The Ordway new era., 1912-07-12
Justice AS It Isn't
Dealt Out in Sugar
How the Saccharine Metropolis
Played Into Our Hands by
Violent Proceedings

Ing or commenting upon the sO.called
Ordway.Sugar City imbroglio, appar-
emily arising from efforts by to entire
ly different sets Of parties, having diff
ferent objects 10 view, who seem to
be anxious to have an accurate state.
ment OF the number Of inhabitants
and legal voters Of Sugar City.
The frst OF these efforts was made
by an attorney on behalf Of clients
whose names he does not believe 1t
good policy, as yet. to disclose, who
claim that the result Of the wet and
dry election at Sugar City, April 2,
was brought about by Irregular or H.
legal votes, and that the same ele-
ment controlled the following school
election. Why the services Of an out.
side attorney we're sought by those in
terested In this matter may appear in
this article later.
An action was begun against one
John Doe, who could, according to a
practice common for years In district
attorneys Offices all over the state,
stand for any wrong doer who might
be discovered on preliminary investi.
CATION. The court before whom this
proceeding was begun, on request, Is
sued subpoena which requested the
town clerk OF Sugar City to supply,
for use In evidence. a certified copy
Of the Registry List OF Voters" ut
the spring election, which Is. by law,
required to be tiled 10 his Office and
made public record, open to the In.
specti0n OF any citizen.
For reasons, to himself supposedly
sufficient, the town clerk refused to
respond to the subpoena, was attach
ed aud fined for contempt OF court.
and It. may be said that the fact that
this fne stands unpaid or unsatisfled.
with the execution therefor In the
hands Of an officer, has nothing to do
with the merits OF the case. Whether
the case WAS properly begun or not. is
beside the question OF contempt OF
court; for the fact remains that reg
ular process was issued and not only
ignored, but the court openly defied
to go the limit, and this position was
justified by the clerks statement, tu
open court that he had been ordered
by the Sugar City board Of trustees to
take the course pursued. Why?
Fair minded people will fail to see
any reason why an honest public
record should be held 10 concealment,
either by town officer or town board.
The second case was an effort by
certain persons having In mind the
coming cuunty-seat electiun, to satisfy
themselves as to the number OF legal
voters on that question 10 the whole
county, and especially in that part OF
it from which must come the votes to
put Sugar City into the race at all
such desire being justified by the ex-
travagant claims Of the Sugar City
near bosses that they had enough
votes to win, though the vote OF 1910
showed them that they had ouly 254 as
against Ordway's 444. These parties
employed j. G. Custer and D. w.
Simmer, two as we'll behaved gentle
men as could have been obtained, to
make a house to house canvass OF the
two Sugar City and three Ordway pre-
cincts.
Soon after they had gone to work In
the town Of Sugar, the near bosses
caught on and became as much excited
as II the canvassers had been going
from house to house and holding up
and rnbbing the inmates-the honor.
able and impartial judge, the police
magistrate of the burg, being fore.
most and most ent husiastic in the pur.
suit and capture Of the malefactOrs,
but closely seconded by the deputy
district attorney for the county, pos.
ing for the time being as town attor-
ney.
After much buZzing bout the astute
lawyer for the county evolved the
deep scheme OF causing the arrest Of
the canvassers on the two charges of
vagrancy and disordery conduct,
which charges were heard before the
aforesaid impartial police magistrate,
who had not the stamina to 20 the
route mapped out for him, so he only
found the culprfts guilty of disorderly
conduct and discharged them as to the
vagrancy count.
Two Ordway attorneys sat by and
heard the proceedings, nowhere OBJ
jectiug to the manner Of dealing out
justice as she is viewed In Sugartown,
except at the end to move dismissal
on the grounds that the prosecution