Evening journal., 1897-01-25
HE WAS NOT INCONSISTENT.

hE WAS MI ANOO-FoA' A--N a.
The Morning News means well at
times. but It does not appear to be able
10 carry out its good intentions. Once
in a great while it starts out TO say
something true and nice about Demo-
crat. rambles in a labyrinth of com
narratives and superlatives, and Just
when It has done a really clever piece
of complimentary work, permits the
spirit of rank and uncompromisng Re
publicanism which pervades its Office
to creep in and implant its venom in
the very heart of the rhetorical bud
which has been so assduously nur-
tured at the point of the pen.
Several times it has started to say
something nice about Ex-Governor
william r. Watson. but it has invari-
ably spoiled everything by drifting
from direct compliment into qualifying
sentences, which too often convey to
the public mind misrepresentation of
the official conduct of our executive
whose term closed on last Tuesday
It has only been a few days since our
contemporary destroyed a laudatory
editorial by accusing Governor Watson
Of inconsistency, inasmuch that he re-
fused the Kent county certificates in
canvassing the vote for presidential
electors and afterwards accepted the
majority certificates of that county in
his canvass of the vote for representa-
tive in Congress. Had the Morning
News taken the trouble TO eX-
anime into the matter in
stead of permitting its partisan
prejudice to blind its reason, it would
have discovered that the vote of Kent
county for presidential electors was
excluded because neither the majority
nor the minority certificate conform
ed to Jaw. The majority certificate did
not set out in words at length the vote
cast for each candidate for elector but
expressed them in numerals, when the
statute expressly requires that they
shall be expressed in words at length.
In other words, if John II. Rodney,
one OF the Democratic electors, received
5000 votes in Kent county the result
must be set forth in the certificate
"eight thousand" and not 5000. II
While Governor Watson did not make
the statute Ii was his bounden duty to
observe It, and he did so. The otha
certificate, while having the vote set
out in words at length, was signed by
but a minority Of the Board of Canvass
and the governor could not arrogate to
himself the power to decide, upon a
moments notice, legal question
which the courts of our state will be
weeks in determining
These reasons were set out at length
in his note Of explanation in his proc
lamation, which was but partly quoted
by the Morning News.
The irregularity in the certificate foi
presidential electors did not apply tC
the two certificates from Kent county
for representative in Congress, bu
were In conformity with the statut
prescribing the character OF certificates
relating TO that office For this reasoI
the governor felt Obliged to take tn
ther reason that the majority certin
Gates Of the vote for governor in Ken
county, which were ALIKE in form Z
the certificates for representative il
Congress had been before the joint As
sembly when the vote for governor wa
canvassed, and the majority certifcat
was unanimously received as the ceI
tihcate of the return of the Board c
Canvass, Notwithstanding the fact this
there were five Republican member
of the joint Assembly present and nc
objecting. Messrs. Alrichs Hanb.
Moore, Pierce and Eliason heard II
majority certificate read and nev,
raised a voice in protest, and the a,
tion Of that joint Assembly goes III
questioned until the Morning New
pays a double-ended compliment to
man who has been as consistent in h
official actions as man possibly cou
be.