Weekly journal-miner., 1917-03-28
FUTILE FISHING TRIP TAKEN BY
 SENATOR IVES
EVIDENCE OF WITNESSES FAILS TO PROVE THERE WAS FRAUD OF ANY KIND COMMITTED IN SNOWFLAKE PRECINCT.
Special Correspondence.

Special Correspondence.
 PHOENIX, March N.-The fish ing excursion by Senator Ives today into Snowflake precinct for evidence of fraud, did not prove successful, the contestants own witnesses not sub stantiating the lurid charges made to the court few days ago. In fact one of the witnesses brought here to bol- ster up Hunts rapidly weakening case was not put on the stand, despite the taunts of the Campbell attorneys None of the evidence was damaging to the cause of the contcstee and un- less better showing can be made to- day, ii is apparent that the Snowflake vote will not be disturbed.
 Judge Stanford ruled this morning that the contestant could present evi- dence to prove that there were ir- regularities in Snowflake precinct but denied the right to air the procedure of the election boards in other pre- cincts in the State. Senator Ives was prepared to charge that the polls at Mesa No. ? were kept open after G o'clock and brought affidavits to this effect but the court refused to con slider the matter. The contestant also desired to present proof that in Pine dale precinct the voters had been as sisted by the election board. Out of 76 votes, 72 ballots showed that the name of s. Webber, candidate for justice of the peace, had been written in by the same hand, Senator Ives as serted. Judge Stanford allowed Ives the right to place witness on the stand who would swear that one of the board of election wrote in the name of Webber This was conceded merely to allow the protest to get on the record. in event the case goes 10 the Supreme court.
 After the court had announced its decision, Senator Ives stated that he would take depositions of the wit nesses in Snowflake precinct to avoid the heavy expense of bringing them 500 miles The court said it would prefer to hear the admissions and de- nials from the lips of the witnesses rather than what they had sworn to on paper. Ives asserted that the statutes gave him the right to take the dispositions of witnesses residing 50 miles away or out of the jurisdiction of the court. He went to all of the trouble of looking it up and was on the verge of giving lengthy and ex- haustivc treatise on Propositions and when they can be used" but was in terrupted by Judge Stanford who told the senator that the court would not object if he flooded the mails with depositions.
 "I will inform you right now" Judge Stanford said, "of my opinion on dispositions. It is hard enough to discern when man is telling the truth by watching him on the witness stand To read what man has sworn to means absolutely nothing to me. I would rather hear three wit nesses than read the depositions of forty"
 Senator Ives decided that he would have a few witnesses on hand and set the date for the hearing as next Tues day. He will bring three or four wit nesses to Phoenix and take deposi- tions of the others.
 After the Snowflake argument had been disposed of, Judge Stanford called for the counting of ballots to continue, but Judge Sloan refused to continue the inspection until the court stated it would allow the contestee to bring in as many precincts as the at- torneys desired to investigate. Sloan asserted that in event the Snowflake precinct was disposed of he would prove that several other precincts in the State were handled by the cleo ton boards in the same manner.
 Sloan said he did not desire to go to the expense of investigating these precincts unless Snowflake was thrown out.
 "lf we go on counting and finish | our case while Senator Ives is mak- ing ready to present Snowflake" Judge Sloan said, i've will not be in a | position to bring our precincts to the courts attention unless it agrees be- fore we continue with the count" Itl looked for a while as if the contest would be held back a week but upon Judge Stanford promising the con- testee the right to go back and pick | out the precincts where there were irregularities similar to those proven in Snowflake, Judge Sloan ordered the count to continue.