The Portland daily press., 1893-03-11
The CITY clerk,s Reyelations.

The sensation of the day, the state
ment of City Clerk Russell, was told in
the extra edition of the PRESS, the sub
stance of which we reproduce:
1t has at last come out.
The frauds which the PRESS charged
the morning after election have been
demonstrated so clearly, SO positively, so
completely, that no one, Democrat or
Republican, can doubt that an infamous
conspiracy existed to steal the city gov
eminent in all it's branches.
The Vaccinations of the gang were
visible on the evening when the votes
were counted. Speaking of Ward One,
on the evening of the closing of the polls,
the PRESS on the morning after election,
charged the Democratic leaders with a
fraudulent conspiracy.
AS the week has passed the threads of
the conspiracy have been carefully
picked up by the able Republican coun-
sci. Mr.. Baxter, on the morning of the
election, said that it was his duty not TO
rest until the gigantic fraud on the citi
and his counsel have not rested. The
Republicans of Ward /, led by v. Rich
ard Foss, Benjamin Thompson, John
Chisholm, E. II. Sargent, John York,
Chss. Showers, and Clinton Libby, have
been untiring Ardon W. Coombs, Hon.
G. F. Libby, Judge Symonds, Frank W.
Robinson, j. FL. Drummond, Seth L.
Larrabee, Esq, W. E...Ulmer, have pur-
sued the matter from the standpoint of
the law.
Finally, a Democratic official with a
conscience that would not let him sleep
under the terrible burden which the con-
spirators forced upon him, has asserted
himself and declined to await the con-
domination which the disclosure of the
Ward 1 check list would bring.
The fraud was engineered in simple
way. When the polls were closed in
Ward / on the evening of election
Democrat who knew the count told the
Press representative that about 1850
votes had been thrown. When the vote
was declared it showed nearer 1860. The
PRESS representative went to the city
clerks Office and asked for the account
of Ward ballots given out and returned
The city clerk had sent 1000 ballots to
Ward / in the morning. The law re-
quires that unused and defaced ballots
shall be returned to the city clerk. The
number of the returned ballots subtract
ed from the 1000 would show the total
vote in Ward /.
The PRESS representative demanded
of the city clerk an opportunity to in.
spect the returned ballots. The demand
was evaded. He made a second demand.
This was evaded, as was also the third.
Finally the PRESS representative request
ed George IS. Hunt Esq. and Mr.. Y.
Richard Foss to accompany him in maxi
ing the demand. Finally after long de-
lay, the ballots were produced.
The package was opened aud there
were lust enough of them to bear out
Warden Harper's count. This appeared
conclusive.
But it aoas not. The return ballots had
been tempered Nth. !. a bundle Of 100 had
been stolen from the package after it had
been deposited in the city clerks office.
We believe the City Clerk did not assist.
He disapproved of it. His mistake was
in not disclosing that the returns had
disappeared the moment he discovered it.
The circumstances of City Clerk Rus
sells confession are as follows:
an old friend and told him that he had
borne the weight of this burden as long
as he could. He then went on to say
that on the night after the election, when
it was discovered that there were too
many unused ballots returned from ward
/, someone entered his office. tore open
the returned ballots from Ward one, alb
stracted 100, and took them away.
Yesterday afternoon Mr.. Russell noti-
fed the Democratic leaders that he
should surely show the check list this
afternoon to the Republicans.
Messrs. Hicks and Howe, the alleged
Councilmen from Ward 8, to whom GER
tificates were so hastily issued, have ret
turned their commissions and will not
take their seats.
The Mayoralty.
Hon. J. Fl. Drummond stated yester-
day that as an off-hand opinion he should
says that new election for the whole
city would be necessary to determine the
The fact that the Demo-
cratic vote was increased by "a will go
for just wait it is worth. The vote as de-
o1ared tha next mornincr was as follows