The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-04-09
Mayor Orr's Election by 8 Votes
Claimed at Tacoma.
THE BALLOT BOXES LOCKED UP
Next Tuesday the City Council VIII
Canvass the Returns.
The Courss win Probably Decide who
Is EiecteSt-Fusion Was Flat raii-
ure, In spite of the Treacherv to
Orr by Hundreds OF Republican
Voters.

Tacoma. April S-Specsal.-rhe Repun-
Hear central committees Is claiming tho
election OF Mayor Orr by three votes to-
night The corrected returns apparently
verify the claim Of the Republican man
ayers, ard unless a recount In the courts
distures the figures a. hey now stand, II
Is entirely prchshle tsiaE Mayor Orr viii
occupy the office Of executive head OF the
city government for another two years.
On the face OF the unofficial returns
made 10 City Clerk Smy4h last night
Fawcet; was elected by the narrow mar
gin Of two votes. Bnt with this small
majority against him there was the best.
of reasons for believing that a recount. II
not careful footing OF the tally sheets
kept by the inspectors, would give Orr 10
or Is majority TO go on. This was because
a large number OF Orr ballots were known
to have been rejected by the judges for
alleged irregularities. In none OF the pre-
circts aid the Republican candidates have
more than one judge friendly to them,
and IN many Of the precincts IN the south
eni the inspectors and Judges were Popa-
lists and Democrats.
What makes the Republicans confident
that orr is elected Is the fac, that Coun-
Gilman Warner. of the Sixth ward. this
morning filed with the city clerk tally
sheet kept in tho Second precinct Of tho
Sixth ward which gives the fusion canai-
date iive votes less than that reported
las night 10 tho newspapers. The vote
as first counted, according 10 Mr.. Warner.
gave Orr III and Fawcest IA. The ballots
were counted again on the rest Of the
ticket and the charter amendments ana
givea out as follows: Orr III and fawcett
las This Is difference of Ave votes in
favor of the Republican candidate. MIR.
Warner had an accountant al the judges
table when the first count was made. and
4. al. - totrx
sheet kept under his direction are abso-
iuiely correct.
Several Irregularities are reported from
this precinct. in which are located the car
shops of the Northern Pacific The IN
spector was q. II. johnson, and Instead OF
bringing the ballots and tally sheets. to-
gether with the unofficial returns. 10 the
city hall last night. johnson took the ball
lot box home with him, and at noon today
he appeared a; the city clerks oiiice with
IT, He verbally gave the rexult TO tho
city clerk, his figures on Fawcett being
1is Not only do CouncilmeE Warner and
Kieeb say that these figures we're not
made at the first count, but many OF the
bystarders have sa.d that the figures giv-
Ing Fawcett l2 were correct. IL Is said
by scme OF those who watched the count
in this precinct that the proceedings were
NOT conducted In an orderly manner. and
that u Hask of sshtSky e<ezas exhibited In
an ante-room more times during the
counting than is conducive 10 matheunat-
ical accuracy.
As the matter now stands. the odds are
favorable TO the Republicans. The FUSION
lists are discounted by the reports made
by Counc!lmen Warner and Kieeb, but
stiIl claim that when the tally sheets are
footed up again their candidate VIII be
found TO have won. On the other hand
the friends Of Mayor Orr have the fullest
cor fidence that he has been elected.
That the Republican managers made
splendid fight against odds, with the So'-
ing strength OF the Demo-Populist CONF
blne an unknown quantity. Is evfdeneei
bv the large majorftics for Sternberg. cam
dIs,a;e for treasurer. and Benhaf1, Tor cry
comptroIler The former polled i5 moro
votes than MetcaH fuslonist. and Ben
ham defeated oyfngton by .sSS ballots. iho
Republican oouncilmanic candidates also
won by handsome majortties, ana aii were
elected except Bates in the Fifth warn,
,,.hIch IL the Popullst stronghold Tho
new members Of the city council VIII be:
John u. steyans. of the First:
John Holgate, Of the Second: john
NJ. Ben. In the Third: William Soul
Is. Of the Fourth; John Hartman, in the
Fifth: ". II. Warner. in the sixth; Frank
Chandler, of the Seventh, and L. y. Samp-
son. from the Eighth ward or these all
Beside q united and aggressive enemy
with plenty Of funds AZ It's command. tbs
Republican central committee had 10 fEns
the dissatisfied in the party. ana an ac-
tive band Of trouhls-makers, VINO weTe
successful In Keeping the committee In hot
water most Of the time. TO shsw 10 what
extent th.. head Of me tickct was knitted
in the wards which should have given hinf
large rnaioriiies. q ia only necessary TO say
that orr fell II votes short OF the Reppb-
uean ccyunciInaric candidate in the sec-
ord, IS IN the First, and "a In the sixth
wards.
Tonight the precious ballot boxes ara
locked tn the vaHit Of the council chamber.
with two guards on each side keeping
watch or each other. The vault doors
are sealed xith the seals OF City Clerk
smvth. 8. 4. woiff. his Popuiist deputy.
and NJ D. Woolf. the secretary OF the
Peoples party campaign committee. The
council viii meet IN special session Tues
day a: 10 o'clock 70 eanvass the returns
whichever way the election goes there VIII
probably be a contest and ihe courts viii
have to order a recount OF the ballots.
Many are the legal entangiemenis in
sight.
A typographical error In the account Of
fh. Tacoma eisrtlon I'm today's Pos,-intei-
Hqeucer made u appear that Mayor Orr
ana City Attorney Wicsersham publicly
stated that they "fe3rei the election OF
warner" Republican candidate for the
council in the Sixth ward. What WAS In
tended TO be said is that both the mayor
and city attorney publicly stated that
they favored the election OF Warner. 10
il true fflst Warner had some opposition
from Republicans in the ward. but 10
came from sources for which neither the
mayor nor the city attorney were In the
smallest degree responsible. In certain
quarters the fact that there was Rcpnb-
lioz.n opposition TO Warner In his ward
was used as an excuse to wage an UNDER
handed war against the head Of the tick
-. ami for the further purpose OF stirring
trn strife inside party lines and placing
Mayor orr in false Hight before The
vefsrs 81 the sixth ward. The same meth
osIs were used In the First and siso In the
Firth ward. and In ;his fact must be found
.hs reason for the 1rearherous kulung
the mayor received from the Republicans
In his own preeanct
The charter amendments. tweuty-ons
IN number. have probably all been adopt
81 one proTides for the consolidation
Of a number Of city Offices and consequent
reduction ia expenses. another for ms
appointment Of municipal sispSr tmsDk
employees under civll service regulations.