Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-03-28
COMMISSIONERS
ARE DECIDED ON
Case Of Who We're Commits.
SionerS Of Sheridan County
Settled by the Court
Especial to the Tribune)

MCCLUokl, n. H., MdlCU 2i.-II c
county commissioners of Sheridan
county were elected at the general
election in 1910 and took the oath of
office the following January. During
their tenure of Office several Occas-
ions have come up in which two Of the
commissioners have made themselves
liable to the wrath Of a certain clique
of individuals who thought their rights
to have a hand in the. government Of
this county would be l.nperiled by
certain acts Of the majority of the
board. This has been the cause of
some litigation in the courts before
this last case came up and was the
direct cause OF the agitation started
last spring or summer to have the
names of new men placed upon the
primary election ballot as candidates
for county commissioners in the var.
iOus commissioners districts. The
names of Anton Arens and John T.
~..Cgmo were nut on the primary bal
lot as candidates in the third and first
districts respectively. and these two
we're voted upon at that election.
There was no candidate in the second
district at the primary election. At
that time the incumbent from the sec
ond district was somewhat acceptable
to the above mentioned clique, altho
not in harmony or in sympathy with
these individuals. In the fall, how
ever, a petition was presented to the
county auditor, sigl ed by the required
number of voters, to have the name of
H. B. Curtis placed upon the ballot as
candidate for commissioner from the
second district. The petition was
handed in too late according to the
statute in such case made and provid-
ed, but the name of H. B. Curtis,
nevertheless, was placed upon the bal
lot as. responsibility the clique.
All three received "the highest nun.
Der of votes" cast at the general cleo
ton and on the strength of his the
auditor issued certificates of election
to each and every one of them.
The old board in the meantime, il.
nored these proceedings and went
ahead and organized for the new year,
on the same lay the new board con-
vened ready to transact the business
Of the county. The county auditor re-
fused to recognize either board as of.
ficial-and the soup started to boil.
! along for some time until the demand
for a settlement became so insistent
that it was deemed best to carry the
matter before the court, with a view
Of bringing it to a point.
! 1t was the contention of attorneys
fer the new board that the law as to
the term of office for county commits
sioners would not apply in the case at
bar, it being proceedings to obtain a
writ Of mandamus to compel the aud
itor to recognize the newly elected
board as official. their certificates Of
election being priroa facia evidence of
ther title to the office.
The writ, however, was denied by
the court-he ruling that the county
commissioners are elected for four
years according to the law in force at
the time of such election Of the Sher.
idan county commissioners in 1910,
and that thus no vacancies existed in
1912.
All Sheridan breathes easier now
when the matter is settled. During
the three months the case has hung
fire no business has been transacted
pertaining to the running Of the coun-
ty, andit is no small task the county
board viii lrun up against at their first
Official" meeting.
MINNESOTA SUNDAY SCHOOLS