The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-19
NOT THEIR FAULT.
Mayor EIlert Defends the
Election Board.
SAYS 1T ACTED PROPERLY.
Political Parties Themselves Re-
SponsibIe.
BOTH SIDES HAVE CONFIDENCE.
Republicans Expect to Hold Over,
and Budd's Friends Say lie Will
Be Seated.
BOTH SIDES HAVE CONFIDENCE.

Mayor Ebert has given his views upon
the action of the Republican State Central
Committee in deciding to contest the cleo
ton of James H. Budd as Governor. lie
does not believe that any part OF the
blame for alleged frauds in this city should
be attributed to the Election Commission
ers. who appointed the precinct officers,
and be resents the imputation which the
charge of the Republican committee con-
veys. 10 an interview yesterday the
Mayor said:
"The law requires that the officers of
election shall be selected equally from the
two parties polling the highest number of
votes at the preceding general election.
The Republican and Democratic County
Committees selected the officers and rec
commended them for appointment (the
number selected being equally divided
with the exception possibly Of about 100
between the two parties). 1t will be easily
appreciated that il was impracticable in
any other way to have selected over $500
officers by the Board of Election Commits
siOners, and the board in appointing the
persons so recommended simply took the
only available means to carry out the law,
presuming that the said committees were
familiar with and vouched for the ability
and character of their nominees.
That very many of the election officers
were grossly incompetent or worse Is self
evident, and there can be no doubt that if
ordinary precautions had been taken to
ascertain their qualifications before recon-
mending their appointment many of the
officers appointed never would have been
selected. and much annoyance and scandal
avoided"
Mayor Ebert then asserted that the
Ot TO nd
expressed the opinion that the law should
be so amended as to require an examina-
ton into the qualifications of officers. he
referred to the failure of the judges and
clerks of election to certify TO the number
of votes cast for each candidate, and said
that it was manifest that the board would
not have been warran ted in throwing out
returns and DISTINGUISHING thousands of
citizens for that reason. when there was
no evidence that the returns were incoT-
rect.
In two precincts in which there was
evidence of the incorrectness of the re-
turns the board had refused to canvass the
returns, and the Mayor held that that
action was just. Clerical errors had
been exaggerated and the commission had
been made to appear as having attempted
TO disfranchlse voters.
The board" be continued. proceeded
as contemplated by law, canvassed the
returns as received from the different cleo
ton precincts. keeping in mind that IL was
their duty to count the votes received by
each candidate, whenever 1t could be
reasonably determined from said returns
for whom the votes were cast and on COM
pletion of this labor the result was OBJ
tanned. and the number of votes cast for
each candidate announced.
sit is, or ought to be, we'll known that
the Board of Election Commissioners can
not resort to or count the ballots that not
being within their province or function,
the duty of the board being simply to an
nounce the result from the returns.
1.-The canvass has been made, The re-
suit announced, and if now party spirit is
invoked and mlsdlrected TO censure or
charge the action of the Board OF Election
Commissioners as in the interest of any of
the parties or candidates for office, it is
not alone UnfOunded, but malicious and
untrue.
There is not member of the Board of
Election Commissioners that does not
Justly Tepudiate and treat with con EN- Dt
any insinuation or limitations that in the
performance Of their duties as Election
Commissioners they were actuated by any
other motive or object than to declare the
result of the election as shown by the vote
poied and returned"
The position taken by Mayor Ellert
caused good deal of discussion yesterday
1t was the chief development of the con-
troverSy between Republicans and Demo-
Gratis, and showed that his Honor, though
a Republican, did not think that the irregu-
larly certified returns should be thrown
out.
While there were no important develop
ments in the contest yesterday it was as
serted that some Republican officials hold
ing office had expressed their belief that
Mr.. EStee would be the next Governor and
that they would not necessarily be re-
moved. On the other hand, the Demo
Gratis declared that the contest talk would
soon die out, and that nothing uld pre-
vent thu inauguration of Mr.. Budd.