Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-10-08
STATE HOUSE.
Official Returns Of the Election Being
TabuIated.
Resignation Of Mrs. NJ. B. W. Drew as LADY
Visitor to Insane Asylum.

The election returns are now being
officially counted in the Council cham
Der. and though there will be no
change in the results from the re-
turns submitted by the town clerks to
the secretary of State, they will be off,
cial when submitted to the Council
and approved by them.
Councillors Boothby and Mayo were
in the city the first of the week. and
as the committee of the Council on
State elections, arranged for the tab
ulating of the returns. For this task
they engaged N. S. Purinton of Bow
doinham, who is the messenger to the
Governor and Council. This not Mr.
Purinton's first attempt at the work
as he has several times before had the
task. AS his assistant this year he
has l.. L. Cleaves of Bridgton, Bowdoin
80, who assisted in the work at the
last election.
They have five sets of returns to
tabulate, from returns sent direct by;
the city and town officers to the Gov
ernor and Council and have not pre-
viously been opened. These returns
that they tabulate are those of the
State senators, representatives to the
Legislature, representatives to Con-
gress, county officers, and the consti-
tutional amendment. To arrange all
these returns and in case of any mis-
takes or irregularities to write to the
town clerks and have them rectified, is
quite an undertaking. Ordinarily the
work would take them only about
three or four weeks, but with the mis-
takes and all, it will take perhaps
week longer, as none of the footings
can be made until the returns from
every voting place has been placed
upon the lists.
None of the mistakes in the returns
are likely to affect the general result
by more than a very few votes, yet
there are often discovered slight mis-
takes. A general mistake seems to be
that of leaving out the mans name as
it is placed upon the ballot, and put
ting on the initials only, This is due
principally to the haste, that the clerk
of the city or town is in, when he
makes out the returns.
tn, a 1o ~
to do is to notify the clerk of the mis-
take, and he has to assemble the
board of selectmen who look over the
returns again, and fill out new form
as they find the returns. 1t seldom, il
ever, affects the count. No one is
more astonished at the mistake then
the clerk, who made it. He knows bet
ter in about every case, yet he makes
the mistake in the rush and excite
ment. When sending the corrected
list, the clerk will make all sorts of
apologies for his mistake, for there is
feel as cut up over a mistake he
makes in handling the Australian bal
lot system, as any intelligent voter
does who has to confess that he has
| spoiled his VOTE when he thought he
! fully understood it.
One peculiar mistake that has been
| made in Cumberland county in four
| towns, is in the case of Hon. Josiah
Drummond, Jr, who is one of the SEN
| ators elect. These four places have
made out their returns, giving Josiah
Drummond the count, forgetting to
add the Junior abbreviation. This
same mistake was made two years ago
| The work of Mr.. Purinton and his
assistant, will be completed in time, so
that the Governor and Council will act
upon the returns at their November
meeting. Councillors Boothby and Mayo
will visit the State House, Tuesday. to
see how the work is progressing.
| In the five sets of ballots it will be no.
ticed that no mention is made of the
Governors vote. The official Cover
nor.s vote is not known until after the
assembling of the Legislature. as all
the returns are directed to the Legisla-