Bisbee daily review., 1906-12-09
THAT ELECTION CONTEST.


 An election contest has been filed in the district court at Tombstone for the purpose of throwing out all the votes cast in No. district at the city hall in Douglas in November. The complaint filed in this contest was signed by George Hardiker, who was the republican candidate for justice of the peace in that city. Mr. Hardi- ker was defeated by Ben Rice. the tsmocratic candidate, who received a majority of 1s. according to the Sdi cia1 count
 IL Is admitted .>-t ttc board of. election in No. district did not strict ly follow the law in all matters d. rected for holding an election. It is charged and admitted to be true that. the election board took the ballot box, during the period required for making the count of the votes cast. away from the polling booth the election board took the ballot box to a restaurant during the count. It is charged that the unused ballots received by the election board were not all returned to the board of supervisors as direct. ed by law; this is admitted by the members of the board One pad of the unused ballots. perhaps more. was left where anyone could get them and were used by parties desiring to take down the result of the count from time to time during it's progress.
 This papsr does not believe that any member of the election board in the district complained of would wi. fully and knowingly attempt to fraud. ulently deprive either Mir Hardiker or M. Riss of single vote cast for them. However, MT. Hardiker seems to think different and charges gross frsud was committed; that handsfull of ballots were taken from the ballot box and scattered about the room, and that twenty-seven ballots were fraudrlently taken from the ballot box aud twenty-seven other ballots were substituted in their stead. This al. legation charges crime that ought to send the man to the penitentiary who is proved guilty of it.
 The election in the district com pfained of was held in the city hall: the election board was composed of democrats and republicans as were the clerks in accordance with the di- Tection of the statute, Represents tives of the democratic, republican and socialist tickets were present dur ing the voting aud the counting and there was no suggestion of fraud until after the ccunt mad befn completed and the result announced ~
 We look upon this election contest as a very serious matter; it involves
 = only the right of Ben Rice
 Id rlse office of justice of the
 'ut it involves the good name
 IS and the honor and honesty
 -- citizens. Such frauds t16f6 ECU Us flEIIlhtT III
 Jn.plaint could not have occurred
 Ut the collision and knowledee 70 rhe elecfio1 board or some mem bers Of it. Now that this case Is in court it will be for Mir Hardiker and the republicans behind him to prove ] that what has been charged is true 1 or stand before the. community as having attempted to deprive man from an office to which he has been honestly elected
 In the meantime Mir Rice has re- cetved his commission as justice of the peace and pending tho trial of the lcontset, should it not occur before January lst. he will hold the office and discharge it's duties. If MT Hard iker can prove the charges he sets ! out in his complaint Mir Rice will gladly surrender the office and in such event it will iis n be tue duty of Douglas. to send to the peLitensiary those who have perpetrated the frsrds charged by Hardiker in his election contest.