The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-09
THEY FIND FOR TAYLOR
Board Made No Attempt to Go
Behind the Returns.
POYNTZ IN A MINORITY
Unwilling to Certify to Fraud-Upon the
Wording of the Opinion Will De-
pend the Character OF
tho Contest

frankfort, KY, Dec. S.--The state
board of elections tonight gave out
their official findings for w. S. Taylor
for governor and the rest of the re-
publican ticket has been elected on the
race of the returns. Commissioners
Ellis and Pryor signed the majority re-
port in which they held that. as a
board of canvassers, they have no right
to go behind the returns OF the county
boards, that their duties are purely
ministerial as canvassers, and that the
face of the returns, as received by
them from the counties, show the cleo
ton of the republican state ticket Ac-
cordingly, the report says, certificates
of election were ordered issued to each
candidate thereon. Commissioner
Poyntz presents minority report,
which he closes by saying:
Il am unwilling to certify to fraud
and to turn Kentucky over 20 the con-
troll of bayonet, Gatlins gun and fraud
ulent tissue ballots
Extensive preparations are being
made to i,.augurate Taylor next Tues
day.
All pretense of fight for the certit-
cate of election as governor has been
given up by the Goebel people, and
whether a contest will be made in the
Legislature is really yet to be deter
mined. 1t will depend very largely
upon the wording of the opinion which
Commissioners Ellis and Pryor will
hand down at 10 o'clock tomorrow
morning. If it implies that the COM
missioners believe fraud was committed
which might invalidate the election, did
they, as a canvassing hoard, have the
legal right to go behind the certified
returns, 1T is almost certain a contest
will be made. Otherwise it is uncer-
tain.
The other democratic candidates for
the minor offices on the state ticket,
acting on the belief that the commls-
sioners opinion will contain implica-
tions of fraud have already decided to
fight before the state contesting board
for the positions to which they believe
themselves entitled. They held several
conferences during the day. but it was
not definitely determined until O'Clock
in the afternoon to make the contest.
Commissioners Ellis and Pryor were
busy all day writing their opinion, and
it was dark before Mr.. Ellis, who did
most OF the writing, had finished his
task. Neither he nor Judge Pryor made
any denial Of the fact that they would
decide that Taylor is entitled to the
certificate. They would not discuss the
matter, but tacitly admitted that it was
true. The politicians of both parties de-
Pil tttl llOlti Il Ilesihloll III Sicdl
bers during the day and the town to-
night is practically deserted.
There has been a great amount of
money bet throughout Kentucky as to
who would be theneXt governor and the
bettors are trying to decide whether
if Taylor is declared governor and later
ousted by the Legislature as not being a
legal incumbent, he was in fact gov
ernor at all in the eyes of the law
The Taylor bettors construe it one way
and naturally the Goebel men figure it
out differently. There has been SO much
money wagered on the outcome that the
thing has really a serious side to it.