Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1880-01-07

because the blank was not signed
by The seleeiDen NODbegsn PisD-
tati0n. Democratic, Was thrown
out for a defect. loosing 10 the DeD-
ocrais q County Treasurer and
County Commissioner. Friendship.
10 Koox County, Democratic, by
l69 majority, vac thrown out
VinAlbsTsn, the bone Of The stone
CATER. CODgre-smaD Aurch's
strongest bold, Vas also counted
oct These Instances viii show
the appli1Aii0n Of the law la. Dot
been entirely on one side.
The s:rici enforcement OF The
lsu II regard 10 initial letters, a.
expanded il . 6eSCi-ion Of the
SaprsDe Court, operated heavily
A-1insi the Democrats William
r Field. Democratic coDdidsts for
n. Senate. 10; the town OF Gray,
With Sd vote. because be vss re-
.u-p@i - William B Field In
re Fifteenth District. Alden Brad
ford. Aas:io Harris. sod John /
Wx-isas. gr-. 81 suffered through
ths c.--'essoess q The local return
inS c5osrs: bat The FIRST two Re
puhi;ctn<. lo-; respectively 81 and
- votes. While the last, = Demo
c-a;. o.; 4lr2 votes
/ hsi access this afternoon 70
ID. returns a 1871, the last Of
Repuliliesn victory. / found the
usT.ers 10 3 heavy blsckwslDut
chest. precisely a. left by the out
going Republican sdmibistrstion-
They have DOT been disturbed for
psarly two years Now they are
likely 70 he pretty thoroughly
orsrhsulei, for they reveal with
astonishing clesrpess ire practices
Of Republican coa1.sr. No; only
w&s the law grossly violated in
counting the returns OF 1877, bit
il many cases il was made 10 work
Two vsys. 10 the advantage Of the
Republicans and 10 the dissilvan--
ta-e a the Democrats. When there
h.s been tine 70 give these returns
a ls77 careful snd systematic
investigation, the result reached
vii Re astounding. l will give foil
illustrations of TIE methods which
thew reTeAl. In ArOostOo6. in
ls7-, the returns Of MarvsbOc,
BlAios, Marshall, Monticello. ST.
John. and Crystal, al Democratic,
lsrkei the statement OF the
whole number Of ballots cast in
each. The record Of the count
shows ihs; al these towns were
throzD out TIE fgores OF their
votes for Representative were
Insulated and subsequently erased
With s penkuife. Ia Cumberland
county. however, the returns Of
Srsrboro, Sehaso, and Westbrook,
Republican. h&i this same defect.
and were counted. The return
a the city Of Portland was con.ii-
tuiioDslly illegal in ISL. for votes
we're l1rDped ss scattering. a. the
rase this year. Vet il Vas COUNTED.
TIE rote Of the Republican city Of
Gardner for Representative was
eouuiei. IL was DOT signed by the
najolity Of lis Aldermen a. re-
qGired by law. Augusta the same
year hea6> return without stat
ing the whole number Of ballots.
I; was COUNTED. for il vas s Re-
publican city. Ia tie reinrn Of
Van Buren,. Aroosiook county.
there j. q defect in that the whole
number Of ballots was stated IN
hEures instead Of being written
out 10 words. Van Buren, gave s
majority II III 10 Farrell, the
Democratic candidate for the Leg
stature. AMI IL counted gave him
clear majority Of - 10 the whole
district. Without Van Bnren the
remaining towns gave a majority
for Cyr. Republican. Van Buren,
vas thrown out, and Cyr was seat I
Ell. The same defect appears in
The return from Foxcroft. 10 Piscat-
squis county. where the whole /
number Of ballots was given "2ls.'
instead Of ''tuo hundred and eigh-
teen" but Foxcro!t vas q Repabli-
can town, and il was not thrown
out.
One more case where q Democrat
Vas excluded and . Republican
seated by throwing out q return
defective in lacking the whole
number Of ballots was that OF the 1
Sixteenth Representative district.
consisting Of the towns Of Hope.
Appleton, and Washington. The
first two together gave . majority
Of nine for Bliss (Repuhlican).
With the third, Poland (Democratl
bad q majority OF eleven. The
third was the town which sent the
defective return, and that return
was thrown out and Bliss was seat
ed. / have q copy OF the report Of
the Council committee on Elections
in 1877. signed by three Repubh-
cans Referring to the Bliss Po-
land case, they say tia. they have
carefully examined the returns of
the towns Of Washington, Hope,
and Appleton. and report that the
returns from the town of Washing
ton, not being made ia conformity
TO law. shall not be counted. Bliss