The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-09-13
The Ballots NOT Praducad.

JUST as was expected. The Democratic
officials were given an opportunity yesterday
afternoon to come forward with the ballots
cast in ward four last Monday, and thus clear
up all suspicious of fraud. The opportunity
however was not improved. The Board of
ALDERMEN met according to adjournment
yesterday afternoon.
Alderman Small, chairman of the board, in
calling the meeting to order said that the
meeting was adjourned from Tuesday to allow
the officials in ward four to explain the SEEM
ing discrepancy in the returns from that ward.
He said there seemed to be no little excite
meut in the public mind over the matter and
he thought it proper to adjourn to await
dew alopments. He said that there is not nor
never was desire on the part of the board to
defranchse any ward of their legal votes. He
said he was surprised that the ballots were not
produced. We have no authority to demend
them bat that the mater might be made
straight it was hoped they would b. produced.
he said that j. A. Locke, Esq , had some con-
versat'on with the warden of ward four and he
should like to hear from him.
Mr.. Locke said that Monday evening when
he heard how the vote stood he went to ward
four polling place little before nine O'Clock.
The counting was over and with two other
gentlemen he went in search of the warden.
Mr.. Andrews the warden, was met in front of
Lancaster Hail. Mr. Locke asked for an ex-
PLANTATION of the VOTE and Mr.. Andrews said
that fifty Republicans voted for Democratic
Representatives. Mr. Locke replied to that
that it was too thin and then asked Mr..
Andrews if be would preserve the ballots
thrown in that ward. To which he said that
he could not promise.
The City Clerk said that he had received no
return from his call for the ballot as Mr..
Andrews was absent. Mr. Locke said that in
justice to the absent warden he would say that
he was away on business but would return in
few days.
Mr.. Small said that as he understood the
matter, that now all there was to do was to
compare the returns with the books of the
wards. Mr.. Cushman commended that it was
not necessary to compare the returns.
The chairman remarked that he saw the
City Solicitor present aud he would ask his
opinion.
In reply the City Solicitor cited the Const.
tuition Of Maine, which provides that the war
dens shall preside at the ward meetings, re-
ceive the votes and declare them in open ward
meetings, and in the presence of the ward clerk
who shall form list of the persons voted for
with the number of votes for each person
against his name, or make fair record thereof
in the presence of the warden and copy of
this list shall be attested by the warden, sealed
up and delivered to the City Clerk, and the
Aldermen shall, in the presence of the City
Clerk, open, examine and compare the copies
from the list of VOTES given in the several
wards, and the CGy Clerk shall make record
thereof
The City Solicitor stated that according to
the strict letter of the Constitution it might
seem to require that the copies from the lists
of votes given in the several wards should be
compared with the lists returned and recorded,
but such had not been the practice of the board
heretofore.
Upon the strength of this opinion Alderman
Maxcy moved that the Board proceed to sign
the returns and forward them to the Secretary
of State The motion was carried.
1t was conceded by the Board that in COM
pairing and examining the returns Of the sew
eral wards they could only determine what was
derived from the returns themselves. The de-
lay was for the purpose of allowing proper
ward officers to give an explanation of the re-
suit arrived at in Ward 4.