The Portland daily press., 1893-04-01
HARPER'S RESIGNAEI ZION.

Mr.. Thomas r. Harper, warden OF
is the proper thing for him to r sign his
Office. Mr.. Harper's conclusion appears
to have been arrived at Immediately after
the signing of the amendment to the
Australian ballot act which compelled
the wardens to count the vote in plain
sight of the voters in the ward room and
in the immediate presence of represen-
tative from both parties. AS long as there
was any chance that Mr.. Harper might
render efficient aid to his party by his
peculiar method of counting he stuck to
his position in spite of demands from the
voters for his resignation, but when it
became apparent that his proceedings
were certain to be closely watched he
suddenly discerned that there was an
improperly in his remaining in office.
In his letter of resignation Mr.. Harper
absolutely denies any dishonest inten-
ton or act in performing his duties at
the first election. Yet week ago when
the opportunity was afforded MI. Har-
per to deny under oath any dishonest in
tention, when he had a chance to
explain to the voters of Portland how he
happened to count hundred more bal
lots than were in the box, and how he
happened to return the ward line vote
within eight of the Mayoralty vote though
the ballots he left in the box showed
that more than eighty voters who had
voted for Mayor had failed to vote on the
ward lines he was as dumb as an oyster.
The proof is as strong as holy writ that
Mr.. Harper never counted the ward line
vote at all. What he did was to take the
| figures which he had fixed as the Mayor
vote, change them little SO as to allay
suspicion and declare them as the ward
line vote. Whether in doing this he was
guilty of dishonest intention we leave
| the public to judge. Many of Harper's
performances have been SO utterly stupid
as to raise doubt as to whether he is
capable of forming any definite intention,
honest or dishonest.
But more interesting than Harper's
| letter of resignation is the comment OF the
Argus upon it which is as follows:
| Warden Harper has resigned that office. This
was the proper thing, under the circumstances
1 for him to do. In his communication to the
voters of Ward one, published on this page, ne
| faces the situation squarely and while reiterat-
/ ing hlg earnest denial OF any intent to do any
| thing wrong. he shows that he feels keenly the
| embarrassing position in which ne IS placed by
| the results growing out OF the miscount IN ward
Il fI,pr.af Cor ROT q,
| picion of unfairneSs or incompetency to atGacn
itself in advance to the count of the votes at the
coming election in that ward
! Observe how tenderly Mr.. Harper is
treated and what great pains are taken
| to impress upon him that the Democracy
regard him as a prosecuted saint. He
| feels keenly'' says the Argus, 'the en-
barrassing position in which he is placed
by the results growing out of the mis-
| count in Ward one, and therefore re-
fuses to permit even suspicion of I'M
| fairness OF incompetence to attach itself
| in advance to the count of the votes at
| the coming election in that ward" One
unacuuainted with the facts would never
suspect that the miscount was the work
| of Harper himself. The Argus is very
| careful to say the miscount not his mis-
count. Thewhole paragraph is designed
| to give the impression that Harper has
| been the victim of circumstances over
| which he had no control. So sensitive
has Mr. Harper become that he now
refuses to permit even suspicion
of unfairness to attach to the count,
yet at the first election he deliber-
ately and against protest drove
out everybody but the Democratic clerk
from the space within the rail, SO tina t
his counting could not be watched, re-
fused to entertain motion for the ap-
pointment under the city charter of a
representative from each party to assist
in counting the vote, and got as far away
as possible from the people in the ward
room, SO that there could be no effective
watching of his proceedings. His sensi-
tiveness began about the time the law
got hold of him. His anxiety lest a sus-
picion of unfairness might attach to his
count developed with the signing of the
bill which made it impossible for him to
count the votes unmatched.
The Argus knows all the facts per-
| fectly well, yet for some reason it deems
it wise to represent Harper as a gen.
tleman of very fine sense of honor, kept
| awake nights by the fear that some sus-
picion of unfairness may attach to him.
What is the reason? Is it because War
den Harper has evidence that will i'm
plicate Democrats of much more conse-
uuence than he is, that he must be cod
died lest he may open his mouth?