The daily gazette., 1882-06-07
A COL0RED BAILIFF.
AN OFFICIAL RARA AVIS IN
CITY COUNCIL.
THE MEETING FOR ORGANIZATION
Robert @. Fraim Elected Clerk and VIM.
II. Clayton, COlOred, Bailih-Some stu
pidity ON Part of Republican Members.


the fun, and before the meeting was over
there was plenty Of fun of a very rich
nature. 1t was an intensely Gallagher
| crowd, and once or twice the Captain" was
noticed fitting about the corridor But the
prominent men In the crowd were Levi G.
Bird, ESQ, and John q. Baker. They
seemed to run the whole business and Mr..
Baker was just as much at home with this
Council, chosen as it was by ring plans and
methods, as he was with the one of which
he was member in the extravagant hey day
of the old City Ring.
After Clerk Pennington called the little
body to order and Mr.. Bailey had been
called to the chair there was a whispered
| conversation between Mr.. Baker and tile
| four Republican members ON the floor.
Then Mr. Tally popped up and offered two
| affdavits, one each from John Davis and
William A. Croney, Republican candidates
for Council in the Eleventh ward, protesting
against John M. Newell and Alfred S. Den
ney, Councilmen-elect, being admitted to
seats. Despite the fact that this was not the
proper time to hear anything of the kind.
the temporary chairman entertained the
business which Mr. Tally should have known
better than to bring up at this time, and the
afiidavits were read. They contain something
like ~ different charges. They deny that Den
ney and Newell were elected and assert that
persons over 22 years of age and who had
not paid any taxes were permitted to vote
that idiots and persons of unsound mind
aliens, residents of other wards and citizens
otherwise disqualified had voted by consent
of the Democratic inspector that the polls
were in possession OF dangerous men, and
peaccable citizens were intimidated and did
not vote for fear of bodily violence police
men were stationed close to the polls by
order of the Democratic inspector; that
ruilianism and all manner Of violence was
used to deter Republican citizens, white and
colored, from exercising their rights at the
polls; that number of persons received
bodily injury from these rullians; peaceable
citizens were dragged from the polls, and
the Republican window men repeatedly
attacked and attempts made to drive them
from their places that the returns Of The in
spector were irregular and illegal.
These atlldavits were referred to a COM
mittce which had been appointed TO examine
the election returns and after another CON
sultation with Mr.. Baker the committee
retired and the small body Of councilmen,
now reduced to four, took recess for half
an hour. During the time the committee
was out there was more consultation between
the Republican members-elect and Mr..
Baker and, incidentally, Mr.. Bird. The
conlplittee staid OVt an l.esr gAta three QUAR-
niicant conferences. When it did come in
it was 1920 O'Clock.
The report of the committee showed that
the returns were similar in every respect to
those already published in the GAZETTE.
1t stated that William G. Baugh and James
McKenna had been elected in the First
ward, William Ii. Blake and Thomas john
son in the Third, Lewis Paynter in the
Fourth, +. B. +. Miller in the Fifth, David
Stevenson in the Sixth, Levi Garrett in the
Seventh, Lewis f. Grubb in the Eighth,
Joseph G. File in the Ninth, Dennis j
Mention in the Tenth and John NJ Newell
and Alfred Denney in the Eleventh. In the
Second ward it stated that Amos A. East
burn and John MclIugh had each received
399 votes and that there was no election.
No mention was made of William H..
Quinn, member-elect for the one year term
from this ward, whatever. 1t recommended
in conclusion that the Eleventh ward mem
bers be not qualified at present. Messrs.
Talley and Beeeher signed the report.
The report was received and Council pro-
ceeded to get into working shape, another
consultation with Mr.. Baker, and, Incl
dentally, with Mr.. Bird having been held
Mr.. Conrad was sworn in on motion OF Mr.
Talley, who began to loom forth "a the
leader on the Republican side, amid ap-'
plause. -ltt
Then another consultation With Mr.
Baker and the same incidental whispering
with Mr.. Bird, and the following members
were qualified in turn under the call as they
came by wards Messrs Baugh, McKenna,
Johnson, Blake, Payntcr, Miller, Stevenson,
Garrett, Grubb, Mention and File.
A PIECE OF BULLDoZING.
When the Eleventh ward members-elect
were about to be called, Mr.. Moore, who by
this time had assumed the leadership, moved
that the qualification of these members be
deferred for the present.
Mr.. Paynter at once arose and vigorously
protested against this remarkable PROPOSE
ton. The members from the Eleventh
ward had been returned as elected and they
should be seated and allowed to retain them
until the contest had been acted upon. This
majority had the power to do what it wanted
to do, but he did not think it had right to
virtually decide contest before that contest
had come in, and say who had not been
elected and who had been elected. He went
on to argue that it was an unheard of and
monstrous proposition, and that such action
was without precedent. "Let ii it come UP
properly" said he "you have got the
power in your own hands and it seems to me
like a cowardly act for you to do this"
Mr.. Talley hastcned to disclaim any inten-
tion of bulldozing the minority or wronging
1t was to see who was properly elected that
the committee acted as it did, and it was
getting too late to decide the question of
contest tonight.
Mr. Paynter believed the gentleman to be
sincere, but it was not the proper way to
act. Now at the organization the Eleventh
ward gentleman should be seated and then
the contest could be heard regularly after
ward He appealed to the chair to say
whether he was right or wrong.
There was spirited talk for few
minutes and finally MIR. Paynter called for
the reading of section % of the city charter,
which provides that any candidate who shall
choose to contest any election, shall present
his position to Council setting forth the
grounds and specifications, together with an
affidavit, and "Upon the filing of such
petition and affidavit the City Council shall
appoint day, not less than 10 or more than
Is days from the filing Of such petition and
affidavit, for hearing and determining the
same, giving public notice thereof in two
newspapers published in the city of VIII
mington, If so many be published at the
time, and upon the day for the |
hearing, the said City Council shall sit in
the City Hall, and in the presence
of such citizens and others as may
choose to be present, shall hear the allcga-
tions and proofs, and shall determine ac-
cording to the very right of the matter.
Evidence shall be confined to the grounds !
and specifications set forth in the petition.
The City Council shall have power to issue
subpenas signed by the President of the
Council for the time being, and attested by