Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1902-10-29
REGISTRATION
COMPLETED
Vote Of Fergus County This Fall viii
Probably Reach Twenty-Five Hun.
dred " the Day is Good.
EIGHT HUNDRED IN LewlsTowN
Cancellation Requirements Caused
Much Trouble-Attorney General
Upheld the Requirement.

Registration of voters for the en-.
suing election finally closed at nine
o'clock Monday night and no further
additions can be made to the lists.
Until p. m. Saturday night electors
may have corrections made and names
may be stricken of by affidavit but
the lists will not be materially alter
ed.
From every precinct comes report
of a big registration and as the Re.
publicans always profit by evidence of
active interest the candidates on the
Republican ticket feel elated and con.
fident of success all along the line.
The greatest difficulty encountered
by the registry agents was in the
matter OF cancellation certificates.
Any voter who registered In another
precinct in the state two or four years
ago had to first obtain a cancellation
OF that entry before he could be reg.
ister, in the precinct where he now
resides. This caused confusion, work.
ed hardship upon the elector and In
some instances was the cause OF bit.
ter feeling. especially wnen the requir.
ed certificates were slow In arriving.
On Friday the parties began using the
wires and the local telephone com.
pany reports the biggest business for
the three days, Friday Saturday and
Monday which had ever been done.
The obtaining of the certificates some.
times required more than one request
and as in every instance the message
contained not less than twenty-five
words. some Of the votes were expen
sive. epecially where the elector had
come from remote point In the
state. The very best that could be
done. considerable number were dis
appointed when the closing hour ar.
rived.
During the first ten days OF registra.
tiOn the LewistOwn agent made every
effort to have test case made and
decided at once. but although the Re.
publicans were willing to go to court
on the proposition, the Democrats
hung back and simply growled. Thurs,
day the Great Falls Tribune reported
that the attorney general had decid
ed no certificates were necessary and
confusion resulted. Jubilantly waiv,
ing the report. Democrats tried "a
have the local agent change his pro
cedure, but until some official state
ment arrived, the request was refus,
ed. Mr.. w. +. Cort and Mr.. Watson
the agent, framed a telegram to the
attorney general and II was under
stood that as soon as Ii arrived some
action should be taken The following
reply reached Lewistown before sup
per that night. but for his own rea.
sons Mr.. Cort did not communicate
the advice to the registry agent and
only by accident was il learned the
following morning that a reply had
been received. The atturney general
said:
Helena, Mont, Oct. 20, 1902.-W. f.
Cort. Lewistown. Mont: Tribune ar
ticle wrong. Cancellation certificate
required In all cases where elector re.
moves from registration district OF less
than one thousand votes Not requir.
ed in transferring from district of
more than one thousand voters, ex.
cept when removal occurs during per.
iod OF registration same year elector
was registered.
JAMES DONOVAN,
Attorney General,
This telegram was shown 10 the
editor and also to the manager Of the
Democrat some hours before their
paper went TO press, but they refused
to publish II. probably for the same
reasons which actuated Mr.. Cort in
pocketing the advice.
During the registration there were
several instances OF attempted inter
ference by the Democrats and Sat
urday night a threat was made in the
Lewlstown Office that unless the az
ent did thus and so to please the I'm
surgents" the Judge OF the district
court would interfere. An appeal war
made to Judge Cheadle but only In an
excited manner and he could give
no relief without an action first hav
ing been regularly filed. Accompan
led by an attorney. the man who had
made the threat visited the registry
office again and examined the books
As nothing further was done IL Is pre-
sumed the advice OF the attorney was
that I. ere was no ground for action
at least Il would look that way.
More than one hundred and twenty
Ave names Of persons dead or perm
anently removed from the district
have been stricken from the books OF
the Lewlstown district and yet there
remained OF old names sos when the
time limit arrived OF new names 34l
had been added. making a total regis
tration Of $40 OF these probably sixty
are gone and a reasonable estimate OF
the Lewistown vote is 775. a gain OF
2i9 over two years ago.
Al East Fork and Forest Grove the
registration this year is 1875 agains;
ss two years ago and probably the
same proportion prevails throughout
the county.