The Republican journal., 1886-03-11
The City Election.


ing on. Sidewalk caucuses were in order when the
weather would permit, and much eloqucnce was
wasted on the wintry air. Public meetings were
held by both sides and the railroad and financial
questions fully discussed. Mayor Foger last Thurs
day evening spoke ably on the legal aspect of the
question and made it plain that all could under
stand. He read from the Tax Payer paper the
platform of that party in 1882, which declared that
IN order to relieve oppressive taxation and to slim
ulate business they were in favor Of division of
the entire railroad rental. The Mayor said he was
in favor of it at that time, and is to-day. The
Tax Payers did not keep their promises. The Tax
Payers at their meeting on Saturday evening, did
not attempt to refute what Mayor Foger said, their
orators devoting themselves mainly to personal
abuse of their opponents and to the repetition of
oft-eAposed falsehoods.
The election attracted the attention of outside
parties The town of Brooks, which owns $4,000
of the non preferred stock in the railroad, held a
town meeting Monday, but adjourned until Tues
day to learn the result of our election. In the after
noon Brooks people were here in force. They de
cared that if the Tax Rctlllcers won in our election
Brooks would refuse to raise money to pay its in
tcrest and would put an injunction upon the rail
road officials to prevent division Of the rental.
ing places as the Tax Payers themselves
Monday morning opened clear and bright and at
nine O'Clock voting began briskly The most dis
graceful scenes were enacted. Rum flowed freely.
Men had been housed over Sunday in chambers
and kept in beastly state of intoxicaton all sun
day night, and early Monday they taken to the
polls and voted by the Taxpayer ward runners.
Some Of the voters were so drunk they could hard
w hnII haIlr in, +I.i,. nftI no
polls the Taxpayer strikers were sprawlcd over
the tables while honest citizens waiting for
an opportunity to cast their votes and Tax reduc-
| ers were insulted by the hoodums and strikers of
the other side. A gentleman who kept an account
says there twenty fights in the streets. Look
which way you might and you would see knock
down 1t was hardly safe for lady to be upon the
streets The city marshal was running for consta-
bic in ward two and was too busy to look after the
peace of the city. Each sde charged the other
with using money, the sin consisting in the amount
which side bid over the other. At noon the
Tax Reducers were ahead all over the city, and it
looked as though it would be a 9 can victory for
them. The noon nour bonanza for the Tax
PAYERS and they reduced the gap. The fight went
on to the closing of the polls, when it was known
that the contest was close, and the interest was
transferred to the count Inere was no ulilcultN
in making the returns from all the wards except
Ward Two, where the contest was the closest. Mr..
Burgess for Mayor led Mr.. Baker one vote in the
ward, while, with the exception of Alderman, the
Tax Reduccrs carried the ticket For Alderman
there was choice, no one havinga majority. The
vote stood follows: c. W. Haney l55, 4. W.
Pitcher ia; II. II. Carter l G. }. Hall |. The clerk
declared no choice and adjourned the election to
Tuesday morning at nine O'Clock, agreeable to the
city charter. No record was made of this decision
and the clerk now denies having made it. Half a
dozen reliable men say they were present and
heard the clerk So declare it,
Monday evening when the board of Aldermen
met to canvass the returns it was discovered that
the records OF Ward two We're not correct. The
votes for Mayor had been reversed, Mr.. Baker
having Mr.. Burgess vote, and Mr.. Hauey for Al
herman was credited with more votes than he had
received. No one accuses the ward officers of at
tempting to falsify the returns, but are charitable
enough to take them at their word. Mr.. Charles
NJ. Craig, the warden and the Who wrote the
record for the clerk went before the board and ac
knowledgeti that me returns We're not correct,
claiming that it error yet Bancroft Conant,
the ward clerk, the same evening. gave Mr.. C. W.
iIauey certificate of election as Alderman, after
| the Mayor advised him not to issue the certificate
until the next day, the clerk having twenty -for
hours i'll which to perform that duty Mr.. Conant
was interviewed on Tuesday and said the Mayor
told him hold on, but he issued the certificate
the All, ice of City Solicitor X F. Dunon, the Al
dcrman elect Of Ward one Mr.. lIancy holds
the certificate to office to which he was not
elected, and no person i'll the city knows better
than himself that he mas not been elected. Mr..
lianey is Il very honorable gentleman, and those
who know him best believe he will never ask for Il
place to which heis not entitled. Mr.. Conant says
Mr.. Dunton said there were two theories by which
Mr.. llaney was elected. one was by throwing out
the two votes for Mr.. Carter and Mr. Hail. and one
| by counting for linn ballots that were deposited
under protest. The city solicitor would hardly
dare, however, to adhere to these propositions The
canVaseing board adjourned from Monday evening
to Tuesday afternoon at 2, NJ.
Tuesday morning agreeable to adjournment the
voters of ward two assembled for the purpose OF
completing the election for alderman. Mr.. A. A
Small and Mr.. Charles ;. Bickford, Warden and
Clerk elect, We're elected to the same places pro
tenn, and were sworn in by Wayland knowlton,
Esq. l.. II. MUrch, : q. Eicknell and Hip. Thoml.
son We're chosen committee to ask City Clerk
Hartman for the voting list and ward records, and
did 50 but the clerk refused the request. The same
committee was then instructed TO wait upon the
Mayor and to ask him to act i'll the premises. The
Mayor communicated with the City Clerk who said
the lists and records in the hands of the board
Of Aldermen and he had no control of them until
after the board had done with them. At > ?. NJ
Tuesday the board met to complete the canvass Of
the votes for Mayor The committee for wari two
| q bon of
informing them that the voters of ward two de
mandcd the voting list in order to complete the
| election The request was refused.
Alderman CHM objected to the crowd in the Al
dernen's room and moved that the room be cleared
| Chairman Thompson however, did not put the
motion, knowing that the meeting of the board OF
| Aldermen is public. question came before the
board as to whether or not the Aldermen could 90
behind the returns to correct errors MIR. William
son said they could when such errors were men
toned i'll the returns Mr.. Dunton expressed Il
contrary opinion. The canvass for Mayor was an
nounced as follows
cbas Baker M.r"s Ias ~ ~ s. y5-e.s
A. c b"rge:s.::....iSs IS IS is Is II iii
Mr.. Baker therefore is elected by a plurality OF
two votes.
The remainder of the balioting was as follows
FOR ALDERMEN.
| Ward l-R. f. Dunton, 1866 II. II. Carter, lS4 L
| W. Pitcher l.
Ward &c. W. Haney, 80; I. W. Pitcher, I5i
| II. ii. Carter, |; c. j. Hall, /.
| Ward sc. j. Hail. lJS; O. G.. White l2I
| Ward IS A. Payson, Ga; f. W. Brown H.
| Ward 81. F. Mason, 50; G. I. Osborne IS.
FOR COUNCILMEN.
| Ward Robert Burgess 1877; A. +. MIDGET
| 1885, Chas. T. Griffin, lSi; Howard Murphy, lS3
W. G. Cox, |; j. II Cunningham, l.
! Ward &c. b. Hail. l52; +. A. Howard $50; W
&. Cox, lbs; }. II. Cunningham, lbs; c. E. Griffin
| l. Howard Murphy, ]; A. |. Brown, |; G.. w.
Boulter, l.
| Ward ga. |. Brown, lGl; Geo. W. Boulter, lbs
| H. Mckeen, l2l +. L. Field, ll9.
Ward willis 5. Hatch, 81; Eli G. Merriam, 81
Chas. q. Havener, 20; Rufus Dyer II.
Ward 5-Chas. W. Rogers, 96 Benz. I. Black
9G, Geo. W. Patterson, a. s. X. Richards, a.
FOR CONSTABLE.
| Ward samuel Norton, 37S; J. ID. Tucker, l.
Ward &c. 7. Richards, IFS; j. ID. Tucker l3l
| s. Norton, /; A. ID. Smalley, L.
| Ward ga. d. smalley, 15S; Geo 0. White, l22
| Ward 4-Alonzo Beckwith, 81; Geo 0. Flanders
! Il.
Ward John Carr, %; Esli A. Bowen, IS.
| FOR wARDENS.
| Ward Nv. H. Keen, 1876; Chas. II. Wording,
| 1874; A. \. Small, /.