The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-07-26
City Clerk Sumner Does Not
Appreciate Imputation
of Unfairness.


DR.. King and R. S. Ludington for
what purports to be malicious han
ding of the affairs of the city
clerks office for the purpose of de-
priving certain citizens of the right
to participate in the primaries held
last Saturday by refusing to register
them so as to accord them the privi-
lege of voting at that election.
Having been an ardent admirer of
DR.. King and personal friend of
long standing, it certainly did strike
hard to have him publicly accuse me
of something which attacks my in
tegrity as an office holder and tends
to accuse me of dishonesty in poll
tics and also attempts to put me in
the position of contempt before the
public. In my opinion the facts and
the law does not bear him out in his
assertion.
Section No. 1894, Pierce's Code,
reads as follows: THE poll books
in this chapter provided for shall be
open at all times during the year for
the registration of voters, except
that they shall be closed on any day
in which a primary election shall be
held in such city or town under the
laws governing primary elections in
cities and towns. 80
This section is clear and the books
should have been closed a full day
when the primary was held, but l
overstepped the law, and l am free
to admit it, and kept the books open
for registration until one o'clock, or
near that hour, at which time the
polls opened. During the time the
books were opened on primary day,
l registered four persons, whose
names are as follows: DR.. D. w.
King, B. c. Collier, E. J. Thompson
and C. B. Fisher. Three of the men
are designated as progressive repub-
licans and the last named man l do
not know his politics. Now, if by
keeping the registration books open
the half day, contrary to the provis-
ions of the statute, / in any way pro-
hibited the men whom DR.. King rep
resents from registering or in any
way hindered progressive republicans
from participating in the primary
election, then l am entirely in the
wrong.
| was accused last Saturday of be-
ing in a frame-up to deprive the
progressives from participating in
the caucus and the election, too
Does it look reasonable that if
were in such frame-up l would reg
lister DR.. King or B. c. Collier, whose
sentiments l know we'll, after the
time when the books were supposed
to be closed? And I am frank to
say that had they brought in fifty
men with them each man would
have been registered.
l have acted as registration Off
Ger for four years now and have at
the same time been actively engaged
in the conflicts which have occurred
each year, and / must confess that
this is the first tine that l have
ever been accused of depriving any
citizen of the privilege of register
ing so as to participate in any cleo
ton, when the citizen presented him
self when the books were open and
1 have always played fair with dem
ocrats, republicans, "wets" and
"drys," though each time the posi-
ton 1 assumed during the campaign
was we'll known.
DR.. King says in his interview:
1.-THE city clerk arbitrarily and au-
tocratically closed the registration
books and turned them over to the
judges without any authority or war
rant of law"
Section No. 50O5, Pierce's Code.
reads as follows: 1T shall be the
duty of the registration officers I'M
der the general election law of this
state to permit the judges of manag-
ing committee of such primary cleo
lions to make a list of the register
ad voforc in tha raSDpctiya Dre-
cincts."
This law was passed in 1895 and
it has been the general custom to
turn over a duplicate poll book to
be used by the judges on primary
day, but quoting from the laws of
1905, chapter III, passed ten years
later and which, in my opinion, re-
peals by implication of the former
law, is the following:
No. 1900 Pierce's Code: at shall
be the duty of the clerk or officers
OF registration, Immediately upon
the close of the poll books preceding
any election to be held in said city,
town or voting precinct, to certify
to the authenticity of said duplicate
poll books and, in time for the open
ing of the polls as provided by law.
to have one of said poll books at each
of the voting precincts, and deliver
the same to the inspector or one of