican desire for the office Of
county clerk. A slate and congress
SiOnal campaign is coming on next
year; another legislature is to be
elected land remember that the cor
pOratiOns are trying hard to elect
legislature of their own.l The
election may or may not be close, but
whether it is yr not we want to feel
and know that our OFFICIAL BALLOTS
will be COUNTED just as they are
CAST even if they are deposited with
the county clerk there to remain in
his sole custody and keeping TWO
NIGHTS AND A DAY BEFORE they are
officially canvasSed.
Everybody knows that Wilford E.
Wood, if elected county clerk will
officially guard and hold the ballots
and election returns as sacred as his
life. Thus believing and feeling let
US vote for and elect him and wrest
from tie Republican grasp their much
cherished office Of equity clerk.