Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-12-22
CHALLENGES VOTE
OF SOLDIERS HOME
MILTON K. YOUNG BELIEVES
BALLOTS ILLEGAL
Files Suit, Alleging Election Frauds.
and Recount May Show His
Election as Superior
Judge

Attacking the validity of the entire
vote of the Soldiers home and alleg-
ing election frauds on several counts
Attorney Milton K. Young, one of the
non-partisan candidates for the posi-
ton of superior judge at the last
county election, yesterday filed com
plant to contest the election of Judges
Frederick w. Houser and George H.
Hutton.
The complaint had been rumored for
some time, but it was thought that
Mr.. Young and the non-partisans had
dropped the subject until yesterday
afternoon when the complaint was
filed with the county clerk and a hear
ing granted for the near future.
Superior Judges-elect Hutton and
Houser will assume their duties in the
superior court on January and the
case will have to be settled before that
time. Judge Houser has been hearing
cases for the past two or three weeks
and should the contention of Young
carry, then the judgments rendered
in those cases will probably be at
tackled on the ground that Houser was
not a judge.
The election to be contested was
held on November 6, being a general
state and county election and there
were five judges to be selected for the
long term of six years to the superior
court.
Judges James, Bordwell, Rives, Hut
ton and Houser were those elected.
according to the count filed with the
secretary of state. Two of those
judges were Endorsed by the non-par-
tisans and Democrats, while the others
were on the straight Republican ticket.
AT the time of election and counting
of the votes there was a general OBJ
lection from all parts of the county
against the alleged throwing out of
non-partisan votes and in many places
there was considerable trouble.
Says Votes Were Cast Out
Attorney Young in his contest, how
ever does not attack any of the votes
in the city precincts but alleges that
in every county precinct his votes were
cast out in an inadvertent but I'M
lawful manner and certain votes num-
bertng several hundred which should
have been counted for him were,
through the ignorance of certain cleo
ton boards in the county, counted for
other men on the ticket.
But that is but a small complaint
of Young's compared to the one reg
istered against the soldiers.
For some time past there has been
complaint against allowing the SOL
diers at the National home at Saw
telle to vote in county and state cleo
tions. The soldiers vote is one of the
most sought votes in the county be-
cause of its locality in a neighborhood
where the vote can never be Gepended
upon for any party.
Every successful candidate for office
generally appoints one or more men
from the home on his staff in order
to reward the old soldiers for their
support and insure support in the
future
Young alleges that the old soldiers
have no right to vote. He cites the
fact that in 1887 the government bought
the land at Sawtelle and established
a home there for old and decrepit SOL
diers of volunteer troops. That
promptly thereafter the state of Cali
fornia gave up all hold on the ground
and home owned by the government
and that by that act the soldiers were
as far removed from having anything
to say in the management of California
affairs as though they were in Wis
consin or Maine or some other end
Of the country.
Pay No Taxes
The soldiers are maintained by the
government. They are cared for by
the government They give nothing
to the state as taxes, neither are they
considered a part of county nor state
until election time.
Young alleges that the 1900 votes
poled at the Soldiers home are all
illegal. He received POI of those votes,
while Houser and Hutton received 1888
and 1856.
Young was beaten by a very few
votes He alleges in summary that
the election boards did not know how
to count the vote because of the I'M
usually large ticket and that If the
votes counted upon other totals are
taken from them and given to him. as
he alleges is the proper step. and if the
soldiers vote is counted out he will
win the election by a plurality of COM
Portable dimensions, He asks the SUI
perior court for recount of the votes