The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-04-13
THE TOWN ELECTION.
TO THE PUBLIC.

w the undersigned, who were du
elected Town Commissioners Of Upper
Marlborough, Md, at an election held
on April 5th, 1900. desire to make the
following statement to the public, be-
inc induced to do so 10y a card which
has been published 10y the gentlemen
claiming the offices to which ice were
elected by majority of legally quail
fed voters.
In the first place, it should he I'M
derstood that MIR. John II. Traband
and DR.. l.. A. Griffith composed the
old Board, the third member, MIR.
Tucker, having moved from the town,
more than year ago. and resigned.
In the second place, it should he I'M
| derstood that the law states that these
elections shall be regulated 10y The Or
dinanccs of the Town Commissioners.
1t appeared that no such ordinance had
been passed, Tut on the morning
of the 9Th inst, Mr.. Traband,
the de fnto President of the Board
CDR. Griffith himself holding the joint
position of Secretary and Treasurer)
submitted the following proposed Or
dinance to DR.. Griffith for enactment ::
1t is hereby ordered this fifth day of April. 10 0,
by the Commissioners of Upper Marlborough that
Wi liam harper ana George E Watts 70 ha bs ID
this day between three and six O'Clock, that----
and---shall be the Clerks of said election that
the votes of all persons who are assessed Tor
worth of real or personal property in Prince
Georges County. Md, and who either reside in Up
per Marlboro. engaged in regular business In
ID Tpu ha1l he re- j
ton, deposited in the bal OF box and counted As e
gal veteS. ANY voter whose vote is challenged
shall be quired to swear that he is assessed for
$1CO 90 OF real personal property as afore-
said and that he also either resides or is engaged III
regular business in Upper Marlborough
peal from the decision of the Judges of Election to
the Circuit Court for Prince Georges County, a. d
that every voter whose name is challenged, shall
write his name the back OF his ticket so that on
such appeal it can be identified.
We hereby agree to act as Judges Of Election for
Town Commissioners AMI to act under the rule es-
tablisheu by the above ordinance.
Dr. Griffith refused to pass the Or
dinance, claiming that the election
should be held before Justice Harper
and no one else. And what could
have been fairer than the proposition
embodied in the ordinance? In what
better way could the matter have been
justly and satisfactorily determined?
The proposition of MIR. Traband be-
ing repudiatcd, he then as the DE tucfo
President of the Board of Town Com
missioners, Certainly having equal, if
not superior, authority to do SOY des-
ignated Justice, naming Justice Har
ris, to hold the election, and when the
the citizens assembled at 5 o'clock the
choice Of Justice Harris was ratified
by uica coce vote and Mr.. George B.
Merrick was elected 10y act as clerk.
The election then proceeded and the
following gentlemen cast their ballots
during the ensuing three hours:
C. c. Magruder. Eugene Sweeney, DR..
M. D. Humes, Julius Jones (col'd), Fred
Sasscer, VIM. 1. Wolfe, Charlton Sasscer,
John L. Edlavitch. Geo. w. Wilson. j. S.
Sasscer, H. NJ. Magrudcr. Edward Clark
(coI d), DR.. G. F. Owens, VIM. H Brown
(cord), Judge Geo. C. Merrck. DR.. r. s.
Hill, Jas. B. Ford (col'd), S. NJ. Sweeney,
Lucas Tilghman (cord), Jos. S. Wilson,
T. Van Cha gctt, G. L. Harris, DR.. Reverdy
Sasscer, Jas. Il. Belt, F. W. Wilson, Meyer
Edlavitch, John Hardisty, Sandy Dent
CORD, John H. Traband-Total 80.
In the mean while another ballot box
was opened in another room OF the
Court House by Justice Harper, and
during the afternoon the following
gentlemen cast their ballots there:
l.. A. Griffith, Benz amin Crawford, Ham
Hall, j. K. Roberts, J. F. Sedgwick (coPd)
Sandy Dent (cord), Alfred Elliot (cord),
w. F. Sedgwick (cord), P. w. Chew,
Judge R. B. B. Chew, Raphael Harrison
(cord), T. A. O'Brian, o. P. Mullikin, F.
Hall, w. A. Roder, H. S. Miller, J. H.
Hill, A. Micheal-Total IS.
The joint result of the ballots cast
in the two boxes was as follows: For
j. L. Edlavitch 80 votes; for Freder-
ick Sasscer 90 votes; for John H.
Traband % votes; for L. A. Griffith
20 votes for Joseph X. Roberts Is
votes and for Benjamin Crawford Is
votes.
In full compliance with the law,
no one was allowed or attempted to
vote at the regularly constituted polls
except those who either had lived here
for one year or have regular business
here, and further are taxpayers desig-
mated and appearing upon the assess
ment books of Prince Georges county,
with the exception of one gentleman
who was under the impression at the
time that he was assessed and who was
urged by the other side to vote with
them.
There is no provision in the law,
whatever even by implication, as claim
ed by our opponents, requiring persons
doing business here to live in Mdrlbo-
rough election district to entitle them to
a vote; and it is well known that the
rules which the contestants are trying
in their desperation to apply in order
to exclude certain voters apply to some
of their own supporters.
We are willing to leave the matter
to the candid judgment of those who
are acquainted with all the facts, and
are conscious that We are sustained by
public sentiment, and if the contest
shall be forced into Court we are salts.
fed that we will be abnndantly sus-
tanned by the law and the evidence.
1t seems useless to 90 to court, however,
to get possession of valueless papers
and accounts which the Treasurer and
Secretary of the old Board has seen
fit, for appearance sake, to deliver over
to his colleague on the pseudo new
Board
FREDERICK SAssCER.
JOHN H. TRABAND,
JOHN l.. EDLAVITCH.