CONTEST HASKELL’S ELECTION
Independent Candidate Claims Fraud in Election in District 76
According to the Muskogee Phoenix Cornelius J. Jones, the independent candidate in district 76 will contest the election of C. N. Haskell, democrat, who received the largest majority of any candidate in the Indian Territory. The Phoenix gives the following account of the contest:
Cornelius J. Jones, independent candidate in district 76 has filed notice of contest against C. N. Haskell, who was elected on the Greater Muskogee ticket.
Mr. Jones gives as grounds for his contest that legal voters who, because of their race and color, signified their intentions to cast their ballot for him were illegally and fraudulently denied their rightful opportunity. The papers of contest are definite and specific. They state that in Precinct 1 Mr. Jones was denied a challenger and that 120 negroes were challenged for no other reason than that their skin was black and that 100 of such voters were denied a ballot. In Precinct 9, according to the affidavit, every colored voter was challenged and 300 were refused their privilege of voting; and, that Mr. Jones’ watcher at that place was insulted by the election judges. In Precinct 10, 270 legally sworn to affidavits were rejected for no other reason than that of the race and color of the voter. In Precinct 11, 112 were rejected and in 12, 200 were denied, is the further claim of the defeated candidate.
Mr. Jones declares that the judges were chosen from friends of Mr. Haskell’s and that they arbitrarily with disregard for law or legal right, kept many of his voters from casting their ballots to which they were entitled. He will ask that the districting and canvassing board place all such votes to his credit on the poll books.