The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-03
HAD lively TILT.
Session of Republican Commit
tee Was Almost Exciting.
Question of Recounting the Vote
For Committeeman.
DANA'S MAJORITY 457.
Judges Made Small Mistakes in
Unofficial Returns.
County Attorney Hungate Has
Nearly 1900 Majority.

Quite Unexpectedly this morning at
the canvass of the vote of the recent
Republican county primaries, an effort
was made by the '1aw and order" fac
ton of the Republican committee to
compel a recount of the vote in the
close precincts of the city. the object
being to try to defeat NJ. Snattinger for
member of the county central commit
tee from the second precinct of the
Third ward. The returns showed Snat-
fingers election over Charles S. Elliott
by just one vote The effort to secure
recount was defeated, after some
heated argument pro and con, by
vote OF to 3, only Is members of the
committee being present at the time
the vote was taken.
The law and order people also had
the idea that they might unearth some
thing which would turn the count in
their favor in some of the other pre-
cincts where there was a close vote
for committeeman. They did not have
much hope of affecting the result on
more important offices, though they
thought it possible to find some i'm
portant errors in the vote for chairman
of the committee, where the returns
showed majority of 221 for Philips
ONGI 1AlHQSdy- W. II. OOW4SS was dloO
digging around in the returns from the
second precinct of the Third ward,
where he thought there had been
mistake made in counting his vote.
John Alexander, one of the leaders in
the instruction, was also planning to
challenge the returns from the first
precinct of the Fourth ward. He
claimed that illegal voting and repeat
ing was done there. The figures show
that in the mayor fight a year ago the
registration in that precinct was 1874,
and the total vote in the election was
331. In the recent primaries there were
81 votes cast for the Office of judge OF
the district court and 1888 for the office
at the regular election when both par
ties are supposed to participate. But
for some reason this was not sprung on
the committee.
motion was made that the returns of
| the primaries as compiled, tabulated
and verified by the poll books, by the
secretary of the committee, be accepted
as the official returns of the elections.
It was urged that as the contests were
not close, the committee would save
a great deal of time by this method of
procedure.
John Alexander moved as an amend
ment to this motion that a committee
of five be appointed to canvass the re-
turns and recount the vote in the close
precincts. This amendment was second
ed by p. H. Forbes. Alexander claimed
that this was the ordinary way of can
wasting returns, and that while he did
not doubt that Secretary Gardiner had
done the work of tabulating as well
and accurately as possible, he thought
it would be better to have the work
verified by other men.
| Several other speeches were made,
and on the vote the amendment was
defeated by vote of to 5. The orig
linal motion then carried.
The official returns, as compiled by
Secretary John Gardiner show a de-
crease in Dana's majority over McCabe
to 457 This is due to mistakes made
by judges in certifying the returns I'M
officially.
| There are other changes in nearly all
the returns over the unofficial reports.
but the size of the majorities is not ma
terially affected.
| Bert Lucas, candidate for sheriff
without opposition, led the ticket with
a total of 5,O39 votes. Doc Newman,
candidate for county clerk, was second
with 1886 votes.
one of the most important changes
to some people made in the official re-
turns in the vote for county attorney
Cowles' total vote was found to be
thus making Hungates majority less
than Cowles' total vote. People who
bet to the contrary lose
Robert Stones majority for represen-
tat1Ve from Ine 1ulII -iliiilh uiSe1 ~
was the largest received by any of the
candidates for representative. He has
434 votes to the good.
Hungates majority for county attor-
ney was the largest received by any
| candidate, though Carter had 1880 and
Belts 1,129.
The summaries. official, are as fol
lows:
For District Judge: 49,
A w Dana ................... 559l
"a he ~
Dana's majority ...............-. 451
For County Attorney:
o. E Hungate ...-.. ....---.--.--. S99z
w. H. Cowles .---.-.-. --.-.---.--.2o''
Hungates majority ..............1 s1S
For Sheriff:
A. T. Lucas 5O3s