The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-02-28

for the contestant. Six of the tickets cast for
the cumbe bear marks by which they are
easily identified. During the early part or the
day a cigar box in which to deposit ballots was
ton, teere is very little regard PAD
to the election laws in this plac Q
On the recount Of the ballots both SIDES oD-
jected to many tickets which have marks upon
them, but which appear to be defects In the
paper or printers mistakes. These marks could
easily have been used to distinguish the ballots,
but as there is not any evidences in evidence on
the tickets themselves your committee decided
to reject all objections made because OF marks
which were upon the tickets or pastors when
they left the printing office.
In Egg Harbor Township the returns credited
the contestant with ten votes less than he was
entitled TO and the incumbent with more than
was cast for him. This fact seems to have been
well known to all parties who made the return,
but none of the officers seems to have consider
ed it his duty to take q step towards the correc-
ton of the error. II all the ballots objected to
by both parties upon tenable grounds are re-
iected and the mistakes in the counts OF the
various precincts corrected, a clear majority, ap-
pears for the contestant. Your mas
decided that it is unnecessary to refer TO these
marked ballots in detail.
The evidence that the votes returned for the
incumbent were not cast by persons Legally
entitled to vote in Atlantic County on the Sth
day of last November. and that schemes Tor
illegal voting and registration and corruption
at the polls were designed and executed in favor
of the ticket upon which the incumbent was a
candidate, is so clear that your re-
spectfully submits the evidence taken on these
points in support of its conclusion that William
Riddle received a majority Of the votes legally
cast.
Il MINORITY REPORT.
The most Important parts or the
minority report are as follows:-
1t is admitted that there was a clerical mis-
take made by the Board of Canvassers in the
counting of the votes Of Egg Harbor Township
of ten votes, which reduced the plurality
of Mr.. Hoffman to 45. A recount before
Master in Chancery Perry of all the boxes
in the county was made. except three,
and one ia the borough of Brigantine, it being
assumed that the official returns OF those pre-
cincts were correct. By the recount Hoffman
received 2.917 votes. with the addition OF Gallo
way and Brigantine. Hoffman's total, 3,156.
Riddle on the recount had 3,129, which made
Hoffman's plurality 27."
Nine additional votes were claimed for HoH-
man for abbreviated ballots, in which II IS as
serted 'that the voters in each instance intend
| ed to vote for him. and that these nine votes
make the plurality of Mr.. Hoffman 49," The
report then proceeds to deal with the ballots
| which the contestant claims are Illegal. OF
| these there are POI. 90 of which have defects.
Counsel for the contestant acknowledged that
there were at least 200 of these ballots that were
liable to objection and should not be counted in
his opinion, as was plainly indicated. Regard
ing these tickets as illegal, Mr.. Hoffman's
| plu rality will be 245. This, as far as the positive
testimony goes, practically ends the contestant
| case, leaving the NJ with 245 plurality
Touching the Irregularities of the election
officers the borough of South Atlantic City, tht
report contlnues: The officers could not get
| the regulation ballot-box open and there being
three voters, whose names are given, who were
| anxious to go away by train, the board pre-
| pared a cigar box and received the three
| bailots;', later the legal box was
opened, land the Chairman of the boare
in the presence of all carefully took these bal
| lots out one at a time and depotited them in the
| legal box, This borough gave Hoffman ten ma
iority. In Weymouth Township an old-fash
| Toned wooden box was used the entire day anc
Mr.. Riddle received a plurality.
1.-THE testimony is conclusive that there was
no scheme for colonization or registration on tn
part of the Incumbent"