The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-03-16
Io@al a1o persona|.
An JnVarrantcd InSinUatiOn.


following communications which APP
peared in the Baltimore papers recently
in reply to an IN ust and unwarranted In
situation made by Mr.. AlonZo l.. Miles
in an interview published in the Batl-
more sun last week 1t may, however,
be due to Mr.. Miles to say that he probably
acted under a misrepresentation.
In the interview Mr. Miles, counsel for
Darr in the Merrick Darr contest case,
made Il statement which insinuates that
Mr. Merrick and Mr.. Belt, clerk Of the
Circuit Court for this county, tempered
with the ballots cast at the last election
on the li-ilt before their removal to
Annapolis.
In reference to the above Mr.. Belt
made the following statement:
Mr. Miles seems anxious to insinuate
that there was some official neglige or
misconduct on my part in reference to
the custody of the ballots, and states that
on the night before the ballots were
brought to Annapolis that and the con-
testee and Republican election official
were locked up in the clerk office, where
the ballots were, with the keys i'll our
possession. This statement is without
any foundation whatsoever il fact and is
utterly untrue The facts il reference to
this matter are these:
ION Monday, February 10, an order
was for the first time served on me by the
Sergeant alarms of the House of
Delegates to produce the ballot boxes in
my office at the room of the Committee
on elections that same evening at o'clock.
1t was impossible for me then to comply
with this order as the afternoon train
from Marlboro to Annapolis does not
reach Annapolis until about cloe's.
There had been a bill for an injunc-
ton filed against my taking the ballots
to Annapolis on the ground that the re-
Quest for them and order for them were
in violation of the election law of 1896,
and counsel for Mr. Merrick were of the
opinion that it was my duty to wait I'M
til the court had taken some action upon
the order. Being somewhat in doubt up
on this l went to Hyattsville that after
noon to see Judge Briscce to get advice
and instructions from him as to just what
to do.
Judge BriscJe told he, as did, in fact,
counsel consulted by me in the mean
time, that it was proper for lit deliver
the ballots. l Immediately went home,
made arrangements to Pack up the bal
lots and took them to Annapolis the next
morning | was in the clerks Office
while Monday evening after my return
from EVANSVILLE, making arrangements
for packing up the ballot boxes and TAX
ing them to Annapolis, il accordance with
the order from the House Of Delegates.
The clerks office was not locked at any
time, and people were continually com
ing in and out all the time that | was
thtIe.
The further fact is the ballot boxes
were not in the room in which the ordi-
nary business Of the clerks Office is con-
Quoted, and in which I was that night,
nor did l see them at all that night. They
were then in vault in an adjoining room
where they have been kept for years, the
vault being fireproof and being kept I'M
der lock and key, as it was that night, and
as it was up to the moment that l went in
the next morning to get the ballot boxes,
with the assistants that l employed, to
take them to Annapolis on the morning
of the GOTH
so that the insnuat.on of Mr.. Miles
is not only without the slightest shadow
of truth, but, in my judgment, is rath-
er small and mean exhibition of partisan
spirit. / feel sure that no man of re-
spcctability in Prince Georges county
thinks for moment that did or would
undertake to ,tampcr with the ballot boxes
in my custody"
Mr. Merrick also replied to Mr.. Miles
us follows:
The order of the House to produce
the ballots was passed, l think, on Thurs
day, the 18th day of February, requiring
them to be produced in Annapolis on the
following Monday at O'Clock, as Mr..
Miles states. That order was not served
Monday, the 10TH The ballots went up
on the early train Tuesday morning,
leaving Marlboro at 715 a. m. Mr.. Miles
says Nj Belt waited to be enjoined;
otherwise the ballots would have been
produced in Annapolis as directed. Now
this is absolutely untrue, for there was
no train leaving Marlboro after Mr.. Belt
was notified by which he could possibly
have gotten those ballots to Annapolis
at the time named. The early trains
leave at 7.15 and 7.30 a. M, and the only
other trains at 3.3S and 40 p. In. AS he
found himself unable to comply literally
with the order, he thought proper to wait
until the early train Tuesday morning to
could result to any honest purpose by so
short delay. Mr. Miles charges that on
Monday night, when the ballots ought to
have been in Annapolis, Mr.. Belt, the
Republican clerk Mr.. Merrick, the con.
testee, and a Republican election official
were locked up i'll the clerks office, where
the ballot boxes were kept, with the keys
in their possession. On Tuesday morn
ing, when the ballot boxes came, upon
inspecting them it was found that not one
of the outer wooden boxes shielding the
glass boxes had a lock on it; when the
glass boxes were examined the seal upon
one of them-that of Mellwood, the FIT
teenth district-had been broken; sew
eral others showed similar signs AS to
the locks, there never had been any locks
on them, the law not requiring it; they are
fastened with little h ois to keep them
shut
Again, if any glass box showed any
evidence of being tempered with, was it
not the plain, manifest duty of the com
mittce to stop right there and have the
matter quickly Investigated, ard not pro-
coed by breaking the seals to destroy all