The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1865-04-29
Tha contested Judgeship.

Messrs Editors Of the Union By reference
to the Journal of the late House of Delegates and
the printed evidence in the contested election case
of Richard Grason, Esq, for the judgeship OF
this county, many things appear which may be
of service to the people of Baltimore county, in
Judging of the correctness ofthe statement made
by that gentleman to them in his card published
in the Maryland .journat of the 9Th Instant. lie
states that four members of the committee. on
elections made a reportagainst him, when not
one of them had been present duringsthc exami-
nation Of all the witnesses who testified in the
case, and when not one of them had read The evil
dence, the printing of which had not been COM
pleted at the time the report was made.3t by ref
erence to the record of printed eydencq, it will
be seen how often the committee met and the
number Of members present at the different Meet
ings, whichlrecord inthis particular is as follows
February 9th, 1865. Committee on elections.
Messrs. Lee, ofBaltmore city, Hoffman, Wooden,
Chew, thurman, Valiant, Hodson. Committee
met at II NJ. Present all the members. The
committee adjourned TO meet at O'Clock P NJ.
The com mittee met pursuant to adjournment,
Present all the members. y 903 ~ a98sqa
February 10th, 1865. Present all the mem
bers except Mr.. Buhrman.
be February 18th, 1868. The committee met, all
the members present. g ]lna fag Ell 3
February 10th, 1865. Afternoon. Committee
met pursuant to adjournment, all the members
present, except Alr. Valiant. Us ilb6sl ri.
| February eth, 1865. The committee met
pursuant to Adjournment. Present, all the mem
bers. .a' .:.I, f3 .fsif tdP ~. ~ bssea4Ii
February 2Sth, 1865. The committee met
pursuant TO adjournment. Present, all the mem
bers D'''9 ''a ',l.
March LIST, 1865. The committee met pursu-
ant to Iadjourntnent Present, all the members
30 March I'd, i 1865 The committee met. Pres
emf, all the members aois Jffx0 sa nor
O., March eth, 1865. The committee met pnrsu-
ant to adjournment. All the members present"
a. From the above, it will be seen, that all the
members of the committee were present at every
meeting except FEBRUARY the 10th, when Mr.
Buhrman was absent and February 10th, A.
o clock P. NJ, when Mr.. Valiant was absent, =
He tells the people of Baltimore county, that-the
fa'evideuce was not printed and placed in the
hands Of the members of the House in time for
them to read it before the vote was taken, and
not member who yoted9to remove me from Of
Ece,t had read it, before his vote was cast.
The journal of the House of Delegates shows,
that the majority report in his case was made on
Tuesday morning March 9th, ordered to be
printed, and on motion of Mr.. nderson, its con-
sideration was made the special order for We'd
nesday night following at o'clock. Early
Wednesday, morning printed copy of the evil
dcnee was placed on the desk of each member
w Tic UOuT tithS ilpf ttlC NtlSCt IL
was suggested by some that all the members had
not read the evidence, and the case was then
postponed until II O'Clock The aertrddy, to gre all
The members an opportunity to read il. The case
was taken up at the time to which it had been
postponed and the evidence was reviewed and
discussed for five or six hours before the vote
was taken. "A gain, it is Enthusiastically true,
that the greater portion of this evidence was
printed for several days before any report
in the case was made. These incomplete copies
of the printed evidence, may not have been. gem
orally distributed among the members, but mem
bers of the committee could get them, and as sta
ted above, complete copies Of the printed evidence
were placed in the hands Ofevery member nearly
two days before the vote was taken, with ampleop-
portunty. for every member of. the House to read
it. Following up the proceedings of these Spar
tizans,p 'prejudieed and dishonest nen,'' pho go
ted against him, and who were controlled alto
gether in the matter, by a. few "office-holders
from this county, in speaking of the minority
report made in his favor by those who chad too
much honesty and independence Of character to
be influenced by snch considerations, y he states
Ito the voters Of Baltimore county" that this
report strange to sag, the House Of Delegqtcs, re-
fused to receiUe or consider. = 3. ~, ~ u..tf
The journal of the House Of Delegates of March
22d, shows that the minority report made
in his favor was not received, but was ordered to
be printed, and was printed. The journal of the
23d of March, shows, that when the case came
up before the House for its consideration, tn s
minority reportswhch he states was not consd-
,red was, ON motion Of Mr.. Pilkington,' before
the House as q substitute for the majority report,
was discussed for several hours, fully consider
ed y and rejected. The vote was taken nlhe IN: :
jority report which was adopted. lie also states
that emo meeting Of the committee had been held
for the purpose of a agreeing upon report, and
Mr.. VIM. II. Hoiftnan's name was signed TO This
paper by some one ese while he was absent
from Annapolis, and before be had ever seen or
read it, leaving the people TO infer that Mr.
Hlffman's name was put to the report. without
his knowledge or authority. Mr.. Hoffman " as
not present when the report was made. In ODE
dence 10 a dispatch that one of his children was
dying, he suddenly left for his home. Before 60
ing however, he had agreed upon the report,
but had not signed it. Mr.. Wooden, a delegate
from Carroll county, called at Mr. lioffman's
house q day or two afterwards, and as Mr.. HoH-
mans child was then very i'll, and as he did not
expect to leave home for several days, he sent
to Mr.. Buhrman member of the committee,
written authority to sign his name to the report,
of which the following is copy
aF@ PAPER Mills, March 18th, 1868
ssAs am unayoidably detained at home on ac-
count of severe illness in my family, and as the
probability is, that will not be able to be in
Annapolis for several days, do hereby author
ize aud direct Upton Bnhrman to sign my name
and affix my signature to the report OF the com
mittee on elections, to remove Richard Grason,
from the office Of Judge of the Circuit Court foi
Baltimore county, and in every other respect to-
act for me In the matter. VIM H. HOFFMAN.
The journal Of the House Of delegates shows