The Portland daily press., 1884-11-12
COUNTING THE VOTES.
The Work Reguu-FxOw III is an &c II m


NEW YORK, NoR. 1.-The canvassing boards
met III the sixty counties of the State today,
and began the counting of the votes cast at
the election on Tuesday last. The first vote
cousted will bs for presidential electors, and
as the electoral tickets contain each thirty-six
names, and the vote for every one of the elect
ors must be counted separately, it will be seen
that the official count canpet be completed
in day in New York city, which has 7l2 cleo
tion districts. Iu New York the board of al
dermen sit as board of csnyasserr, with
County CLERK Keenan, as its clerk. Usually
four or five assembly districts are csnyassed
each day. The canvass in the city will occnpy
at least ten days, provided no legal complica-
tions arise. In the rest of the State the count
will probably be completed in day or two, un-
less the courts are called on in cases where
fraud is alleged, or other questions are raised.
The Republican managers propose to test in
every legal way possible, the question which
candidate has plurality. To secure this end,
they have directed counsel to appear before
the county boards where any frauds or jrreeu-
larities are charged or suspected. Mr.. Evarts
will have charge of the cases in New York
county. He will ask for the correction of a
nu mber of alleged errors, and ia case of re-
fusal by the board, will take each individual
error to court to test the question whether the
board shall not be compelled to rectify the al
legged error.
1t is said that in making up the count for the
city of New York, considerably more than 1000
votes were thrown out, upon the ground that
they were detective or blank. 1t is proposed to
investigate each individual rejection, to see
whether these ballots have been purposely
thrown out On account Of the determinat alton
of the Republican managers to make test cases
OF all irregularities that the county boards re-
fuse to recognize, it is a qaestion whether the
announcement of the final official count NAV
not be delayed indefinitely. although there
ought to be no long delay in footing up the
face of the returns as they now stand so as to
make out prima facie case for either Blaine
or Cleveland There are quite a number who
are confident that, in view of the possibility of
tedious legal dlsputaion, the vote of New
York will never be counted at all. The effect
OF this woald be to throw the electionfein the
House. As the House is Democrats; it would
as a matter OF course, elect Cleveland. The
Inference Is plain, that the Republicans are
not pursuing their present policy for the pur-
pose OF throwing the election into the House,
but because they believe, upon the facts in
their possession, that they stand q chance of
drawing plurality out of the lottery of cor
rection.
Heretofore legal inaccuracies in the work of
the inspectors OF election have been passed
over. Failures to comply with the strict pro-
visions OF the election laws have been numer-
GUS. 1t is not at all remarkable that such
mistakes should have occurred, for mapy of the
inspectors are ignorant and careless, and not
prescriptions to sec that their work is props
erly dine. But this year for the first time in
years. the vote is to be rigidly scrutinizsd, and
every legal technicality that will invaldate a
single ballot even is to be taken advantage of.
The strictest possible construction will be put
upon the election laws, and the ballots cast
and the returns made will have to stand this
severe test. Generally these hlunders about
balance each other, and when the corrections
are made, the totals remain substantially the
same. And this may be the case this year
But it is among the possibilities that
the otfifial count may result in
changes that will give Blaine slight
lead; and it is this hope that now buoys up the
Republicans. II fraud on either side h IS been
committed In any district that gives Cleveland
plurality, however slight, they will resort to
every legal expedieDt to have the total vote
of that district thrown out. Every failure on
t1e part Of an election inspector to comply
with the letter, as well as the spirit of the law
will be taken advantage of. II this election is
anything like former ones, there have been
scores Of minor blunders committed which
will have to be corrected. The contest bas
been in such doubt, however, that in all prob
ability the totals of the counties are more sc-
curate than they ever were before. The fig
ures have been gone over again and again, aud
will probably not vary much from the official
totals. Yet in State casting nearly a million
and quarter votes, it is not at all impossible
that enough errors and violations of the law,
either through ignorance or fraud, will be
discovered 10 make change of q few hun
dred votes in the total.
QUEENS COUNTY.
New YORK, Nov. 1.-THE Queens county
board OF supervisors met at Jamaica, L. l., to-