Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-06-11
RHOADS THE NEXT MAYOR
FARRA FOR PRESIDENT OF oITY
COUNCIL.
Charges OF Illegal Voting, with the
HOnOrs Easy-FulI official Re-
tnrns-Disturbances at the Polls
The Next Council.

HOnOrs Easy-FuII official Re-
tnrns-Disturbances at the Polls
The Next Council.
At the city election on Saturday after
noon, 8, ,246 votes were polled for mayor,
of which Calvin B. Rhoads, the Demo-
cratic candidate, received 4,849, and
Henry O. Conrad, the Republican candi-
date, 4,397-a majority for Mr.. Rhoads
452. For President of City Council, John
O. Farra, Democrat, received 4,861 votes,
to 4,371 for DR.. Evan E. Shortlidge, Re-
publican, thus electing Mr.. Farra by
majority of 490. OF the IL members of
Council chosen, the Democrats elected
six and the Republicans four, leaving one
from the Ninth ward-in dispute, with
the probabilities in favor of the Demo-
cratic candidate being seated ,as he claims
majority of one on the full and correct
count, and much larger majority on the
ground of the informal character of the
returns of one district, which are signed
by only one of the inspectors, whereas
the law requires majority of them to
sign. Should the claimant in this case
obtain his seat, ,as now seems probable, the
next City Council will stand IA Demo-
Gratis and 0 Republicans with his oppo-
nent admitted, ii would stand IS Demo-
Gratis and 10 Republicans clear work
ing Democratic majority in either event.
OF the 26 inspectors elected, the Repub-
licans secured Ia and the Democrats -.
The total vote polled was 9,246, about
700 less than was polled at the general
election last November. II is rather
larger than the average for municipal
election, and charges are made that a
number of illegal votes were polled on
both sides-by the Republicans in the
upper wards and the Democrats in the
lower wards. 1t is not claimed, however,
that either side gained any special ad-
vantage by fraud, ,honors being considered
easy on this score.
With the exception of fights in the
Ninth and Eleventh wards, and slight
fracas in the First, the election passed off
quietly. Great interest, however, was
felt in the result, and in the evening,
after the polls were closed, an immense
crowd assembled along Fifth street,
between Market and Shipley, to read the
returns, which were conspicuously posted
on EVERY EVENINGS mammoth bulletin
board, lighted up by locomotive head
light placed across the street. The crowd
was good natured throughout the evening
and cheered Justify over the result. As
an instance of the correctness of the
returns bulletined by EVERY EVENING, it
may be stated that the totals given out
tailed exactly with the official figures
printed to-day. The complete result of
the election will be found in the tables
printed below.
THE NINTH WARD DISPUTE.
The trouble in the Ninth ward on
which the election of George Barnhill,
the Democratic candidate for City Coun-
Gil, or james Lynn, the Republican nomi-
nee, hinges, depends upon certain dis
puted ballots cast in the Twenty second
district, the number of which cannot be
definitely ascertained. Illegal voting
also enters largely into the prospective
contest.
In the first place, the Republican in
spector, William Wilson, declined to take
the tax receipt stamp, which had been
duly delivered to him to the polls, and
during the progress of the voting accepted
all the negro votes offered, whether the
voters had tax receipts or not.
When the votes were being counted
Mt the close of the voting, dispute
Ill W huiilbNi vi iStii-
ocratic ballots. These tickets had the
name of the Democratic candidate for
inspector, William IL. Retting, written
instead of printed, MS on the regular
tickets Mr.. Retting's name had acci-
dentally been printed "Betting." The
exact number of these disputed tickets
out by Wilson, the Republican inspector,
n s,rn,,,,1 tl,nt fhax
irregular ballots. The inspector says
they numbered but 23, and the Demo
cratic clerk insists that there were " of
them. If the clerk is correct, the ballots
would elect Mr.. Barnhill by II majority of
one, but the inspectors claim would leave
Mr.. Lynn majority of three.
In addition to the claim made by the
Democratic clerk of the Twenty-second
district, Mr.. Barnhilfs election is also
assured by an irregularity in the returns
from this district. They are signed only
by the Republican inspector, the two
Democratic assistants having refused to
sign, and as the law requires the returns
of an election district to be signed by n
majority of the inspectors, the city coun'
Gil can refuse to accept these returns, on
the ground of irregularity. This would
leave only one emu OF tne Nlnth Wuru-
the Twenty-third district in which Barn
hill has a majority of 66, to be counted,
and on the face of these returns, which
are regularly signed, Barnhill is clearly
elected. The course to be pursued will
be determined upon ut caucus of the
Democratic members of City Council, to
be held this evening.
AN EDITORS DILEMMA.
One of the most amusing instances of
the election was the dilemma i'll which
Watson II. Sperry, editor of the Morning
Meas, found himself placed. Despite
the repeated warnings of the Neaos that
the Democratic tax collectors would take
advantage of ignorant citizens only, and
that men who attempted to vote illegally
would be promptly arrested, Mr.. Sperry
L