The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1908-11-18
SHALL THERE BE CONTEST?

tl0n OF craftsmanship. There IS always
a disposition on the part of few
democratic leaders when they feel
pretty cocky after victory. to vent
their spite on the Review. This
feeling is carefully nurtured by the
Bulletin whose only possible chance
of making Roadway against the big
Review is to arouse prejudice. Hav-
ing then, nothing to gain and much
to lose by the continuation of party
animosities. we are. never theless con-
strained to express the opinion that
Otto Huebner. Gustav Buesing and
Thos. Carey should enter contest for
their election as supervisors and de-
mand recount of the ballots.
The expense of this will be slight
and would be borne by the republic
cans in case the contest failed to be
we'll founded. There is no reason
why any particular feeling should be
aroused. We are sure that John
Carey and the other democrats elect
ed would not care to hold an office to
which they were not elected and would
have no serious objection to a care
full recount being made.
Since the removal of the circle from
the ballot much confusion has arisen
both as to the voting and as to the
counting of ballots.
In Page county it is alleged that
more than one hundred ballots were
illegally cast out by the judges and
AIR. Hepburn is to make this basis
for contest in the Sth district.
In the first ward of Denison seven
votes, we are informed, were rejected
because a cross was marked in front
of the names of the Presidential can
didates. We understand that the de-
cision is that it is not the business
of the election judges 20 delare such
votes illegal but a question for the
courts to decide in case contest is
brought before them. From another
precinct comes the report that eleven
such votes were rejected. If there
was an average of three such votes
TO precinct throughout the county.
Huebner and possibly all three OF the
republican supervisors would be cleo
ted.
Again, there was some honest con-
fusion among the voters as to the sup
ervisor ticket in particular. Two
were to be voted for in each group.
Some voters marked for three. 1t
chen becomes question for the courts
TO decide as to which candidates. if
any, are entitled to the vote.
In the matter of supervisors, in the
first group it will always be the be-
lief of many republicans that the
bal lot was purposely juggied for the
benefit of John Carey. The explana
and the effect of arranging the ballot
SO that Bueslng was placed opposite
Ahart and Huebner opposite Carey,
was so apparent, that it will be hard
to convince interested republicans
that there was not method in the dem
ocraiic madness. Whether there
was method or not, this bungling of
the ballot gave rise to still greater
confusion among the voters.
The Review does not for an instant
believe or insinuat4 that the election
Judges in any precinct were purposely
unfair. But men are liable to err.
The supervisors were the last men
ona long. long ticket. The count had
been going on for many tedious tire
some hours. The judges were perhaps,
sleepy and about call in" when the
supervisor portion of the ticket was
reached. They would be more liable
to err there than on any other part
of the ticket.
There is chance, of course. that
Shese errors would favor the demo
cratic candidates. If so, let US find
out. 1t won't hurt the democratic
candidates any in that case and the
republicans would feel satisfied.
From the statement filed by Chair
man Wright we find that the repub-
lican county committee spent $500 in
the last campaign. If it is worth
while spending that much in cam
paign it is worth spending fifty dol
lars more to ascertain for sure just
what was the result of the campaign,
We believe the contest could be
conducted in friendly manner, with
very little expense to anyone and we
believe it would be much better to
contest and lose than not to contest
and have always the feeling that a
corrected count would have given
our candidates the victory. After
all this is not strictly party ques-
ton. Hundreds of democrats must
have voted for the republican candi-
dates for supervisor. The returns
show this. These democrats are as
much entitled to the recount as are