The Portland daily press., 1886-09-15
THE OFFICIAL COUNT.
Special Meeting of the Board of
Aldermen Yesterday.
The Certified Vote Found to be Full
of Errors.

The aldermen held special meeting at 3
p. m. yesterday, according to law, in order to
open the certified vote of the election.
Chairman Sawyer presided Alderman Will
son of Ward read the certified vote of his
ward. The clerks return read Isaac l.. or
j., Sawyer for sheriff, Joseph Tolman for
commissioner, and there were other errors in
names. The question then arose as to how
the vote in these cases should be tabulated :;
whether for Isaac d. Sawyer and James Fl.
Tolman or Isaac |. Sawyer and Joseph Toll
man, and quite long discussion followed.
The city solicitor was sent for, and, awaiting
his arrival, the vote from the other wards
wassread, and in these returns errors of
the same nature were found. In the Ward l
return Isaiah S. Webb was given Isaiah
Webb, and in that from Ward as Josiah
Webb. In the Ward return, James
F. Hawkes. was doubtful quantity, there
being some question as to whether the mid
die initial was meant for an f. Then again
in the return from Ward g. Aaron Clark
was returned Aaron B. Clark, and the W.,
the middle initial of Mr.. Wentworth's
name was written NJ. The figures in some
of the parentheses didn't agree with the
written numbers.
The City Solicitor, upon arrival, said he
didn't see how the Board could go back of
the certified returns. The intention of the
statute, which requires the certified vote,
was to afford protection to the candidate
voted for, and the voter. That is why the
ward clerk, in open town meeting, must de-
clare the vote, seal it in an envelope and hand
it to the town clerk, not to be opened except
at the meeting of the Board. With the
declaration of the vote at the town meeting,
and the preparation of the certified vote for
the aldermen or selectmen, the ward clerks
duties ended. In the Solicitors opinion it
was not legal to call in the ward clerk at this
meeting to explain any inaccuracies in the
record of his ward. If that could be done,
it would seem that the certified vote was an
unnecessary labor; the ward record book
would answer every purpose. 1t would be
proper, he thought, for votes cast for per-
sons, in which abbreviated Christian names,
like Dan'l for Daniel, Geo. for George, ETC.,
were used, to count all such votes for such
persons. In the matter of handwriting, if
the Board was satisfied as to a written name
being for certain person, they had right
as Board of Aldermen to so declare it, But
the certified return made to the
Secretary of State by the City Clerk must be
tabulated according to the certified returns
of the ward clerks, and if the Board was
satisfied that, as in the case of Isaiah Webb
for Isaiah S. Webb or Isaac l. Sawyer for
Isaac d. Sawyer, the initial was left out or
was not the right initial, the vote should be
fol hn1 fad hut ha Eitx, CLARK for fha &c
written by the ward clerk In that case, if
it made difference in the election of Repre-
sentatives or Senators, the Legislature would
have the power to remedy the mistake, and
in the case of county officers the courts, if
appealed to, would protect them.
Some discussion followed the City Solici-
tors opinion, and Alderman Marks made the
following motion:
Moved, That the clerks of Wards 1, 2 and
be summoned to appear before this Board,
at an adjourned meeting, to explain appar-
ent discrepancies between the record and re-
turns as made.
Mr. Marks seemed of the opinion that the
wardens or ward clerks, could bring in the
ballols cast at the election, but Alderman
Briggs said there was no law compelling the
preservation of the ballots, and Alderman
Wilson thought the ballots in Ward were
destroyed and there was no ward officer of
whom demand for the ballots could be
made
1t was moved by Alderman Marks and
voted, four to two (Messrs Briggs and Will
son voting in the negative) that the F. in
James F. Hawkes. name was sufficiently
plain F. and that his vote for representative
be tabulated by the clerk for James F.
Hawkes.. Alderman Briggs voted no be-
cause he did not wish to make any exception
that might be considered invidous.
1t was voted to adjourn to 1890 a. m. to-
day for the clerk to tabulate the vote of the
city according to the certified returns of the
ward clerks.
We give below the official vote for COVER
nor, congressman, and sheriff. There were
no errors in the returns for governor or con-
gresham except the vote in Ward for
Aaron B. Clark which will have no effect on
results.