The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-08-13
Levity AT The Polls
Contest Is A Result
From Tuesdays Daily.

Because the ballot box, sacred trust
OF election Judges and clerks was sur
reptitiously hidden while the judges
and clerks OF one precinct were out
In front of the voting place, talking
to townsmen, and because the judges
and clerks at another voting precinct
are said TO have been all or the dry
persuasion and for variety OF other
reasons, the wet element IN redwood
county Is cOntesting the result OF the
election returns from which indicated
that the county went dry last June
by a margin of eight votes, says The
Minneapolis Tribune. The vote now
stands 1901 TO 1888 for prohibition.
The hearing on the contest came
up before Judge Olson at Redwood
Falls today. The issue tried is wheth-
or the county option law is so versed
that Ii places upon the drys the onus
Of getting a majority OF the votes in
order TO wipe out the saloons.
Says Tie, Wet Victory.
In local option elections, a tie vote
mean dry town as Il takes a ma
iority to license the saloons. But
Senator Albert Pfaender. New Ulm,
attorney for the vets. holds that the
burden shifts in the county option
election and he cites such phrases
from the statutes as: IF a majority
OF the votes at any such election be
cast in favor OF prohibiting the sale
of intoxicating liquors then, and In
that event. and not otherwise. etc.
with provisions abolishing the sale OF
liquor. Therefore, il the contest
shows tie vote. Redwood will be
wet. according to MIR. Pfaender.
The dry majority Of eight is ex-
| pected to be cut down on several IS
sues. In the first place the recount
showed four blank ballots, and Mr..
Pfaender holds that these are votes
cast and hence increase the ultimate
! number necessary for dry majority.
| Then there are five disputed ballots
cast by voters whose intentions were
not clearly expressed.
Claim Joker Hides Ballot Fox.
Then there is the story of the hid
den ballot box. II happened in North
| Redwood On one side of the street
voted the villagers, on the other the
voters of Homer township. The vOt-
! ing place for the latter was on a sec
| ond floor. The judges and clerks
were down in front. waiting for the
next voter to come
One of the judges in the village pre-
! cinct. IN a moment of levity. con-
| ceived a jocular idea. lie entered the
| back door Of the building. climbed a.,
interior stairway and hid the ballot
| box I'm the corner Of the room under
pile of newspapers. Down the back
/ stairway after that
Along came an avowedly wet voter
! OF Homer township. Judges and
J clerks repaired to the cradle Of lib
| erty to record an expression OF SOW
ereign rights.
Jocular Ore Weeps.
He asked for the ballot box. There
was a wild scramble and finally the
| franchise privileges. OF Homer town
' ship were eXtricated from their unsac
! red environment
/ Mr.. Pfaender thinks this is tamper-
ing enough to throw out the whole
township vote with its dry majority
/ of eight and the man who hid the
ballot box. a staunch dry man, is re-
ported to have sought the seclusiOn
of a grain elevator and to- have wep'
| copiOusly over the prospective calam
! ity his dry joke was about to hear
upon the drys.
There was another joker on the
other side of the street where the
villagers of North Redwood gave the
drys another boost. There il hap
pened that all of the judges ana
clerks were reputed to be willing tour
| lists on the water wagon and the
county option statutes, providing fol
n more tolerant situation, prescribes
that the officials shall be selected
from both factions. Mr.. Pfaender
thinks this will be the basis for other
contests.
| Then there were nine conscientious
voters of Redwood county who signed
their names and in some cases their
addresses to the ballots. Mr.. Pfaen-
der thinks that this may be such q
| Disagreement OF the ballots as tc
| throw them out There were seven
OF these cast for and two against
prohibition.