The Portland daily press., 1881-01-08
THE FIRST DISTRICT.
Gen. Anderson to Contest Mr.. Reeds
| Seat.
From the Biddeford journal. l

From the Biddeford .Journall
Samuel j. Anderson, of Portland, the de-
1eated Fusion candidate for Representative to
Congress from this District has notified Hon.
L. b. Reed that it is his intention 20 contest
his election. He claims that in several towns,
among them Buxton and South Berwick in
this county, the.election was illegally held and
conducted, that there were no legal warrants
or notices for the election, and that particular
ly in Buxton and South Berwick no proper
warning was given to the inhabitants. Mr..
Reeds majority in Buxton was %. in South
Berwick 8.
Mr. Anderson further claims that in Port
land, Biddeford and Sanford several hundred
lawful voters, being the larger portion of all
the employees and workmen in and about the
various mills of Biddeford and Sanford and
all the employees of Portland upon its streets
and public walks, by intimidation and undue
influence of their employers, foremen and
agents, and the promises of remunerative en-
pioyment if they voted for Mr.. Reed, and
threats of discharge, loss of occupation and of
being reduced to want if they voted for him,
were induced contrary TO their real wishes to
cost their ballots for Mr.. Reed instead of him
sell Mr.: Anderson also claims that in every
town in the District there were votes received
and scounted for Mr.. Reed from persons who
We're not lawful voters of the towns where
tneir ballots were cast. He cites as instances
OF this:-In Saco, Daniel S. Hamilton, George
.; Milliken, Jas. Grace, Warren W. Rice,
Noah Rice, Edwin B. Smith, John F. Goode-
now, Alonzo A. Tapley and James Gill. In
North Berwick, VIM. III. Hereford, Chas. T.
human, Geo. F. Hilton, Horace Hilton, Chris
Inopner Staples and Chas H. Prescott. In
Melbourne Berry, Frank Pitts Chas. o. Berry
and Joseph Bradish. In Alfred, William III.
Roberts and M. G. Sweet. He also gives
names in Brunswick, Bridgton, Otisfeld,
w WTestbrook, Gorham, Freeport, Falmouth,
Standish and Portland.
Mr.. Anderson concludes his list of claims by
asserting that in numerous towns in both coun-
ties upwards OF one hundred lawful voters who
desired and would have voted for him were by
DrlDes OF money and other valuable considera-
tlons induced to vote for Mr.. Reed, and that
upwards OF fifty who would have voted for him
were unlawfnlly prevented or induced not 10
vote at all, whereby an honest and fair election
was prevented. Mr.. Anderson says that in
Saco Joseph Avery was unlawfully hindered
from voting; that in North Berwick, Micha
Dresser was unlawfully prevented from voting
for him. and that Samuel Stewart was improp.
erly induced to vote for Mr.. Reed; that in
Buxton Allen Bradford, Joseph Bradish and
John Dyer were unlawfully prevented from
voting, and that Thomas B. Lane, Stillman
Rand, George w. Richards and William
richards were improperly influenced to vote
1or Mr. Reed; that in Sanford there were sew
eral, whose names he does not give, who were
unlawfully prevented from voting, and that
Geo. ". Haskell was improperly induced to
vote for Mr.. Reed. He also gives names in
Freeport, Yarmouth, Standish, Harpswell and
Portland.
. ! Mr.. Anderson has retained j. B. Edmonds,
Esqs as his attorney, and proposes to give fur
ther instances OF illegality in connection with
the election "soon as they can reasonably be
procured. = Before he gets through with the
contest he will probably realize the force of
that old truism that experience is a good
schoolmaster and fools won't learn without it.
A Press reporter yesterday afternoon waited
on Gen. Anderson and asked him if the state
ments contained in the above article were cor
rect, Gen. Anderson said he did not have
time to read the article SO he could not
say whether the specifications contained in it
were accurate or not. He did say, however,
that the seat was to be contested as