Evening star., 1923-07-21
10 VOTES MAY TURN
TIDE Of ELECTION
Dispute Within Ranks of
Oregon Republicans Likely
to Cost Seat in House.
BY y. o. MESSENGER.
taft CORRESPONDENT OF The Star


SPOKANE, July 21.-Chairman Ad-
ans of the republican national com
mittee and Chairman Hull of the
democratic national committee may
be figuratively pictured as sitting.
pen in hand, waiting for the result
of a special election which is to be
held in the fifth congressional dis
trfct in this state four weeks hence.
to fill the vacancy occasioned by the
elevation of Representative Webster
to the federal bench Each is wait
Ing for a chance to gloat, or for the
occasion to explain" as the case
may be, when the returns come in.
All this summer these two rival
chairmen have been. doing one thing
or the other, over various special
elections from Hoboken to Mime
sofa. with Judge Hull doing most of
the gloating. Things have been COM
ing the democratic way most of the
time in these special elections and in
one particular case, when the DEM
ocrats missed by the skin of the
teeth Michigan congressional cleo
ton, Judge Hull groaned. "Shucks,
If l had had $500 to hire automobiles
we would have won that"
May Hinge on Trial.
If the democrats can grab off a
perfectly good republican congress
sional district in the coming special
election, why, 1 reckon the town
won't hold Judge Hull. The outcome
Of the September 25th election may
be influenced by the decision of a
fri
supreme court Friday.
IT falls out that the court is called
upon to decide whether the op-liner
candidate for the republican nomina
ton for the House is entitled to ten
absentee votes. That is clipping il
pretty close, when it comes down to
winning a nomination by seven votes.
for that is what it would mean, as
the other fellow had a margin of
three.
Absentee Votes the Issue.
bunch of seven candidates for the
republican nomination Charles Myers
and Thomas Cookery were at the
head. The finish was close and had
was leading his opponent by three
votes. Then Lincoln county flashed
up with ten absentee votes for
Myers-votes of men out of the
county at the time, ailO"eQ unQer
the law at a general election, but
the point had been raised that the
law did not apply to a special cleo
tion. The attorney general, on ap-
peal of the state, ruled previously
that absentee votes could not be
counted in special election. The
Lincoln county attorney took ex-
ception to the ruling and turned In
the votes. In the meantime, how
ever, in six other counties the attor-
ney generals ruling was accepted
and no attempt was made to issue
absentee ballots.
The effect upon the election, after
the supreme court decides, may be
this If Myers is awarded the nomt-
nation the republican organization
will fall in behind him and work for
him. If Corkery gets it, there may
be some apathy. Corkery is said to
have accepted votes in the primaries
from every quarter. Aside from
straightout republicans welcoming
a vote wherever 1t popped up, no
matter upon whose shoulders 1t rest
ed, this congressional district went
republican by $500 two years ago
and its loss next month would be
claimed as another straw showing the
asserted drift away from the repub-
licans.