The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-05
QUIET INDEED.
City Election Arouses No Inter
est Whatever.
Trouble TO Secure Places. to
Open Polls.
RENT In ADVANCE.
Owners Forced Major Anderson
to Pay For Rooms.
Little Attention Being Paid to
County Commissioner.

.'There is hardly an election board in
town. outside of the Fifth and Sixth
wards which is working with full set
of judges and Clerks said Election
Commissioner Sherm Williams this
morning.
1t has been found impossible to arouse
enough interest in the city election to-
day to even organize the polls accord
ing to law THE vote is so light" said
one election judge this morning, who
with a solitary clerk was running a
polling place in an important precinct.
that we have to sit on it to keep 1t
from blowing away
There is not precinct in town where
more than twenty OF thirty votes mad
been cast up to noon today
The judges and clerks say that the
fair grounds tax proposition will get
nearly all the votes cast in town. There
are said to be many ballots going in
against the proposed bridge at the site
of the old sugar mill These conditions
are likely to be reversed outside of the
city.
The commissioner fight in the Third
commissioner district serves to help
out the monotony of the day in the
Fifth and Sixth wards and the country
precincts south of the river 1t is gen
orally believed that Harrison will be
elected by a large majority of the total
vote. which will not be heavy. Quayle
and Wise, the Democratic and Popu-
position to Mr. Harrison that his cleo
ton seems certain.
Many funny things happened this
morning when efforts were being made
to open the polls. 1t looked for awhile
as though there would be no election
at aNin the Third and Fourth precincts
of the First ward, and the first and
third precincts of the Second ward
The owners of the buildings which had
been selected for voting places demand
ed their rent in advance, and were evil
IDENTIFY suspicious of the announced IN
-tention of the Commercial club to pay
the bills. In the third of the Second. no
arrangement could be made with the
owner OF the building which had been
selected, and it was necessary to move
the voting place from 91S East Fourth
street to lilo East Fourth. In other
cases the owners of the buildings were
persuaded to allow the voting booths
to be set up, though in some instances
1T was necessary for Major Tom An
derson. of the Commercial club. to pay
spot cash in advance for the room rent
At about o'clock this morning COM
plants began to come in from mem
berS of the election boards who could
not find their assistants or the keys to
the voting places. P. c. Dennis, a
judge in the third precinct of the First
ward was one of those who was seek
ing advice and consolation from the
election commissioner. He called up by
phone and said:
well, I'm here and the books are
here and the ballot box is here but
there are no clerks and judges but me-
What shall I do2''
Guess you'd better go ahead and
open up" replied Mr. Williams.
But would that be legal?' asked Mr..
Dennis.
liams. TT wouldn't be any worse than
not opening at all Catch the first man
that comes along and swear him in. In
course of time you may get enough for
the board
1t is supposed that Mr.. Dennis fol-
lowed the advice.
Henry M-Steele was one of the judges
IN Mr.. Dennis precinct, but he failed
to appear, and sent word that he could
not come. But MIR. Steele was not any
worse than dozens of others. People
did not seem to be tumbling over each
other in their frantic desire to serve
the city on a slim hope of getting pay
for it.
The mixed up situation on the sub
Ject of pay no doubt had much to do
with the confused state of affairs. Some
claim that the judges, clerks ct al,
will be paid for their services this time