The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-08-03
County Clerk is Formally
Served With Opinion of
Attorney General.
MOST ARE RESIGNED
No Legal Action is Started to
Get Names on Ballot and
One Appears Remote.

Sheriff William Rauen on Tuesday
evening delivered To County Clerk
Charles L. Holderness the formal opin-
ion of the attorney-general's office
which will bar from the primary ballot
on September 9Th the names of nearly
a dozen Republican candidates for
office, The opinion of the attorney
general holding that the names could
not be placed on the ballot was accom-
panied by a letter from the district
attorney to the county clerk, giving to
him an opinion as to how the law must
be followed. A kindly offer of CO.
operation between the two departments
was suggested in the closing of the let
ter, but there was some comment about
the county building that this sugges-
tion was docking the door Of the barn
after the horse had been stolen"
There appeared to be a willingness
among candidates to be resigned to the
fact that they were out of luck in GET
ting on the ticket. Several of them
appealed to attorneys for advice, but
it is understood that after a study of
the law the attorneys saw little chance
oppose the opinion which had been
sent out by the attorney-generaPs Office.
Other Counties Getting Scared.
It was apparent that the same error
had been made in other counties in the
state as reports from Madison said that
many calls had been made for copy
of the opinion of the Encouragement
in regard to the signature question.
The first clerk to seek information
directly from Kenosha county was
County Clerk Shoemaker of Waupaca
county. He called by telephone this
morning and asked that copy of the
opinion together with statement of
the conditions in Kenosha county be
forewarded to him today. He init
mated that the same conditions were
developing in his county.
Meantime it is known that in other
counties of-the state vigorous exam
nations are being made Of the sigma
lures of all petitions. Under the opin-
ion Of the Encouragement it was de-
clared today that the following names
were properly on the primary ballot for
the Republicans: Tom Scott, Lillian
Minkle, Bert l.. Shaw, Truman T. Park
err, Frank S. Symmonds, Lewis Powell,
Edward Ruetz, Roy WhiteaJohn Scho-
ley and John Clausen.
The Case of George Stevens.
The case of George Stevens, who
sought to be a Republican candidate
for the office of clerk of the circuit
court, presents a very interesting an
gle. He filed many petitions for the
nomination previous to the time for
the closing of the office of the clerk
on July 25th, If the total number of
names filed were counted, he would be
safely on the ballot, but under the
strict reading of the law the names OF
some of the women signers of the pc
titions must he eliminated. These
women did not follow the strict reading
of the law and sign petitions with their
Christian name" 1t is just possible
that the Encouragement will be asked
to make ruling on these petitions.
Places on the Republican ticket, left
blank by the action of the attorney
general, include the office of county
clerk, member of the assembly in both
the first and second districts, and coun-
ty surveyor.
Prepare to Seek Nominations.
One of the candidates has suggested
that all candidates for office run indie
pendently on the ticket after the pri-
mary election and disregard the pri-
mary entirely. 1t is said that this plan
would appeal to Democrats and Re-
publicans. 1t would bring about nom
partisan election. 1t was admitted that
while the suggestion might appeal to a
lot of people, that it would probably
run against several legal snags which
might prove the undoing of it.
Meantime several of the candidates
were getting ready to ask the voters
of the county to write their names in
on the ballot for primary nomination
and it seemed certain that organized
effort would be made on behalf of a
number Of the candidates. With no
Republican candidate for member of
the assembly in either district, it is
certain that heroic efforts will be made
to have the party properly represented
on the ballot,