The Tight Race for Yakima Auditor
A surprise victory in the recent election turns on last-minute accusations and local political tension.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
One of the great surprises of this election was the defeat of Matt Bartholet for auditor and the election of Myron H. Ellis. Mr. Bartholet had every reason, even after the election, to believe that he would retain his office by a small majority, and Mr. Ellis informed The Herald that he had ceased to hope for success, when the official vote gave him a majority of three. Mr. Bartholet had made a good and efficient auditor, and his defeat can only be attributed to the malicious and untruthful charges circulated against him on the eve of election. The tactics which brought about his defeat should be severely censured, but those who would otherwise have voted for him, and were changed by these statements, have much to learn regarding the methods pursued in eastern political campaigns and transplanted this fall in the valley of the Yakima. Mr. Ellis, from all The Herald can learn, has personally made an honorable canvass, and for this much honor is due him.
“The tactics which brought about his defeat should be severely censured.”
Election-eve disinformation campaigns, often called 'October surprises,' remain a persistent challenge in American democracy. This 1890s account captures the timeless frustration of voters and candidates dealing with late-breaking allegations that leave no room for rebuttal.
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