The Portland daily press., 1898-03-14
scARBoRo REPUBLICANS
Are Going to Law on Election Case-An
Odd CoanpIicatiOn-The Town cona ini'tee
VIII Have Charge of the Matter.

II
Odd Cosnplication-The Town Committee
VIII Have Charge of the Matter
The Deeriug election is not the only one
which will be the subject OF hearing in
oourt. Out in the town of Scarboro, the
old time stronghold of the Democracy and
tho home of that Jacksonian war horse,
Alexander Higgins, who on famous CO.
casion expressed the desire to wade in
gore. there is difference of opinion as to
who were elected selectmen at the annual
town meeting last Monday. Then there
was large gathering of the voters of the
town over which Mr.. T. M. Newcomb,
Republican, presided. 1t has been the
custom in the town to elect the officers
one at time. For instance, the vote
would be taken for the first selecsman,
then for the second member of the board
and then for the third. So last Monday
proceeding In this time honored fashion
the meeting elected Mr.. Newcomb first
selectman by about fifty majority. I'm
mediately the balloting began for the Sec
ond member of the. board. The candidates
were Mr.. George Scammon, Republcan,
and Mr. j. Il. Leavitt, Democrat sIhe
votes were deposited in ballot box over
which the moderator presided. The pal
lots were small and SO it happened that
when Mr.. Oliver Merrill, an aged Repub-
lican, stepped up to vote he accidentally
dropped two ballots into the box. The
bystanders. the moderator and MIR. Mer-
rill himself saw what had been done.
Everybo knew that it was an accldent
and Mr.. Newcomb reached into the box
and took out one OF the ballots. Inc
count showed that the Republican candl-
date had been elected by four MAJORITY.
Thep it was that Alexander Higgins, the
Mirabeau of the ancient gtown, sstook the
floor and declared that this action OF
Republican moderator in taking Repup-
lican ballot out of the box where IL nao
been put by mistake by Republican
voter was a tampering with sthei. election
machinery which required condemnation
and another ballot. The question was
put to vote and the meeting decided IN
favor of another ballot. So the voting was
done over again. This time nobody blum
dered but the vote did not result in a
choice, for while Mr.. Scammon had one
more vote than Mr. Leavitt there were
three scattering. Nobody was elected and
the proceedings were begun over again.
This time Mr.. Leavitt's su porters
managed to scrape together few more
votes than the other side and the Demo-
GRAFT was declared elected. Turner Knight,
a Democrat, was elected third selectman,
and that was supposed by many to be the
end of the contest but since the meeting
the question has been raised whether the
election of Mr.. Scammon was invalidated
by the act of the moderator in taking
that ballot from the box and Saturday
caucus of the Republicans was held at
which it was voted to be the sense of the
meeting that contest should be made to
see whether Mr. Scammon was or was
not legally elected.
There is another feature to the question
which is interesting. Mr.. Scammon ran
against Mr.. Leavitt. Mr.. Newcomb was
elected first sslectman after which Mr..
Scammon was elected SO far as the count
showed, Then Mr.. Leavitt was elected
after Mr.. Higgins had made his opposition
and another ballot had been ordered.
Finally MIR. Knight was elected. Mr..
Knight got there on the first. ballot and 1t
is said that he regards himself as elected
beyond the shadow of doubt but legal
authority consulted by the Republicans
take the view that if it is held by the
court that Mr.. Scammon WAS elected Mr..
Knight and not Mr.. Leavitt will be the
man who will find that he is not an
officer of the town of Scarbor9. This idea
of the situation is based on the following
reasoning. Mr.. Newcomb was elected.
Then If the courts so hold Mr.. Scammon
was elected and then Mr.. Leayitt got a
majority of the votes and SO he too was
elected, That makes three and there
would be no place on the board for Mr..
Knight who was the last man voted for.
Forty Republicans attended the caucus
Saturday. Mr.. E. c. Milliken presided
and Howard Scammon acted as clerk.
The following town committee was
chosen: E. R. Waterhouse, J. r. Muer,
A. B. Larrabee, G. E. Farwell. R. NJ.
Libby, G. W. Fogg, Fred M. Newcomb,
Fl. E. Butler Herbert Snow. 1t was
voted to instruct the town committee to
confer with the Democratic town COM
mittee to make arrangements to elect all
the officers on one ballot.
1t was voted that it was the sense of the
meeting that Mr.. George Scammon con-
fest the seat of Mr.. J. Fl. Leavitt as Sc
leotunan and that the town committee
take charge of the matter.
WON BY A PORTLAND MAN.
1t is very interesting to hear that tho
prize offered by the Boston Elevated
railroad Company for an elevated station