The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-11-10
Is ELLIOTT ELECrEDa
Complications in the Seventh South
Carolina District.

Complications in the Seventh South
Carolina District.
A Columbia, S. c., special TO the Netps
and Courier Of Charleston says: IL looks
like Elhottl II a certain very natural con-
clusion regarding the recent election shall
be verified, Col. William Elliott has been
reelected to congress from the Seventh dis
trict.
In the Net0S and CourieT's dispatches
from Port Royal on the night of the cleo
ton 1t was stated that all of the ballots cast
at that precinct for Thos. z. Miller, as a
candidate for congress, were thrown out by
the managers because they were defective
IN size and color. This was regarded here
as sporadic case. showing a condition
which did not exist elsewhere In the district
But samples OF the ballots voted for each
congressional candidate at Eastover and
Gadsden-the Seventh district precincts in
this county-have been brought to the
NeICs and Courier bureau, and the Miller
ballots show the same illegal characteristics
The question is: If they were used In Beau
fort and Richland, we're these defective bal
lots not used throughout the district
III they were used throughout the district
then, according to law, the entire vote for
Miller was illegal, and his apparent ma
Jority or plurality disappears.
The law prescrIbes that the ballots shall
be 215 inches vide by inches long, and
that no ballot of any other description
found in an election box shall be coun ed"
The Elliott and Brayton ballots voted in
this county are of the exact size specified.
The Miller ballots are clearly 1-16 OF an
inch narrower and Is of an inch shorter
than the law prescrlUes. The law requires
that the ballots shall be OF "plain white
paper" and that mo ballot of any other de-
scrlptlon found in any election box
sHan be counted" The Elliott ballots
used in tuis county were printed
upon clear white paper of
good quality. The Brayton ballots
are of a poorer quality of paper, of a
are OF common news paper, and look
brownish when compared with the Elliott
ballots. 1t would be quite possible for a
voter to distinguish between the ballots by
the appearance of their backs. The law
prescri oes that the ballot shall bs without
ornament, designation, mutilation, symbol
or mark of any kind whatever, except the
name or names of the person or persons
voted for, and the Office or Offices to which
such person or persons are intended to be
chosen" = 4 and that mo ballot of any
other description found in any election box
shall be counted
The Elliott tickets used in this county
read re as follows; Representative in the
Flfty-second Congress, Seventh District,
William Elliott The Brayton tickets
read: For Representative in the Fifty
second Congress, Seventh District Ellery
M. Brayton." The Miller tickets read:
For Representative in the Fifty
Congress, Seventh District, Thomas E.
Miller.n
Now. it has always been held by the DEM
ocratlc managers in this state siuce the pas
sage of our stringent election law, in 1882,
that 1t was not permissible to prefix to the
name of the office voted for the word
'for"-that the use of any other word than
that designating the name OF the office or
or the candidate would render the ballot il
legal-and, consequently, none of the dem
ocratic ballots for eight years have read
for representative" "for governor" etc..
but merely representative" governor"
senator, etc, as the case might require.
1t was upon such construction of the
law In Connecticut that on the 4th inst. the
election officers in certain precincts of that
state threw out the ballots cast for the pro-
hlbltlon candidate for governor. Those
ballots read "For Governor when they
should have read, Governor" The Con-
nectlcut law, it is to be presumed, is similar
to that of South Carolina upon this point.
According to these considerations, which
will stand the test of law, Miller has been
defeated, if the ballots used in his behalf in
other counties are similar TO those used in
Ricaland county and at Port Royal, for
they are defective in size, in color (although
this is a question of some dubiousaess) and
in printing
And, if Brayton's ballots all bear the word
for" before representative, they also can
be eliminated under the law.
If Col. Elliott has a majority of legal
ballots, although minority of legal voters
cast them, he is elected. This question OF
the legality of tho ballots voted is a serious
one, and will be considered, no doubt, by
Col. Elliotts friends in time for the neces-
sary action to be taken before the boards
of county canvassers on Tuesday next.