The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1920-11-04
REPUBLICAN
TICKET GOES
THROUGH BIG
All Farmer-Labor Candidates
are DecisiveIy Beaten in
This County
VOTE is COUNTY'S BIGGEST
Closest Race is Between County
Commissioner r.. e. Pratt and
Fred Smoots

With the exception Of county as
SCISSOR and prosecuting attorney for
which the republicans had no candi-
dates, Benton county returned clear
majorities for the entire republican
ticket from top to bottom. The lead
of the republicans over the farmer
labor ticket ranged from 800 votes
for county commissioner to 1862 for
county auditor. "5
If the vote polled by the farmer
labor party was a surprise to anybody
it was surprise to the farmer-lab-
orites themselves as the republican
county organization went into the
campaign conceding the new party
1900 votes in the county. With the
exception of president where the farm
er-labor strength broke to Cox and
county commissioner where the vote
was influenced by purely local conJi-
tion, the farmer-labor ticket ran very
close to the 1900 mark, or less than
one-third Of the vote Of the county.
One Of the interesting features of the
returns is the vote on sheriff, the
only county office for which each Of
the three parties had a candidate. 1t
had been feared that the third man in
the race would give this office to the
farmer-labor candidate. However, the
vote received by Ferrell, democrat,
had but little effect upon the rela-
tive ratio between the republican and
farmer-labor vote. Rolph, republi-
can, received 2047 votes, Halvorson,
farmer-labor, 1901, and Ferrell, 524.
For engineer where there was no DEM
ocrat running, Stradling received 2050
or only three more than Rolph, and
Dilling the farmer-labor candidate is
credited with 1901 or only one more
than Halvorson, and approximately
the same ratio was maintained
throughout the list. For instance,
Morthland received 2094 votes and
Mrs. Williams 1887.
The highest candidate on the ticket
is Miss Severyns, the present county
auditor, who received 1891 vote to her
1867. The closest race was
between County Commissioner r. E.
Pratt and Fred Smoots. Complete un-
official returns give Mr.. Pratt lead
of 800 votes, the totals being 1890 to
1900. The vote on this office was in
by purely local conditions
which gave Mr.. Smoots about 300
votes in excess Of his party's strength.
In the county the republican nat
onal, congressional apd state tickets
ran slightly behind the county ticket.
The county's total vote was about $500
,r approximately 200 in excess of the
'ecord vote of 1912.
OF the 81 precincts in the county
he farmer-labor party carried IL, as
'ollows. Carley, Expansion, Finley,
Horn Rapids, Kiona, Paterson, East
orosser, North Prosser, Riverside,
Yale, Walnut Grove and Wellington.
Cor the most part these are precincts
which showed strong socialist vote
n times past. For instance four
'ears ago Finley precinct gave Ben
on 26 votes to Wilson's Sc; Horn
sapids went 20 for Benson and So for
wilson; Paterson, Benson Is, Wilson
9; East Prosser, Benson %, Hughes
4; Vale, Benson 3, Wilson 10; Well
ngton, Benson 20, Hughes 20.
Benton county voted very much as
id the state on the referendum meas
res and the constitutional amend
nents. The Carlyon bill was decisive
Y defeated, the bonus bill carried big
nd indications are that the reclama-
ion amendment carried and the SAL
ny increase amendment was beaten.
In another column appears the tab
lar returns from the several pre-
incts of the county. These returns
re unofficial and as most of them
yere received by telephone there are
robably inaccuracies but the official
ount will change none of the results.