The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1900-12-08
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1900.
ELECTION CONTESTS.

stituted by Mr.. Long to have him.
self declared the regularly elected
representative in the legislature
from this county in place of Mr..
Faust, seems to be in line with the
Clark program throughout the state.
The same kind of proceedings have
been instituted in Carbon county in
behalf of the Clark candidates there,
and it is likely that before this is
sue of the Bee goes to press there
will be information at hand of SINH
lar contests in other counties of the
state.
These contests indicate, if they in
dictate anything, that Mr.. w. A. Clark
is not SO sure now as he was immed-
lately after the election, that his cleo
ton to the United States senate is
certainty, and he intends so far
as lies in his power, to institute con-
tests wherever possible in the hope
that he will be able to control a suf-
ficient number of votes to enable him
to have the contestants seated. The
contests further indicate a serious
fear of some republican opponent,
tor if he feared the candidacy of any
democrat, the supporters of the DEM
crat he fears will hardly be likely to
lend their votes to aid Mr.. Clark to
unseat republicans opposed to him
who are favorable to him. It is
evident that if the contestants hope
to succeed they must have nearly
the full fusion support in the legis-
lature, and the full fusion support
must indicate that the contests are
directed against the interests of some
republican, unquestionably Carter.
The contests also indicate that Clark
has no hope of purchasing republi-
cans this time, in case of necessity,
and that he is taking other methods
SO far as they are concerned, to in
sure his election.
The singular feature of the local
contest is that 1t is not the candidate
next to Mr.. Faust in the number OF
votes received, who is contesting his
election, for Mr.. Brown received 89S
votes, while Mr.. Long received but
891. 1t would appear that If the
contest in behalf of Mr.. Long has any
merit, a contest in behalf of Mr.
Brown would have more merit. There
ale probably good reasons why Mr.
Long is making the contest instead
OF Mr.. Brown, but they do not appear
;pon the surface.
it does not require very great
stretch of Imagination to see how
Mr.. Longs contest will not add any
thing to his personal popularity, re
CARELESS of the merits of the case
The people admire good loser, an;
while Mr.. Long may have little tror
BILE in convincing partisan legisla
ture that his claim to the seat award
ed by popular verdict to Mr.. Faust
is good, he will have considerable
more trouble in so convincing tn
voters of either party in his owl
county.
It is likely that enough contest
will be brought to enable the part
san legislature to make pretense G
fairness by rejecting some of ther
and at the same time accomplish tn
purpose the contests are evidentl
intended to subserve, as in the cas-
of the seating of the Deer LOdg
delegation of GA IN the Democrat
state convention, and the unseatin
of the Silver Bow delegation of II:
Such contests are rarely, if evel
decided on their merits, and il tn
Clarkites have the power, the cor
testees may as we'll be prepared t
step down and out, regardless of tn
right or wrong of the matter.