The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-03-17

subsequent proceedings.
The votes for Town Clerk were brought in
and counted, and the moderator made the fol.
lowing announcement:
Whole number of votes, 400
Necessary to q choice, 203
Richard Harding has 2O3
-HilchcOck, 2Ol
Scattering, .c 81
And Richard Harding was declared elected
At this moment Mr.. Geo. Humphrey called
the Moderatoi's attention to his own figures,
showing that Harding had only one half of
the votes,-n more than there were opposed
to him; so this little game was blocked, and
sne the Moderator owned up that he was mis-
taken.
A second ballot was taken, and the result
announced, the whole number of votes being
Alb. Necessary to a choice POT. Mr.. Hitch
cock, the Union candidate, had 206; Hard
| ing, Dem, had 503,-the same as on the first
ballot,-and there were four scattering.
During this ballot man, "a leading Demo
crat in the town,-was detected in voting
ttctce. He had been seen to vote twice at the
frst ballot, but no objection was made to it.;
but when he attempted to vote third time
he was reminded that he had voted quite as
many times as was consistent with propriety.
We have his name, but refrain from calling it
for reasons that may transpire before another
election comes off. The attempt of this man
to outrage the rights of honest voters, prompt
e. the Union men to call for the check list,
one-third of the voters having the right to de-
mGnd its use. When the motion was made
to use the check list. CYRUS F. SARGENT,
the same who had brief lodgings at one time
in Lafayette Hotel, New York harbor, a. gov
eminent expense, promptly moved to lay the
notion on the table. An excited debate fol-
lowed, but.the motion of Sargent was voted
down by decided majority, the Democratic
Moderator counting the votes. The vote to
use the check list was then carried by an
equally decided vets, the same Democrat
making the count, aud both votes are be-
lieved to have been as strictly party tests as
aoy votes carried during the day.
The third vote for clerk was then taken, the
check list being used by the Moderator and
old clerk, and the result was declared to be as
follows: y IL EV
Whole number of votes, 1926
Necessary to choice, 2l4
Richard Harding, 2l9
Mr.. Hitchcock, ,a 204
Scattering, 8
Mr.. Harding was declared elected. Union
voters Immediately requested the privilege of
examining the check list, but this privilege
was denied by the Moderator. From the time
the I'd ballot was taken until the 3 ballot was
declared, it is positively known that only t,co
persons came to the town house, which sets at
some distance from other buildings, and vet
the vote, with no assignable cause, was swol-
len thirteen ballots! Honest we'll meaning
Democrats frankly express their disbelief Of
so many votes being legally thrown, and even
some of the Democratic officials say they are
utterly unable to account for the size of the
vote. The whole number of legal voters in
the town, shown by documents of the most
reliable and unquestioned character, is 51S.
OF this number 122 are known to have been
absent from the town house and not present
at the meeting, showing that, had every man
present voted, there could have been but 800
votes legally polled; and there are gentlemen
in Yarmouth who will freely pay the Modera-
tor and Selectmen FIVE Or ten dollars for each
man In excess of this number who can he
shown to have been present and entitled to
vote.
The next morning after the disgraceful
scenes described, three citizens called upon
the Chairman OF the Selectmen, and invited
him to go to the town house with them, that
they might have an opportunity with him to
examine the check list. he accomanied them.
Arrived at the town house it was fonnd to
nave been entered during the night through
"inoow, by breaking the fastening to the
same Inc lock on the door OF the select
mems ONCE, In the town house, was also found
broken. and the check list gone. The chair
man said he putt away carefully the night
before in the office of the selectmen, and be-
yond that he has no knowledge Of it. No
one, that we are aware OF, questions his word |
in this regard.
oucn are the facts. Intelligent readers will
draw their own differences. The trn,h q
Yarmouth contains nest of fellows who 10
long, by instinct, by association and by sym.
patty, with JEFF. Davis. and plantation rules
are applied in order TO carry their points
AT the spring elections they have things pref
~ much their own way, and do not hesitate
20 import voters, or to adopt any other nefa-
rious measures that Tor the moment promise
success. When the Union men once succeed
u cieaflng out the foul spirits, aud secure an
HONEST patriotic board of selectmen, the evil
VIII % remeoied, and secession and treason
Will find less official sympathy in that munich
'ality. The vote lass September was for