Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1902-01-09
The Contest Decided.

1
Jenkins and his Associate Judges
Campbell and Skinner, the latter
part of last and the fore part of this
week. The contestor attempted to
establish his case on the ground that
Herbert Richardson and Allie Bark
er were illegal voters and that they
voted for the contestee and thereby
changed the result. They failed to
do either. The court rendered
unanimous opinion that both were
legal voters and refused to order the
witnesses to tell for whom they vot-
ed. The judgment of the court was
unanimous that Harry Hayden was
duly elected to the office of Com
missioner of the 3rd district at the
election held on Nov. 5th 1901.
The contestor, Mr.. Hempel, was
represented by Judge Bodle, R. w.
Griggs, R. NJ. Painter and E. D.
Smith; the contestee, Mr.. Hayden,
by A. B. Reeves, A. T. Bodle Jr.,
G. b. Allen, and Judge Selvidge.
The case was hotly contested and
ably defended.
The Judgment of the court is only
the sentiment of a large majority of
the people of Meade county and of
nine-tenths of the people who heard
the testimony in the case. 1t was
an effort to disfranchise two young
men who were casting their first
votes. The costs in the case will
amount to over 5000 for which Mr..
Hempel has given bond and which
he and his bondsmen will have to
pay. The real Navigator of the con-
test is Frank Fuhr, our present post
master and publisher of the Globe,
who ought to have to pay for the
whole bill. He, with the assist
ance of few others, induced Hem
pei, who is almost spelling for an
office, to start the contest. Fuhr
certainly ought to haye to pay the
expenses as he is the bell-wether of
flock, instead of the innocent third
parties who were dragged into the
matter on the assumption that it
would be "dead easy" to win. l
want to say that disfranchising vot
ers and depriving men of their rights
as American citizens is no easy job
and the parties interested in trying
to do this probably realize that fact.
Some of the friends of Hempel had
the idea that all that was necessary
was to start a case and the votes of
these boyswould promptly be thrown
out and the office of Commissioner
handed over to Hempel on a platter.
This was a very erroneous and
we are sorry that they ever enter
tanned any such idea. 1t is easy
enough for one side to hold coun-
Gil and win a contest case but when
they get into court they hear the
other side. Men who try their cases
on the street, and win them in their
own estimation, rarely ever have
any success in court.
In regard to the court, we have
Judge jenkins, who selected X. w.
Campbell and d. Skinner as his as
sociates, who tried the case with
him. Will any man in Meade coun-
ty stand up and question the integ-
rity of any one of themP 1 say it
cannot be done truthfully and with
out prejudice. Judge jenkins could
not have selected any two better
men in Meade county and this is
the general opinion. When l heard
Mr.. Fuhr make the remark, "that it
was no use going into the case un-
less we are sure of winning" and
how he and his associates would
elect the contest court, l thought
you poor benighted creature, do you
not realize the fact that Judge Jenk-
ins is an honest man and you can
not trihe with him in this matter.
Did you not suggest the names of
parties for judges who the council
concluded would be with your side,
right or wrong. l mention this in
cident because l am convinced that
it wasn't a square deal you wanted,
but on the other hand sought to
connive to elect men as associate
judges who would favor Hempel re-
gardless of the law and evidence
Did you not go personally to Judge
Jenkins and try to make a political
case out of it? know that you did.
Ask an honest man to disregard law
and evidence because he belonged
to your political party. Ask man
to disregard his oath for your spec
ial benefit and to the detriment of
a majority of the voters who elected
him to the Office. Ask a man to