Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-12-23
NOTICE GIVEN
FOR CONTEST
Defeated Hidal-
go Candidate, Sends
Letter to Solons

McALLEN. Dee. o2.-Notices OF
contest fer the office of state rep
resentative 73rd distri-t. Hidalgo
cucnty. have been filed with both
w. Il. Montgomery. democrat who
was declared elected to the office by
the county election board and to
County Judge A. W.. Cameron b.
Ernest Smith. defeated independent
candidate. Along with the notice
Of contest was flied a statement oil
facts on which the contest is based.
The statement OF facts is pracsi-
cally the same as filed by other in
dependent candidates in their con-
test Of the county offices.
Following the filing OF the con
test Mr.. Smith addressed a personal
letter to all state representatives
informing them of his actions. His
letter follows:
"As a memher Of the list l~cgisla-
ture ] wish 10 inform you that
have deliyAed TO my opponent IN
the recent election of Novel ar 8.
1928. Mr. W. r. Montgomery. a no
tice that ! will contest his election
- REPRESENTATIVE VI AMG ADA1 tHHAE~
sentative district Of Texas. and de-
liyered to him 4 statement Of facts
upon which / shall rely as rrescrib-
ed by law. I have filed a copy OF
said notice and said statement with
A. w. Cameron. county judge Of Hi
dalgo county, the district returning
officer 10 whom the returns OF the
election were made.
Il am entering this contest not be-
cause Of any personal luminosity
against Mr.. Montgomery, nor for
any personal ambitions of my own,
neither am | influenced TO file the
contest by any small group of indi-
yiduals who might desire to iniure
my opponents race for speaker Of
the house. but ! am entering the
contest because 1000 or 5000 peo-
pie at a mass meeting held in Nc
| Allen after the general election re-
quested the candidates Of the de-
lcated ticket to contest the election
and because I feel that ! owe IL as
a duty 10 the citizens Of this coun-
IL to contest in order that the gov
eminent of Hidalgo county might be
restored to the people.
Newspaper reports have stated
that MY opponent was elected by a
majority OF 1850 votes. ard that
such a majority could not possibly
be overcome in a contest and that
II such a contest were filed II would
be for the purpose OF defeating my
opponent in his race Tor speaker Of
the house. For the purpose of show
ing that MY contest is filed in good
faith. ! wish to call your attention
TO the fact that according to off
cial returns my opponent only re
ceived 464s votes. According to the
unofficial returns there were 10000
votes cast in said election, leaving
1855 votes un~accounted for.
II also want TO point out that IN
one box where I received a majority
OF about $50 votes according TO un-
official returns the whole box was
thrown out by the commissioners
court.
"There we're approximately 10000
POLL taxes paid. and Of this number
1000 were Spanish names AS stat
ed above 10000 votes we're cast IN
the election. Ny opponent received
the greater part Of the Mexican
vote. Ir support Of this statement
I call attention to the box ut San
Manuel and Santa Rita. which are
practically all Mexicans.
AT San Manuel my opponent re-
ceived i27 votes and I received n
vote. At Santa Rita my opponent
received 1lS votes and ! received
none. At Weslaco where most Of the
voters were American ! received 65S
votes and my opponent received 212
votes. At McAllen he received 2s9
votes and I received 597 votes. IL
~ generally known that many Of the
Mexicans Of Hidalgo county are
aliens and are illiterate, being Meth
er able TO read. write or speak the
English language. Therefore in q
recount I expect my opponent to
lose many more votes than myself.
1T has also been charged that the
ticket on which ] ran was supported
By radicals" and "hot heads" Our
ticket was supported by n big ma
jority OF the American vote in every
walk Of life. including the business
men, professional men and farmers.
Our ticket was supported by demo
Gratis, republicans, regular demo-
Gratis and Hoover democrats. When
you consider the fact that the names
or our candidates were not printed
on the official ballot. you must real
ize that feeling was strong against
the present county administration
for the people to write in the names
Of nine candidates. and that we were
supported by intelligent people.
II am a native Texan. I was reared
By n Confederate veteran. | attend
ed the University Of Texas, ard new
er voted anything but the demo-
cratic ticket until this year.
this letter is not written for the
purpose OF pleading my case at this
time. but for the purpose of letting