The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-04-14
COUNTED IN.

The "official' count of the Newport
Board of Aldermen, which declares all
the Democratic Representatives chosen
who were balloted for on Tuesday,
should not be made the occasion simply
of a display of party feeling, but should
call out the righteous wrath of every
honest Rhode Island citizen. 1t is not
necessary to make sensational charges
of fraud It would obviously be iHpes-
sible to prove them. But the counting
board, by its fragrant disregard of the
sanctities of the ballot, has deliberately
and without shame put itself into a posi-
ton in which, if it contains one self-re-
specting citizen, he must find it intoler.
ably calling to stand.
The circumstances attending the cleo
ton of last week, the charges that were
made of a false count and of tampering
with the ballots, whether they had any
foundation in fact or not, should have
induced, in the cases of men sensitive to
reflections upon their personal honor
and DESTROYS of avoiding even the OPP
pearance of evil, a most scrupulous care
that nothing should be allowed to cast
the ~faintest shadow Of a blemish upon
the integrity of the second election.
Instead Of this most necessary regard
for fairness and unspotted candor; in
stead, indeed, of the most rudimentary
attention to the elements Of political
decency and common honesty, what was
the course actually pursued?
Yesterday morning before the alder
mems count had been made, with the
figures of the wardens' count plainly
declaring no election, except in the case
of Hazard, Honey's organ came out with
ROSTERS and big black letterings of
victory" and with, in its editorial col
umns, this now significant declaration :
sit is reasonable to suppose that Mr..
Honey was elected and hat the official
count will settle the matter beyond per-
adventure" The only thing which at
that hour il was reasonable to suppos
was that M. Honey lacked thirty-nine
votes Of an election.
This indiscretion was followed by
steps worse than indiscreet. Mayor
Honey was the n person most vitality
interested in the result of the election,
and yet Mayor Honey himself made the
''official'' count of the votes of an entire
ward. This ought to have been impos-
sible in law. Being possible, no right
minded man would have committed so
obvious an improperly.
The changes made by the official count
are significant. The vote in the Fourth
Ward remained unaltered in the Third
Ward there was very little alteration
that is a Republican district. In the
First and Second Wards all the Demo-
cratic candidates had their votes materi-
ally increased and all the Republicans
had theirs decreased. The heaviest en-
largement of the Democratic vote was
made in the Second Ward. This was the
ward Honey counted. Calling this fact
the most innocent of condolences, an
honorable MAJ would yet have felt the
delicacy' of his position, and to ward off
inevitable suspicion would have de-
manded imperatively another count and
by a different hand. IL is inconceivable
that any person of ordinarily keen
moral sensibilities should stand with any
comfort i'm Mayor Honey's present shoes.
What became of the ballots after the
farce? They were left unguarded in the
Aldermen's chambers on the reported
order of Mayor Honey that they should
be preserved for n possible recount, If
demanded, to-day. Such recount would
have been worthless, for every oppor-
tunity was offered 10 make the ballots
tally with the count whether they had
before or not done ~. There
was therefore the less reason