St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-19
E. G. Long Submits to the City Council
Claim That He Represents the
Seventh Ward.
A. B. Robbins Protests The Council Re-
fuses to Declare Itself for Either
Claimant.
Inc votes Canvassed in All the
Other Wards at Last Nights
Session.
summit Avenue Paving, the stMtlt-
tta' Appropriation and Minor
Matters.
A Contestin the seventh.

niShe' Ao CltIk TGdu communication
from Aid. Long of the Seventh ward,
giving notice that he would contest the late
election there. Aid. johnson moved ref
erence to committee of three to consider
1t, and that he, being about to go out of the
council, be not put on the committee. Aid.
Sanborn said he thought the committee
should also consider any answer that Mr..
Robbins might have to make to the COM
munication. The communication was as
follows, and the committee subsequently
named consists of Aids. Starkey, Cullen
and Kerr:
10 the Honorable, the Common Council of
the City of st. Paul: The petition of Edgar C.
Long respectfully represents as follows: At
the general election held within the city OF
st. Paul in the spring of 1885, your petitioner
was duly elected alderman of the Seventh
ward of said city, and afterward at the first
meeting of the common council of said city,
IN the month OF June, 1886, your petitioner
duly qualified as such alderman, and ever
since has been, and now is, an alderman of
said city, within and for the Seventh ward
thereof. Shortly prior to the election held on
the 4th day of May, 1886. with
attorney of said city, the Hon. William
Z. Murray advised that the Office Of your pc
tltioner would become vacant at the time of
the first meeting Of the city council of said
city in the month of June, 1856, and that the
term of Office of your petitioner would then
expire, and on the strength of that advice
there was held pretended election within
the Seventh ward of said city on the 4th day
OF May, 1886, for the election of an alderman
for that ward. Your petitioner became and
was one OF the candidates for election to the
Office OF alderman for said ward, under said
legal advice, and A. B. Robbins was another,
and the only other, candidate for election as
n ard soil n1nn
held on the 4th day of May, as before stated,
Your petitioner is informed and believes that
the returns of said pretended election indicate
and show that said A. B. Robbins received
forty-two votes or ballots more than your
petitioner received. Your petitioner is in
formed and verify believes it to be true that
at said pretended election there were cast
votes or ballots for said A. B. Robbins to the
amount of more than forty-two votes or bal
lots by persons who were not residents, at
that time, of the Seventh ward of said city,
and who were not, at that time, entitled to
vote therein, and who were not, at that time,
legal voters thereof, so that IN point of
fact your petitioner received more legal
votes at said election for the office of
alderman Of said ward than was received by
said A. B. Robbins, and that in point of fact
your petitioner was elected alderman of said
ward, in case said legal advice was proper
and in case said Office would become vacant
in the month of June, 1885. Your petitioner
is further advised and verify believes it to be
true that the term OF Office of your petitioner
as the alderman of the Seventh ward of said
city continues for the term of TWO years from
and next after the first meeting of the COM
mon council of said city, held in the month of
June, 1885, and that said election for
alderman so held in the Seventh ward
of said city, as before stated on the
4th day Of May, 1886, was and is unauthor-
lied, illegal and void. Your petitioner is
further informed and believes that the votes
cast at said election were not truly and cor
rectly counted and that the returns thereof
are not true. Wherefore, your petitioner re-
specially prays: First-That the common
council of the city of St. Paul do wholly
ignore the pretended election for alderman of
said city for the Seventh ward thereof, held
on the 4th day of May last. Second-In case
said common council shall be of opinion that
the term of office of your petitioner con-
tinued but for one year that i'll counting the
votes cast at said election for alderman
within and for the Seventh ward Of said city,
said common council dc ascertain
how many votes were cast with
out authority of law and how many
were cast by parties who had no legal right
to vote within said ward, and how many votes
were cast by parties who were not at the
time of said election residents of said ward,
and that all such votes be thrown out and
wholly ignored, and that all said returns be
revised and corrected accordingly. Third,
and that in case said common council shall
be of opinion that the term of Office of your
petitioner continued for the term of one year,
then that said common council shall upon a
full, fair and complete investigation as to the
number of legal votes cast for the candidates
declare and return that yonr petit
toner was duly elected alderman of said city,
within and for the Seventh ward thereof.
Fourth-And that said common council do
take such further and other action in the
premises as may be adequate and proper to
determine who is the alderman of said city
within and for the Seventh ward thereof DUR
ing the period between the first meeting of
the common council of sa id city in the month
of June, 1885, and the first meeting of said
common ouncil to be held in the month of
Ju ne, 1887, and that your petitioner will ever
pray. EDGAR G. LONG.
CANvASSING THE VOTE.
The council then proceeded to canvass
the returns of the late election, and Aids.
Starkey, Dowlan and Sanborn were ap-
pointed a committee to check off tabulated
statement which had been prepared by the
city clerk.
Mr.. Robbins was present and at his re-
quest was granted the privilege of being
heard. He said he had supposed the coun-
ell would follow the rules laid down by it
self last year in the Simpson-Dowlan con-
test, and that the contestant would be re-
CURED to file notice of contest within
twenty days after election. He did not
know what power this committee would
have, but if to look into the case and make
any authoritative report, it would be a wide
deviation from previous rules. Mr.. Robbins
said he had expected nothing of the
kind and was present without counsel, He
had expected that the council would simply
proceed to canvass the vote and follow the
rules laid down by itself. He thought it
would be manifestly unfair to do other
wise. The communication of Mr.. Long
Long showed nothing wrong in the recent
election, but simply made allegations to
hat effect. By prima facie evidence. Mr..
Robbins said, he was himself the alderman
elect of the Seventh ward. The ballot of
my people was sacred and could not be
,rifed with. The judges of election in that
ward had been sworn to do their duty and
lad done it, and he thought the council
hould proceed in the ordinary way.
The canvasing committee proceeded with
is work until the Seventh ward was reach
when Aid. johnson moved to refer the re-
urnS of the Seventh ward, to the same
committee having Aid. Longs communica-
ion. Aid. Sanborn opposed the motion
md read the rules adopted in the Simpson
)owlan case. He thought the motion could
lot even he entertained because those rules
declared that public canvass should be
made and published, and within
wenty days the contestant should file
written notice of the fact. The new coun-
Ill and not this one should be the Judge of
he election of it's own members. Aid.
Kerr called on the city attorney for the
general law governing the canvass of the
Iote, and he sent for the statutes, mean
ime saying that he thought Aid. Sanborn
vas correct, as the law had been very care
ully looked up in the Simpson DowIan
.ase. w. 3. Warner
COUNSEL FOR MR.. LONG,
vas given permission to speak and con-
,eded for the sake of the argument. that
Mr.. Sanborn was correct, but said that Mr..
long contested the legality of having an
election, holding that Mr.. Long should hold
,ver another year. He entered into an ex-
olanation of the acts on which the contest
If this point was taken. He thought this
In anterior one to the canvass of the votes
Dol