The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-07-01
IN The LEGISLATURE.



davit to their petitions, was absurd. He
maintained that the memorial was gotten
up under the grossest misrepresentation.
referring to John @. Peckham, OF New
testimony, on pare Is Of the minority re-
port, which he declined to read, because
that act would encroach upon the time
limit. But he did feel that 1t was In
cumbent upon him to refer to the remarks
OF Mr.. Wilson, OF Providence. prior to the
investigation, In which he, Wilson, de-
| clared that IL was the intention of the ma
| jority to give to the accused the fullest.
| fairest and most searching investigation,
| after which the guilt or innocence OF the
accused would be passed upon. IL
that was the honest intention of the
majority, why had they denied to
the full testimony II was the apparent
Intention OF the majority to allow the
| House To have complete evidence; but
something has happened which has led
the majority to take different view, and
ae,as the House, sitting as judges. were now "
ment was TO be based. He admitted that
| IL would be unfair to seat John q. Peck
ham as q member Of this House. The
only fair thing to be done, taking as true
all that the majority alleged, would be to
TO the evidence OF Mr.. Alger, and asserted
that Alger was purposely hired by the
| Newport city Republican committee to
save the city that Mr. Allen could serve
as supervisor OF the Fifth Ward.
The reason that Mr.. Allen was desired
as gardeners fifteen Democrats. That was
the whole meat in the Alger cocoanut.
| Mr.. Allen was to influence these eighteen
| Democrats to vote the Republican ticket.
Mr.. Smith also referred to the voting
upon the name OF Michael Fitzpatrick.
- sL..s L..
same nome in that ward. One man voted
upon his name; the other, u coachinan In
| the employ of Daniel B. Fearing. Que
| mans name was not upon the list but
| because two men claimed to vote upon
| the same name the Republicans asked
that the election be declared null and
void.
Mr.. Smith, in referring to the alleged
| intimidation in the majority report, ad-
| mitted that Mr.. Honey had conceded that
his remarks made to the cashier of the
| Coddington bank were in bad taste.
Mr.. Honey of Newport was the next
| speaker, and declared that the head and
front of the opposition to the sitting
members was the Newport Water Works,
| and that George II. Norman, the presi-
dent OF that company, had contributed
the money by the use OF which the
| Democratic majorities Of Newport were
| SO seriously reduced. The title OF this
/
1t should be the Newport Water Works
in re the Democratic party of Newport
and the people. 1t was an effort on the
part of the Water Works Company to
prevent any inquiry into the purity and
| price OF the water TO be supplied to the
| people OF Newport. Mr.. Honey averred
by inuendo that the committee on elec-
tions was set ap for tie purpose of carry
| ing out the plans of the Water Works
| Company. Mr.. Honey here reviewed the
evidence and spoke In about the same
strain that he did at Newport when op.
the Swan memorial. Mr.. Honey here de-
Tended his own acts, which had been COM
| planned OF, refuting each and every claim
OF fraud and intent to act illegally.
| Mr.. Honey declared his non -acquaint.
ance with "McClary on Elections" and
orally; but he elucidated what we're his
views on the duties of supervisors In
assisting the illiterate aud the physically
disabled electors in marking their ballots,
and maintained that Boyle had not ex-
ceeded his duties. 1t was not true that
Boyle had marked thirty ballots without
| being requested TO do SO at the election OF
April 9, but that Ia all that day he
marked between twenty-five and thirty
ballots, generally at the suggestion OF
the warden.
IL he is correct the case of the memo
rialists must fall TO the ground. He
| could not see how the committee could
logically say that the members Of the last
| House held over under an election con-
Quoted precisely as the one complained OF
had been. IL one election was ille-
gally conducted, the other must have
been. He referred to the aldermanic
count OF the votes, quoting from Sec. IA,
| Chap. 10. p. L., and maintaining that
under it the wardens and clerks are au-
| thorized only to count the total mum Der
| OF ballots cast for the Assembly ticket,
| and that il is the province OF the board OF
| aldermen, only, TO count and declare the
| votes cast for each candidate upon the
| several tickets.
Referring to the burning Of the ballots,
| Mr.. Honey said that the usual course was
| pursued, and that that was testified to by
Republican officials. There was but one
| request made to preserve the Iallots. Ii
was presented before the count was made
| and was construed as reflection upon
the mayor and Board Of Aldermen. as a
| piece of impudence and an insult, and II
was disregarded and the ballots were
| burned, and when the mayor Of the city OF
| Newport assisted In such destruction of
the ballots, he performed highly patri-
cite duty.
Ellery ii. Wilson of East Providence
next took the floor In support OF the
| affirmative. The negative side had made
| the charge that the majority Of the cleo
| tions committee had garbled the testi-
mony The gentleman from Newport had
to-day, in reading the evidence OF wit
ness, carefully avoided reading the very
meat of the particular testimony upon
| which he relied to sustain an important
| point he was making in his own behalf.
| lMr. Baker of PROVIDENCE In the chair.
In response to Mr.. Honey's defense OF
Mr.. Boyle's conduct, the attention Of the
House was called TO the admitted EVIL
dence that Boyle went up TO voter as
| the latter was entering booth aud said
so as To be heard from outside the rail
| ing: Mark all the Democratic ticket
| There was other evidence that the Demo.
| cratic supervisors in all the wards were
| electioneering when they were supposed
to be attending TO their duties, aud were
acting in direct violation of the ballot
| law.
Mr.. Wilson called Mr.. Honey's attcu.
| tion TO the fact that his Interpretation o
| the law as to the counting OF ballots by
| the wardens aud clerks was entirely
wrong. Instead OF merely counting the
fx.. hall a