Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1898-12-01
THURSDAY, DECEMBER /, 1898
ELECTION CONTESTED.

Inc law Wisely provinces Il ieihc". WIN"
a candidate for Office is defeated by fraud.
This remedy is seldom gesorted 20 in
sparselv settled sections, where the vote s
are mostly known to each other. In the
larger toNas and cities, where the ward
heolsrtl, s.. The law is often necessary
to the rule Of the majority. Chehalis
county las now its first contested election
on hand. Geo 4. Black, defeated candi-
date f,r county auditor, has filed a con
te .-.:a.t d. A. Sells, who has been
.'re'el by the canyaseng board.
.. .e Black has perfect legal
t.e moral hight and its at
c.asequences are subjects OF
ar'- ilcs., especially SO since, in his
y int, he makes sweeping
1T lie character and inteli
.lt Il lumber OF worthy citizens in
ra'irg p:ecinct in the county.
- 'aiut is legal gem itself, land
Il l.m1u ,rates one OF two things in the
;-e..a' r.keup Of Mr. Blsck. That he
has permitted himself to be used as tool
ia The hands Of parties who desire to
overhaul the ballots cast at the late cleo
ton without mourning the expense o,
odium attached Thereto, for the purpose
OF entailing future litigation on the coun.
t., or, Ills iue, for Office las SO deadened
his moral sensibiitles that ne is blind to
the criminal stigma he has cast upon the
character OF every election judge in Che
halls county in his complaint.
The fourth article OF tie complaint al
leges "Malconduct on the part of the
board Of judges in EVERY VOTING PRECINCT
in said county at said election, and par
ticulaily in the precincts OF Summit Oak
vile and Neushkah, which said malcon-
duct Of said election boards was such as
procured the said J. a. Sells to be de-
clared duly elected to said Office at said
election, and the said contestant, Geo. a.
Black, received the highest number OF
votes cast at said election for said office"
1t will be observed that the precincts
paItioularized are small that the chances
are that every voter was personally known
to the judges who, most likely: have as
high a standing in their communities for
pro!tv as does the contestant in his, and
there is little hope for the finding OF fraud
there, but some trivial omission OF for
mality or commission Of iniormality may
be found with which It thwalt the will OF
the people as expressed at the polls. This
is oae Hay Of citing into Office, but it is
q v.. ll.. L-.5 not commend itself :
the american, There is nothing
aannal about the vote for auditor in
those precincts, it averages about the
sane as the party vote for tie heads Of
the ti.E..e s9Nio only inference r..t can
be drawn from the complaint is that the
contest depends upon some technical in
formaliy in those precincts. The towns,
where one would be most apt to lool, for
frauds, are not particula'ized, but are in
cluded in The blanket affidavit, evidently
for Il purpose
An examination OF the complaint leads
to belief that this purpose is to permit
the counsel for the contestant, one of
whom is defeated candidate, to have the
vote of any precinct they desire examined
with view to the institution of quo war;
ranto proceedings, wherever they may
find technical cause. In this way Mr.
Black will do duty as cats-paw for such
other candidates as would like to hold the
offices whether the people want them or
not. Irwin & Bridges are the attorneys
for Black and we are informed that Audi
tor Sells has etained w. II. Abel and J.
T. Ronald. Of Seattle, to defend the case,
so that it Promises to be long time be-
fole Nj. 3 ok will be permitted to warm
Il chair in the auditors Office at Monte