The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-04-20
TIE TOWN ELECTION.

For fear that some persons in the
county may be deceived by the mis-
leading articles which appeared in the
adre, Using columns of the marlboro
Gazette of this week, and in the "In
depcn,lcnt,' of Hyattsville, we reluct-
antly take notice of them.
In order that our readers may clear
" understand tue true situation we
quote Section.l5 of Article II Of the
Code of the Public Local Laws Of the
State of Maryland, which is the only
law now in existence in regard to the
qualification of voters in the Town OF
Upper Marlboro.
1t reads as follows "All persons
who have resided, or who have been
cnypycd IN regular business within the
aforesaid limits of the town of Upper
Marlboro for twelve months prior to
the election, and whose names appear
on the last assessment books of Prince
Georyes county as owning real or per-
sonal property 10 the value of one
hundred dollars, and who arc other
wise qualified to vote for delegates to
the General Assembly of Maryland
shall be entitled TO vote for Town Com
misSiODers: all elections shall be reuu-
lated by the ordinances or bylaws of
the corporation"
Not one word is said in the law as
to what election district the voter shall
live in, or in what part of the county
the property owned by him must be
located; the only qualifications being
that he shall be on the assessment
books of the county and shall either
reside or engage IN rcgulur business in
the town, for the twelve months pre-
ccding the election.
Judged by this test every man who
voted for Messrs Traband, Edlavitcb
and Sasscer was q duly qualified voter,
except in one instance when the voter
was under the mistaken impression
that his name was on the ass( ssment
books. As to the vote o. Sandy D,nt
we can only say that three gentlemen
are ready to testify that they saw him
cast his vote at the polls held by JUS
tee Harris.
As to the statement in the ''Inde-
pendent that there was combination
between democrats and republicans to
defeat dtmocratic ticket, Mr.. Edla-
witch states most positively that di,
rect and urgent overtures were made
to him to allow his name to 60 on t! @
opposition ticket and that he refused.
A glance at the list of voters pub
lished in this paper last week will show
that partisan politics did not enter in
to the contest, for at the polls opened
by DR.. Griffith eight democrats and
ten republicans voted, while at the
polls at which the regular board was
elected fifteen democrats and fourteen
republicans cast their votes
DR.. Griffith states in his article that
Mr.. Traband was not the President of
the Board of Commissioners. Now as
there we're only two members of the
Board and the Doctor, in HE notice of
election, signs himselfas Secretary and,
as it is well known that he always re-
ccived and disburscd the funds, he was
10th Secretary and Treasurer, the two
positions being often combined-it
seems only a fair suppositon that Mr..
Traband must have been President.
1t is hard to believe that DR.. Crit
fifth, as a member of board composed
OF two, would appropriate to himself
the thee available official titles, leav-
ing nothing whatever 70 his colleague.
The HcctOr states that the Board
named Mr.. Harper as the Judge of
election, while it is we'll known fact
that Mr.. Trahand selected Mr.. Harris
WHO acted at his request. 1t is too
much, iEde, d, that after absorbing all
three OF the Offices the Doctor should
also assume the right to cast MIR. Ira
bands vote. 1t is claimed that it has
been the custom for twenty years to
name the senior justice to act as Judge
OF tie town elections. Such is not a
fact as at the last town election. which
was held in 1892, Dr. Scars acted as
judge when Mr. James Harris. who
was then ole of the Justices of the
Peace in Marlboro, was his senior in
point of service hy nearly twenty
years. 1t cannot be claimed Mr.. Har-
rls was not at home, as his name az
pears on the list of persons who voted
lnat DAY.
The suggestion made in the card in
the "Gazette' that the matter he left
to the Court is good one, and, as on
the face OF the returns l.. A. Griffith.
Joseph X. Roberts and Benjamin
Crawford are the defeated candidates
they should docket suit at once
against their apparently successful OPP
ponents. To avoid any unnecessary
cost, however, we speak advisedly
when we say that Messrs Traband, Ed
lavitch and Sassccr are willing to pre-
sent the question informally to the
three Judges of the Circuit Court and
abide by any decision they may make.