The Cordova daily times., 1918-09-17
(Edited by Chas. A. Derry)

Nushagak and Vault. And those at
 all familiar with the situation wonder
 why WiCkersham should expect a re-
 vcrsal of Judge Jennings decision
 this vote
 Wickcrsham, in the role of con
 ger. averred that the Fort GibbOn pre-
 CinCt was established for political
 purposes at the instance of Delegate
 Sulzer's friends. in order that the sol
 diers might vote, and that A soldiers
 Of the United States army at that post
 did vote at the 1916 election. He
 claimed that these votes were illegal
 and should be excluded from the count
 The fact of the matter is, however, that the Fort Gibbon precinct was in
 existence in 1914, at which election
 Delegate SulZer was not a candidate.
 In that year 19l4D 2S votes were cast at Fort Gibbon. and 22 of these were for Wickersham. In 1916 there were 50 votes cast, and 34 of them are al legged to have been cast by soldiers.
 In opposition to Wickersham con tention, Delegate Sulzer argues that 1 the contestant has not proved that | any one Of those who voted for Sulzer | was not q qualified voter. The con testant made the allegation that all | the soldiers who voted were disQuali | fled. Having made that assertion. the burden was on him to prove 1t, but this he has utterly failed to do.
 The soldiers who voted at Fort Gib- bon swore that they were qualified | voters; each swore in his vote at the time, and stated that he had read the commanding officers notice (spCCify- ing the rights of soldiers as vOters), and that after duly deliberating he had concluded that he was a citizen of the United States and entitled to vote, and that he voted knowing that he was preCluded from claiming q make good his allegations 1t was nee. essary that the contestant (WickersTI sham prove that these soldiers were . not citizens of Alaska
 Delegate Sulzer contended-and submitted court decisions to sustain the contention-thatt the soldiers were legal voters and that their votes should be counted Courts have held that residence is matter of inten- lion. and that soldier may estab- fish his dOmiCile at such point as he may see fit by taking the proper and appropriate steps to do so.' This the Fort Gibbons soldiers did by swear, Ing that their residence was Fort Gin bon, and thus precluding the poss bility of exercising the right to vote elsewhere
 For be 1t remembered that a sol. lier does not lose his citizenship by he mere fact that he becomes one Of Uncle Sams defenders, whether it be in the bleak Interior of Alaska or on the fighting front in France. The men who voted at Fort Gibbon were only portion of the men stationed there, and they did so after consulting their commanding officer and the dis trict attorney as to their rights It would seem that any decision which threw out the votes of these men at either to disqualfy them on he ground that they were soldiers or hat they were perjurers
 It is not an edifying spectacle that the former delegate makes of himself In this phase of his contest, but it is that while the civilized and educated natives Of Southeastern Alaska should lble. squald, uncivilized and ignorant Esl;imos Of Unalakleet and Nome were entitled to have their votes because they had been shown how to mark ballot for Wicker sham