Martinsburg Herald

STEVENSON
BREAKS DEADLOCK

Elected U. S. Senator by Wisconsin
Legislature.

HAD MAJORITY OF ONE
ON JOINT BALLOT

Bitter
Fight,
Extending Over
Five
Weeks, Was Ended on the Twenty-
third Ballot-His Election Protested
on Charge of Violating Corrupt Prac-
tices Act.

Madison, Wis., March 5. - United
States Senator Isaac Stephenson, who
completed the unexpired term of John
C. Spooner, was elected on the twenty-
third ballot in the Wisconsin legisla-
tive joint assembly to succeed him-
self for a period of six years. Senator
Stephenson received 63 out of 125
votes cast, thus having a majority
of one.

The election of Senator Stephenson
ended a bitter fight extending over
five weeks.

Although Senator Stephenson was
the successful candidate at the pri-
mary election, his
opponents had
fought against his election by the
legislature because of the filing of a
number of specific charges by Senator
John J. Blaine, alleging corruption
during the primary campaign. Before
the time for balloting arrived a move-
ment was started looking to a legisla-
tive inquiry into the sensational pri-
mary, and after somewhat of a strug-
gle a joint resolution pointing to that
end was adopted. While the investiga-
tion has been in progress two weeks,
nothing has developed so far that
would endanger Mr. Stephenson's seat
in the senate.

The friends of Senator Stephenson
claim he was really elected on the sep-

arate ballot of both houses preceding
the joint ballot on Jan. 26, when he
received a majority of the ballots cast
in each house. Lieutenant Governor
Strange, however, refused to recognize
an election, and ballots have been
taken in joint assembly every day
since that time that the legislature
has been in session.

As soon as the result of the joint
ballot was announced, Senator Blaine,
author of the charges against Senator
Stephenson, secured recognition and
entered a protest against the election
on the alleged ground that Stephenson
had violated the corrupt practices act.
Senator Page arose to a point of
order and said that the motion of Sen-
ator Blaine was out of order and could
not be considered at this time. Mr.
Blaine then rose and said that he did
not make it as a motion; he simply
wanted to have it entered upon the
minutes as a protest, so as to conserve
such rights as the assembly might
have.

The chair said such a protest would
be admitted to the records.