Year: 1877

know with whom it was not safe 10 quar-
rel, and of these Nick, Tom and Oliver
were his especial fear


THE FIRST STATE ELECTION.


Il twas the morning of the first State
election in California that the first rain
of the wet season came. 1t poured in
cessantly all that day and until noon OF
the day following. For about two weeks
the coming of election day had been the
leading topic The prefect of San Joa-
ouin district, Captain Nelson Taylor,
had visited the camp, made official proc
lamation of the election, appointed the
alcade's tent as the polling place, and
three of the most prominent men as Off
GERS of election, who were empowered to
select their own clerk. He had left with
the alcade a list of the various candi-
dates who were in the field, but he
brought no tickets. Charley Brown, q
teamster, had arrived from Stockton with
a wagon load of freight, and somebody
had paid him to bring lot of printed
tickets-the only ones seen in camp
with the name of Ed. Gilbert conspicu-
ously printed, for Congress-, on all OF
them, but with the candidates for ali
the other offices generally mixed.
Brown, in unloading, had allowed Oliver
Twists squaw to see the small package
of tickets, and as the neatly cut white
paper things took her fancy she offered
him "pinch " of gold dust for the lot.
He made the sale promptly, and that
transaction lost Gilbert a good many
votes he might have got in Mormon
G,llch. It was not at first known how
the squaw had got possession of the
tickets; it was enough to know that she
had them, and the popular indignation
was reused against a candidate who
would have his tickets peddled out in
that way. Two days after the election,
when Oliver succeeded in drawing from
the dusky creature the means by which
she obtained the tickets, nearly all re-
gretted that they had coppered" " Gill
bert at the polls, as he was one of the
"Stevenson volunteers" and generally
popular among them. But it was lucky
for Brown that he never made another
trip to the gulch The season for haul
ing hau ended with the coming of the
rain.


THE POLLING BOOTH.


The election was scene to be re-
membered. The alcalde's tent, in
which it was held, was the largest in the
camp, except those owned by the trad
ers and the two used for gambling and
drinking saloons. Indeed, the alcalde
himself did regular business at monte
and short cards, and therefore he had
tables handy for election uses-one for
the Judges, and another for the desk and
refreshments which the occasion
seemed to require. Before the polls
opened discussion was held as to how
the voting should be conducted. Tubbs,
the alcalde, had never witnessed an
election outside of England, and had an
idea that the British polling system
would be the neat thing. He stood
alone in that view. Charley Shaw had
succeeded Tubbs' brother rs sheriff, and
was the most popular authority in camp.
He proposed the open rira rocc system,
and, backed by the Texans, Kentuckians,
and some others, the proposition pre-
vailed over that presented by the Baltl-
moreans and New Workers for the secret
ballot. 1t was argued by the rira rocc
advocates that there was no ballot box,
no tickets, or not enough paper in the
camp to use for ballots, and this argu-
ment had its weight.


CASTING THE yoTE-THE MASTER OF


CEREMONIES.


The mode of voting having been agreed
upon, Charley Shaw installed himself as
master of ceremonies. He stood outside
the tent, braced up with two or three
extra nips to give him the stiffening and
dignity the occasion required. The rain
poured, but Charley was neither sugar
nor salt to fear water on the outside. So
long as none got inside of him he defied
the element. He was q model of un-
polished urbanity and untutored per
suasiveness. His voice was never in
better or more sonorous tone, and he
gave it all the chance it would stand.
As each voter approached Charley shook
hands with him, asked his name in full,
whether he had right to vote, for
whom he intended to vote, and then led
him into the tent, to the table, and then
required the voter to stand uncovered
while the clerk wrote down his name,
the names of the candidates for whom
he voted, etc. This ceremony over,
Charley then escorted the voter out,
proclaimed aloud for whom he had voted,
and turned to repeat the formality with
! the next who offered.


CHANGING THE METHOD OF VOTING.
AS there were about one hundred and
fifty voters awaiting their turn, and by
this system only thirteen had voted dur.
ing the first hour-for Charley had tc
liquor up several times, and no voter was
allowed to enter the tent except under
, his escort, it was suggested that more
expeditions method should be adopted
It was agreed to try the ballot system
Then came the trouble to procure paper
for tickets. The rain had spoiled most
OF the writing paper, Doc. Woodland
had, and his was the only stock of it ii
the camp. He at once took advantage Of
the "corner by cracking up the price
to four bits sheet for the good and two
bits for that which the water had soaked
AS the candidates had no friends ready tc
sustain them to such an extent as the
purchase of paper for tickets, and nc
one cared to fool away money on paper
when there was so much whisky to buy
/ to keep the dry from thirst that had tc
be Modified, the exigency occasioned G
search for whatever would serve the pur.
pose. Old letters, scraps of newspape,
margin and all sorts of odd bits were put
to use, and in some cases the fragment
was SO small that it was necessary to fill
both sides with the ticket.


REMOVAL OF THE POLLING BooTH-A
/ FLOATING VOTE.


By noon, the rain, which had abateG
just after the polls opened, commenced
to pour with drenching fury. It beat
through the tent top, trickled from the
ridge pole down upon the bare polls Of
the polling officers. who had done honol
to their position by taking off their hats
to it, and into the mining pan, which
was used to hold the ballots, so as to con.
vert the poll into a floating vote, as each
ticket was "cast upon the surface of the