Digital Bob Archive

NOVEMBER 1918 - PART 3:

Although the influenza epidemic, which had spread to most parts of Alaska, shut down many activities it did not cancel or postpone the statewide election. For the seventh time Alaskans were electing a Delegate in Congress, and for the fourth time they were to choose 24 members of the Territorial Legislature. Election Day was Tuesday, November 5.

Juneau's two newspapers had been hammering at each other for weeks over the Delegate election. The Dispatch supported Republican James Wickersham while the Empire championed Democrat Charles A. Sulzer. There was also a Socialist candidate, Francis Connally, but he was getting little support from anybody. In fact, he would receive only 51 votes in all of Southeastern Alaska, far fewer than the Socialist candidate, Lena Morrow Lewis, had received in 1916.

Election officials were carefully examined by doctors to be sure they were free of influenza and could not infect voters. And voters were cautioned to cast their ballots quickly and not linger around the polling places. But the epidemic combined with a very stormy day to assure a very low voter turnout.

Wickersham and Sulzer were contesting for the Congressional seat for the second time. In 1916 Wickersham had won the election by 31 votes but Sulzer contested the count and the District Court awarded the seat to him. As of Election Day in 1918, Sulzer was Alaska's Delegate, but on the following January 7 the U.S. House of Representatives decided the seat actually belonged to Wickersham and unceremoniously tossed Sulzer out.

In the First Division legislative races, Democrat William Britt, Juneau druggist and Norwegian Consul, was pitted against Edward C. Russell, the rather bombastic editor of the Dispatch. Britt won handily despite the fact that it had been charged that he had advised Norwegian subjects to tear up their American citizenship applications in order to avoid being drafted into the American Army.

W.W. Casey, Isaac Sowerby, E.J. White and J.J. Connors were the Democratic candidates for the House. All four were from Juneau and the first three were elected. Juneauites H.R. Shepard and Grover C. Winn, P.C. McCormack from Wrangell and John H. Davies of Ketchikan were on the Republican ticket. Only Davies was elected. He would join only two other Republicans in the 16-member Territorial House of Representatives.

It was another close vote in the Delegate race: 4487 for Sulzer, 4454 for Wickersham. It appeared that Sulzer would again be the Delegate, but he was to die before Congress reconvened. Wickersham contested a subsequent Special Election to replace Sulzer and the House of Representatives again awarded him the seat although for only three days of the two-year term.