The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1915-09-10
THE LICENSE
SITUATION
Rev. Shearer Gives this Inn
portant Topic an Airing.
Dear Editor :

Dear Editor;
During the last few weeks there
has been studiouslv cultivated i'll
our community the impression that
Our city has been voted wet and
therefore saloon must be run.
This twist of logic has it's promo
tiers primarily among those who
wish to make money from the
business.
The inside history of .his situa-
ton is not generally known. 1t
fell to my lot to be an election
judge last spring in first ward, i'll
the ward in which error is said to
have been made. | was also APP
pointed teller by referee Wallace
at the time of the recount. From
these two positions | wish to give
some inside history of the liquor
situation.
AT the election last spring II. l..
Cortelyou, w. r. DeArment and
myself were judges in first ward.
At the close of polls we proceeded
to count the ballots. In the COM
pany watching the count | noticed
our present mayor with several
others. These were standing
close beside us, watching carefully
and, as ! remember, Mr.. Kennedy
even offered correction to the
count at one point. That mis-
take could have been made under
these circumstances, in counting
these few votes, when it was known
that the vote was close, and an
error might be disasterous to either
side, is in very high degree inn
probable.
Some have insinuated that | my
self cheated in the interest of the
drys. No one dares make that
statement in the open. 1t roots in
simple ignorance, or III an open
lie or an attempt to cover up their
own crookedness.
The count in our ward showed
81 votes aginst the saloon, 4S for
saloon, blanks and one ballot
marked both yes and no. After
we finished the count we put the
official stamp, the unused ballots
AMI the voted ballots into the boxes
and sealed the boxes with stickers
over the hole i'll the top; but not
having scales enough they were
not sealed over the edge where the
. top opens. The lid however was
locked with paddock. One of the
judges them took them away.
: saw them no more until the day of
liC iSloulll. am lllllOl iuCQ tlldl
the boxes and keys were delivered
tp the city auditor. | am inform
cd also that the boxes were kept in
the hall i'll front of Mr.. Turner's
law office or i'll the coal box. Either
place more or less easy to access to
the public. To change the ballot
under these conditions all one
needed was the key Blank ballots
and official stamps were in the
boxes,
Now let us come up to the re-
count conducted under Mr.. Wal
lace, district court stenographer, as
: referee. Mr.. Rabcock was attor-
ney for the vets and Mr. Barring
ton for the city. The drys had no
t attorney, believing that none was
/ necessary.
n The contest had been brought OIL
charges of irregularities in the 2nd
and 5rd wards. The boxes from
e these wards were opened and found
+ correct. When asked to open the
S box of the lst ward the city auditor
f could not find the key. He had
7 the keys for the other boxes but
e was unable to find the one for the
y LIST ward box. County Auditor O..
S f. Lien who was present, offered
/, to get his master key to open it.
This he did and the box was
II opened.
(Continued on page a