Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-09-19
BULL MOOSE TICKET
| HEARING ON BEFORE
| SECRETARY or STATE
Challenge of Morrisey Brings Matter
Of Suficiency of Action to q
Slow Down.
CONVENTION NOT LEGAL BODY
Assertion Made That Not Over $50
Voters Attended.
HOW SIGNATURES WERE PUT ON
Two Men Circulate Petition and
Third Swears to It.
GOVERNOR GETS HARD JOLT
l.. G. Moon, Republican Chairman of
Loup County, Refuses to Arr
Meeting for AIdrich In
Taylor.
HOW SIGNATURES WERE PUT ON
GOVERNOR GETS HARD JOLT
(From a staff correspondent.)

CrTom starr Correspondent.)
| LINCOLN, Sept, 49, special. 1.-THE
hearing on the protest of A. NJ. Morrissey,
democratic candidate for attorney gem
eral, against the placing upon the official
ballot the candidates Of the progressive"
| or bull moose, party came up this after
noon before Secretary of State Wait.
The affidavit Of Mr., Morrssey set forth
that at the meeting for the formation OF
the progressive party there were not suf-
ficient voters necessary to organize the
| party according to law. which calls for
500 voters, but that the meeting was conf
posed mostly of men of other political be-
liefs and women and children. That at
the close of the address by Governor
Johnson most of tine crowd left, and that
when the party was organized not over
$50 voters were present.
How Petition Was Circulated.
Ellis e. Wolfe, reporter for the Lin
coin Daily Star, made affidavit to the
ton and that $50 would be large esti-
mate az to the number who were present
at the meeting. He further set forth
that he had talked with DR.. b. r. Will
Jams, superintendent Of the Lincoln hos
pltal for the insane where many Of the
signatures were secured, and that the
superintendent denied that he had signed
said petition and did not know how his
name could be tahetreon, as he was q
democrat and 10 not interested In politics
Mr.. Wolfe also testified that he had
talked with &c. u. Bennett. stewart at
the same institution, and he said that he
and Mr.. Fuller, private secretary to Cow
crnor Aldrich, circulated the petition.
Henry c. Richmond democratic candi-
date for state auditor made affidavit
70 substantiate the same facts as MI.
Morfissey,
The affidayits were objected to By
Judge Root, one OF the attorneys for tho
bull moosers. but they were admitted by
Secretary o. State Wait.
The attorneys then took up the argu.
ment Of the case. Morning and Ledwith
appearing for Mr.. Morrissey and Judge
Root and G. c. Fqansburg for the bull
inoosers.
Argument for Morrissey.
Mr. Morning took up the legality Of
the section OF the statute relating to pri-
maries and said that the law provided
that a primary should be held al GER
tain time for the nomination OF candl-
dates for office lie contended that 8
new party should not have any more
rights than an old party, and that IL a
new party could come in after the pri-
mary and call convention to nominate
wise, and therefore the primary law
was ineffective. He went further and
said that the primary law said plainly
that at the state convention platform
should be adopted, but that no candi-
dates should be endorsed for any office.
IF an old party could not endorse cam
didates for office, what right has a new
party to hold a convention and endorse
candidates2'' said Mr.. Morning.
He also contended that when Mr.. van-
Meter, secretary of the bull moose party,
certified that he saw the men place the
party that he stated what was wrong, for
the affidavit of Mr., Wolf showed that
Mr.. Bennett and Mr.. Fuller circulated
the petition for the signatures at the
state asylum and the penitentiary.
Flansburg for BuIl Moose.
Mr.. Flansburg, appearing for the bull
moose petition, argued that It was not
necessary that the same men who signed
the petition should be the same who at
tended the convention. He read the law
Of 1907 relating to how new parties should
be formed and showed that by that sec-
ton of the primary law that the new
convention was legal convention. Mr.
Morning called his attention to the fact
that the law he had read had been re-
pealed in 1909. but Mr.. Flansburg de-
clared that it had not been repealed.
At the close of his argument Flansburg
read affidayits by Van Meter, chairman
OF the committee which secured sigma.
lures: w. ]. Wells, C. B. Manuel and B,
r. Boutwell,, his assistants. Van Meter
swore that he witnessed as near as he
could the signing Of all the names, and
that none of them were taken on the
streets, but at headquarters in the Lin
dell hotel or in the Auditorium, where
the convention was held and that there
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