The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1914-03-13
BATTLE OF THE BALLOTS
One Of the Hottest School
Elections Ever Held In
This District

There has been a great deal of COM
plant of late years as to the apathy
OF the voter, and his growing inclina-
ton to shun the ballot, but the elec-
torate of Oroville are not sleeping
upon their rights so far as can be OBJ
served. People noticed that there was
an election in this place Saturday
There was no great political issue al
stake, the country was not to be saved
through the success or defeat of this
or that party, the progress and life
of the community did not rest upon
the result, yet one would suppose that
all these things were dependent upon
who was elected Saturday. The only
question before the voters was the
selection Of two school directors only
this and nothing more, but from the
excitement stirred up a stranger would
have supposed that this was one of
the most vital issues ever presented
to the people. 1t takes a factional
fight in Oroville to arouse all the
passions dormant in the human heart,
and let a fight of this kind be carried
to the polls for adjudication, and every
voter not on the verge of death will
get out and register preference from
among the candidates whose names
al
election Saturday was veritable
whirlwind, and ballots fell almost as
thick a sleaves in autumn. There are
all kinds of rumOrs as to the reason
why so much interest was manifested,
many of them too absurd to possess
foundation of fact. No matter if no
reasons existed for stirring up a con-
test, reasons were manufactured and
with such good effect that during the
time the polls were opened people in
automobiles and on foot swarmed to
the school house to cast ballots. If
the excitement had been based upon
a desire to further the welfare of the
school the exhibition of intense in
terest would have been laudable to
the highest degree, but it is safe to
say that half the voters never for a
moment thought of the interests of
the school, the well being of the pupils,
or the bearing superior school would
have upon the future of the town. Per-
sonal feeling ran high and men and
women were moved by the spirit of
antagOnism and disunion. So hot was
the election, so energetic the workers.
so great the interest aroused that 2SS
votes were polled, where under ordi-
nary circumstances in a school elec-
tion it is hardly possible to get out
enough votes to legalize the election.
Up to last Friday afternoon there
was little or no talk of the election.
If there was it was carried on so
quietly that no inkling of the coming
excitement leaked out. Evidently this
calm presaged a storm. There was a
rumor that DR.. j. l.. Masters and S.
b. Starrett would be candidates, and
up to Friday afternoon their names
were the only ones mentioned in con-
nection with the offices. Friday after
noon H. w. Bragg ordered tickets for
j j. Mallory and E. e. Parsons. Mr..
Mallory afterwards withdrew his name
and Thos. Collier was substituted.
Subsequently tickets were ordered
bearing the names of Messrs. Masters
and Starrett. The storm did not break
until the polls opened Saturday after
noon and then there was such hustl
ing for votes and such a rushing to
the polls as has never been seen be-
fore in Oroville. There have been
some warm local elections in Oroville
but nothing to compare with that of
Saturday. Workers were out in force
and every means known to the ward
worker to win votes was used. In
the heat of contest of this kind as
sertions so ridiculous that one could
hardly believe that a sane man would
listen to them were swallowed whole
and repeated with embellishments
American politics, even when applied
to so insignificant a contest as a
school election, are not on a plane
with Sunday school ethics, and in the
Saturday election American politics
were played to the limit. When the
votes were finally counted the figures
stood as follows: Parsons 152; Collier
$50; Starrett 1856; Masters 1876.
So far as the candidates were con-
cerned personally they are all worthy
law-abiding, upright citizens. The
character of each and all of them is
above reproach. Any one of the four
and all of the four personally have
the best interests of the town as a
whole at heart. They would do moth
ing as private citizens or in public Of
flee to cripple the school, all reports
to the contrary Notwithstanding, OF
to work an injury to the town in any
manner. Their interests are here
they pay taxes here, they are loyal tc
Oroville, and no two of the four would
be party to injustice or unfairness
in the administration of school affairs
Let the petty chickering's that develop
ed Saturday be forgotten as a closed