The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1902-10-30
STATEMENT Or W. 4. FISHER.

party harmony, fair play and de-
cency in Democratic politics.
You may not be aware that, un-
der the rules of the party, ! should
have been nominated at the late pri-
maries. The rules provide that in
the nomination of candidates for
Commissioners, leach voter shall
vote for one candidate from the dis
trict lying north Of the Susquehanna
river and one candidate from the
district south Of the river, and the
official ballot shall so designate
Had the rules been respected by
the Chairman in printing the tickets,
there would have been no necessity
to resort to the law and invoke the
aid Of the Courts to protect my
rights as candidate, and TO secure
to the south side her Just representa-
ton on the ticket. On the hearing
in Court, c. l.. Randall, B. f. Zarr
and w. II. Henrie, all warm per-
sonal friends of the Chairman, when
forced to testify, said that he had
declared in their presence, after the
primary election, that he chad the
tickets printed that way for the
purpose of defeating Fisher" "
1t has been asserted by few that
my name being placed on the ticket
was wrong and that i'll so doing
Sterner was defrauded of his rights.
If Sterner was lawfully nominated,
then their position is correct; but if
he was not lawfully nominated un-
der the rules, then their position is
wrong. This is the question that
was submitted to the Court for adj
Indication, and Judge Durham, one
of the cleanest and best Judges in
the State, after hearing the evidence
found that | was lawfully entitled
to a place on the ticket, and so
ordered. resorted to the remedy
marked out by the law, and had the
Court decided against NE would
have yielded gracefully. No good
Democrat should rail at Judge Dun
hanI when his decision is in accord
with the opinions OF all the Judges
in Pennsylvania who have passed
upon the validity and binding force
of party rules. In deciding my case
he followed such Judges as Rice,
Simington, Stewart, Frazier, Weiss
and many others.
1t is significant that the learned
counsel for Sterner was not able to
cite single case where the Court
had held that the rules were not the
law of the party and not binding Oh
the voter and party convention.
This being true it is the duty OF the
party organization, from the Chair
man down, to support the tlcke
honestly, knowing or serving n(
faction. Every Democrat who doe:
not respect and obey the law wher
judicially determined is mcnac'
to his party and good government.
This is not the first time Sterne
has violated the custom of the party
In "a when Campbell was candi
date against him for second term a
Recorder, he plead with Democrat
to respect the custom and give hir
the second term, but when thre
years later he was a candidate TO
the third term, he forgot all abou
the customs OF the party. Now h
is trying 10 break the written rul
or law and we find him pleading
with Democrats not only to break
custom in vogue for sixty years, bu
to trample under foot the write
rules Of the party and disregard tn
rights of the south side Democracy
If you should be SO unjust to tn
south side, and elect two on tn
north, you will but make troubl
for the party three years hence. /
that event Bogart and Sterner wi
both be candidates, each claiming
second term under the custom, an
neither will yield to the other: an
the candidate from the south sid
will have the same conditions to fac
that l have now. If you now tur
your backs against the rules OF tn
party and the south side you wi
cause a breach in the party tn;
years will not close.
The Sentinel accuses me with b'
ing in a combination with Quay RI
publicans, yet have done nothin
but have my name placed on m
party ticket in a lawful manne
We will let the Democracy say VIII
is in with Quay. The Sentinel
candidate, Sterner, adopted tt
name of The Citizens Party. Loo
at the ticket as advertised by II
Sheriff and you will find Sterner
name in The Citizens Party colum
under penrypaclSer and the tv
BrowDs. II he is not i'll with Qua
why adopt the name of Qray's sic