Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 November 1889 — VILLAINY IN MONTANA. [ARTICLE]

VILLAINY IN MONTANA.

REPUBLICANS ATTEMPT TO STEAL THE STATE. \ They Throw Out a Strong Democratic Precinct and Claim the Legislature The Chief Conspirator a fugitive —Demo*' crats Resist the Fraud. [Helena (Mont.) special.] The Republican canvassers in Silver Bow County have undertaken to steal the Montana Legislature and thuß secure the election of two Republican members of the United States Senate from this State. The votes cast bv the people gave the Democrats a majority of 5 on joint ballot, with one member a tie, and the rank and file of the Republicans have for nearlv two weekß accepted the result as settled. To-day the Board of Canvassers of Silver Bow County tried the dangerous experiment of throwing out a precinct which gave a Democratic majority of, 175 votes, by which action the entire legislative ? legation of eleven members in that county V.. declared Republican and the Legislature made present an apparent majority for the Repub_«rtms on joint ballot. Judge DeWolfe was asked to-night to issue a writ of mandamus to compel the canvassers to count the vote of the rejected precinct, and cited the canvassers to appear before him Nov. 4, the first day of court, and show cause why the vote of the contested precinct should not be counted. Members of the Democratic State Committee say they have the law of the territory on their side, as the Supreme Court several years ago decided a case of the same kind, holding that if tho votes were legally cast the fact that a less numl>er of jndges than those provided by law presided at the election did not vitiate the returns. They feel confident an order will b® issued by DeWolfe compelling the canvassers to couut tho vote as tho returns show it should b® counted, giving them ten members of the Silver Bow Legislative delegation. The grounds upon which the Republican canvassers are attempting to introduce Louisiana methods into the territory even before it has become a State by throwing out votes in Silver Bow County are that there were three instead of five judges, that clerks were excluded from the count of the vote and attached their oertifl. cations after the result had been ascertained by judges and without their personal knowledge of the accuracy of that to which they certified, that returns showed more votes counted than polled, and that the count was conducted by three judges in secret. The notion of the canvassers is denounced by Democrats and honest Republicans alike as an ottempt to overcome the majority, which must not bo allowed to succeed if a republican form of government is to ba maintained. The objections raised are purely technical and without a shadow of justice. No claim of fraud is made. Tho Democrats say they will see the Legislature is organize 1 as the votes of thepoople show they desire it to be. A gentleman who was present at tho hoarlug In Butte says the Democrat lo lawyer, Judge McConnell, brought the judges of election, two of whom wero Republicans, aud tho ballot-boxes before the board, and agreed if those judges said there was any fraud or if the ballots did not show the Democratic majority claimed he would leave the oase. Thia did not make any difference, as at the conclnsion of the hearing the Chairman of the Republican committee, a lawyer named Campbell, who represented tho Republicans at the nearing, went into a room with the Chairman of the Canvassing Board and dictated the decision which threw the Democratic precinct out. Even such a strong partisan as Judge Blake, an appointee of President Harrison, and who waa elected Chief Justice at the late election, says the Board of Canvassers had no right to do more than oertify to the vote as returned by the judges, aud that the throwing out of a precinct is altogether beyond their powers. Great excitement prevails hero to-night and is reported at various points throughout tho Territory. Democrats are furious and Republicans who are not professional politicians are equally indignant. The aotion of tho canvassers is commended only by the office-holders and those who expect to profit by the steal if it is allowed to go through. A great deal of money was sent into the State previous to the election by the Republican Committee, and the accusation is freely made to-night that a part of it has been employed to accomplish the nefarious robbery undertaken in Silver Bow County to-day. The Democratic State Committee have Issued a statement and protest in regard to the action of the canvassers. A few irregularities were discovered in the Second Precinct in Helena, which gave thirty Democratic majority, and the precinct may be thrown out. Thiß will not affect the result on the legislative ticket, but may elect two more Republicans on the county ticket. The canvassing board is composed of two Democrats and one Republican. It is Bald to-night the Democrats will to-morrow file contests against several Republican precincts in this county. An interesting complication will probably ensue over this matter. Without Silver Bow County the Republicans would control both branches of the Legislature, and should the Governor call that body together before the contest is settled, a sufficient number of Democratic members to prevent a quorum would probably stay away, so that Montana would probably bo without a “Legislature until the Supreme Court decides the dispute. [Butte (Mont.) special.] Great excitement prevails in this city and throughout Montana to-night owing to tho illegal action of the Silver Bow County Board of canvassers in throwing out Precinct Thirty-four, whioh gave an average Democratic majority of 171. Several Republicans filed affidavits with the board setting forth that in that precinct the judges of election counted the ballots in secret, which is contrary to the Australian voting law, and upon tho strength of these affidavits the two Republicans who constitute the majority of the Board of Canvassers threw out the large Democratic precinct and thereby i>luced the Democracy in this county in tho minority. Much bitterness is expressed on all sides over the disgraceful action of the board, whose active partisanship is condemned by many of the best Republicans in the city. As a matter of fact, the decision ot the Republican majority of the board was written by lawyer Thompson Campbell, Chairman of the Republican County Committee. Some of tho most eminent lawyers in Montana appeared before tho board and explain®! that the statutes did not give the board power to reject the votes of Precinct Thirty-four. That the board’s duties were simply ministerial and it has nothing to do with the legality of the votes counted, and that the board could not legally go behind the returns as received from the clerks and judges of election. This waa clear to the members of the board, but the Republicans knew that the rejection of this precinct would elect six out of the ten Republican candidates for tjho Legislature from Silver Bow County, and that would give the State Legislature to the Republicans and thus Becure the election of two Republican United States Senators. It was this fact which prompted the partisan members of the board to attempt this bold steal of Montana’s next Legislature. Late to-night a crowd of several hundred angry people assembled in a gulch near the town aud prepared to march through the town, headed by a band, to tho residence of William W. Jack, Chairman of the Board of Canvassers. Jack has several hundred dollars bet upon the success of the Republican ticket in this county, and it is charged that this fact had much to do with his decision as to the rejected votes. Th® crowd was met on its way to town by a numbetf of the prominent Democrats and induoed to disband. Had the crowd marched through the town and burned the effigies of the Republican members, Jack and Hall, of.tho Canvassing Board, bloodshed would undoubtedly have resuited. Chairman Jack has just left the city and is on his way to New York, where he will take the first boat for Europe.