The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-31
ELECTION SCANDAL.
Olathe MayoraIty Contest to Be De-
cfded by Court.

cided by Court.
There are hints of scandal in con-
nection with the OIathe election case,
which is now pending in the supreme
court J. p. Hindman, one of the at
torneys for John ]. Glover, the man
who was given the office of mayor on
the face of the returns. was in To-
peka yesterday for the purpose of
looking through the original ballots
master, C. A. Smart.
Judge Hindman absolutely refused
TO touch these ballots or to take them
into his possession at all. He insist
ed that some officer of the court be
constantly in his presence while he
looked at them.
81 want you to be in a position to
testify" he said, that I have not
been in possession of those ballots
alone.'
Mr.. Hindman then asked a lot of
questions about what was done by the
attorneys for the other side when
they came to Topeka a week ago to
look over the ballots.
They took the ballots into the
clerks private Office said c. II. Nor
ton: land had them spread out on the
table there in front of them.''
Were they alone?" asked Hind
man.
Yes
No, I think not, especially
How long did they spend looking
over the ballots?''
"Oh, probably not less than fifteen
minutes" replied Mr. Morton.
1t is highly probable that Judge
Hindman will claim that the other at
torneys had free access to the original
ballots, and that there was nothing
to prevent them from making marks
and designations on Glover ballots
which mt there
voted. =a
If Judge Hindman can make this
point it may be sufficient to turn the
scale in this interesting case. The face
of the returns gave Ogg 2O3 votes and
Glover 526. But in addition to that
Ogg had S25 disputed votes, and there
were 208 other ballots challenged for
various reasons. If all of the ballots
which were handled by attorneys for
Ogg should be disbarred from con-
sideration, it might give the election
to Glover. This would be a highly
satisfactory outcome for the Glover
faction.
PIaitiff's Brief Filed.
Briefs on behalf of the plaintiff Ogg
were filed in the supreme court yester-
day. In this brief the plaintiffs attor
neys say:
I'm making a summary of the whole
vote cast we believe that to the SIG
votes reported for Glover there should
De dUQ0d Id VOTES from the ZU3 pal
Elots submitted giving him a total of
539, while to the 203 votes reported for
Ogg should be adedd the 325 ballots
voted in the circle and 6S from those
submitted by the commissioner giving
him a total of 596 or a majority of 81
over Glover for mayor"
The Parker-Hughes case is cited ire
quently in this brief, and in many par
ticulars the two contests are similar.
| At Olathe two tickets were in the
field at the election in the spring of
1905. One ticket was nominated at
a mass convention called by the Re-
publican and Citizens parties. which
fused" and the new party was called
the "City Ticket" F. r. ogg was
nominated for mayor on this ticket.
Then another faction nominated on
an independent ticket, by petition,
John J. Glover for mayor, and also
judge and treasurer of the board of
education.
| No copy was furnished to the printer
for the election ballots. The city clerk
simply gave him the nomination pa
pers. and the printer fixed up the City
ticket with a circle at the top for a
straight ballot, and put no such circle
on the Independent column.
GlOver'S friends seemed to control
the election boards, for by a prear-
ranged plan, as it is claimed, all the
election boards refused to count the
Ogg ballots voted in the circle. In this
| way, go Oln0IWlS0 &OOu DdllOlS LOT
Ogg were rejected. The board of can
vassers gave the certificate of election
| to Glover.
1t is highly probable that the court
will hold that these 325 ballots sh ould
be counted for Ogg, and this puts the
contestants three votes ahead of the
contestee The fight will then be to
see which side can get the most off the
20S ballots to which objections are
made for various irregularities. Many
| nf fh irrA01Il1 rifles frlf1inR hIlf
the Ogg people claim 6S good ballots
out of the 203. and concede only 13 to
| Glover.
1t is in the manipulation of these ir-
regular ballots that the Glover people
| intimate some trickery took place. 1t
would seem that they suspect Ogg' s
attorneys of putting few invalidating
marks on some of the Glover ballots.
The cases of C. E. Pettyjohn VS.. O.
]. Scott. for the office of city treasurer,
and E. C. Owen VS.. J. H. Milhoan for
the Office of police judge, have by con-
i sent been sidetracked to wait the out