Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-28
New Jersey Lawyers Working to Get
Back Pay for Pittsburg Elec-
tion Supervisors.
MANY THOUSANDS ARE INVOLVED.
They Can Claim Time From the Date Of
Appointment Until the Day
After the Election.
LIKE CLAIMS HAVE BEEN COLLECTED.
Hundreds Of Men in the Two Cities Down for Amounts
From S. to $500.

who were appointed by the United States
Court to supervise the Congressional cleo
tons in Pittsburg and Allegheny in 1882,
1884, 1856 and 1888 are all likely to receive
from the Government sums varying from
S. to nearly $780, alleged to be due them
for their services Such supervisors are
appointed by the Court at request of one
citizen representative of each political
party in Congressional elections. They
are appointed to guard the registration and
eligibility of voters. Two are appointed In
each election district, and their services
end when they make their report to the
Court on the day following the election.
They are allowed So per day, and are only
provided in cities having over 20, 600 popu-
latior. In the elections referred to above
they were paid for three days work, which
included election day and night and the
day of making their report.
A firm of attorneys in Newark, n. j.,
claims that under the law the supervisors
are entitled to pay for each day from the
time they are sworn in until the day after
the election. In the elections of1SS2, 1886 and
1888, the majority of the supervisors in the
two cities we're appointed about go days be-
fore the election. These attorneys have
bee sending out circulars to all the super
visors appointed, in the years named, offer
ing to recover their bacx pay for 80 per
cent of the amount. They ask for no other
fee and simply request the ex-supervisors
to send them an affidavit. blank form of
which accompanies the circular all ready
for filling up.
Such Claims Have Been CollecteS.
In this affidavit the e1-supervisor gives
the date he was sworn in and the number of
days he was engaged up until the day after
election, during which time he discharged
fully the duties o. the Office to the best of
his ability and that he only received SIS
for three days servic,. In the circular the
attorneys state that the only united
effort ever made to collect this class of
claims was made by them for the Deputy
Uni ed States Marshals in the various cities
of New Jersey and the northern district of
| New York, as well as for the United States
Election Supervisors in Philadelphia for the
year 1884. Through that effort these claims
were all paid, and the firm says they have
now on hand claims for thousands of dollars
for the same parties for other services of
| like nature for 1880 and 1882. They are
| now working on claims for the supervisors
of Detroit, Pittsburg, Allegheny, Scranton
and Wilkesbarre, and have no doubt they
will be able to recover soon in every case
| where the claimants lend their assistance
In order to assure those interested that the
| venture will cost the claimant nothing they
have appointed an attorney in this city,
whose address is named in the circular, who
will, until December 10, receive the claims,
administer the oath and fill out the blanks
without charge
Hundreds Of Claimants Here.
In 1882 there were 262 election supervisors
appointed in the two cities, 76 of whom
were in Allegheny. Two men are always
appointed in each district, one representing
each party. The appointments were made
| by the Court on August 2Sth and many of
the men were sworn in as supervisors 60
| DAYS before the election. In 1884 there were
2S2 supervisors, the appointments being
made on October 25th, ten days before the
| election, but none were sworn in until Octo-
| Der 2Sth, and many of them later than that
date. In 1886 the appointments were made
on August 26, and the men were sworn in
| from dav to dsy until a few days prior to
the election. In 1888 the Courts appoint
| ments were made on August %.
! LII al lHtst GASES lllc uIcu were only pdlu
| for three days. In one or two campaigns,
when the supervisors were named 60 days
before election, under instructions from the
political organizations, they made . new
registry list of their districts, going from
house to house as the regular register had
done, but they received no pay for it. A
demand was made, but it was not allowed,
and now that the matter is to be investi-
| gated it is expected this work will be recog-
nized.
Commissioner Gamble, of the United
States District Court, who is ex-officio Chief
| Supervisor when the Government assumes
supervision of elections, was asked his
opinion concerning the claims of the Newark
lawyers yesterday. He was fully acquainted
with the subject. saying he had furnished
the lawyers with the list of supervisors
names.
| Have a Chance OF Winning.
| GAS to the likelihood of their recovering
| this money! he said 'that is a matter for
| legal argument which i am unable to
answer. have heard that it has been done
in other cities, but am not acquainted with
the circumstances. The law on the subject
provides that supervisors shall supervise
registry lists as well as elections, but in
| this State the lists are closed 60 days before
election and hence the supervisors have
nothing to do but attend the polls on cleo
tion day and make their reports the day
after. 1t is legal question in my mind
whether the supervisors are entitled to
more money than three days pay even
if they performed other work, and
think it moral question whether
the supervisors will make affidavit
to having performed service on other days
than those have indicated, if they did not
The law says also that Supervisors shall be
appointed within not less than ten days
prior to the election, and they shall be
paid at the rate of S. per day for each day
on duty, not exceeding ten days. That
would indicate to me that while the claim
ants might possibly secure pay for the full
ten days they could get no more, though
don't pretend to make an official statement
| on the matter
It is known that large number of the
! ex-supervisors about Pittsburg who have
d, received circulars from the Eastern attor-
neys, have sufficient confidence in their
ability TO get the money that they have al
ready forwarded their affidavits and pre-
| sented their claims
%~~~~~~~~e@~~@@~~-~~@~~~~~