The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-07
THEIR STATEMENTS
CHAIRMAN CAMPBELL AND SECRE-
TARY MASON, DEMOCRATS.
IRREGULARITY IS CHARGED
AND COURT PROCEEDINGS ON FL
NAL RETURNS MAY FOLLOW.

Chairman Dunn of Republican Com
mittee Says He Is Paying No At
tentiOn to the Charges of the DEM
Ocrats-Chairman Campbell Says
There Were Thousands of Defec-
tive Ballots and Ballots Burned
Contrary to the Law-ShOuId Be
Kept Six Months Before Being De-
stroyed-Nothing Will BE Done I'm
ill After Tuesdays Canvass.
New York. Nov. 6,-John A. Mason,
Committee, said to-day:
There is nothing new to add to our
position. We neither concede nor claim
anything. We are receiving the Off
cial returns gradually. Until we know
something of the official figures we
stances connected with the election
that we are now looking into, that we
may not be through with when we
have the full returns in"
What are the circumstances? Mr..
Mason was asked.
We'll, the matter of defective ballots,
and protests and some others I am not
ready to mention"
IF the official returns justified our
suspicious" said Mr.. Mason, 1--WE
would go before the county canvass
ers in counties UP the state when they
meet on Tuesday next the next step
would be to appeal to the state board
of canVassers, and if we considered
that justice was not being done u.s. af-
ter that we would have to go to the
courts. OF course, L am not saying
that we will have to do this. That is
only the modus operandi if we are
justified in making a contest"
Chairman Dunn of the Republican
State Committee said to-day that he
was paying no attention to the charges
of the Democrats. He said there was
no doubt of Odelrs election by plu-
rality of 1250S.
Chairman Frank Campbell of the
Democratic State Committee; Secre-
tary j. A. Mason and Hon. Elliot Dan
forth were in conference this evening.
Mr.. Campbell afterwards issued the
statement of the position of the state
committee upon the results of the cleo
ton, as follows:
After having carefully examined
the returns gathered by John A.
Mason, secretary of the Democratic
State Committee. as filed in the sew
eral county clerks offices in the diff
ferent counties of the state it APP
pears on the face of the returns that
Mr.. Odell has a plurality of 9,122
These figures do not include in some
of the counties the vote cast by the
Greater New York Democracy ticket,
which has on it the name of Bird S.
Coler for Governor. This will mater
tally reduce this apparent plurality.
I'VE claim the election by a safe
majority of John Cunneen as attorney
general, and the reelection of John
Gray of the Court of Appeals.
I'VE have reliable information of
thousandS of defective ballots being
cast i~ ~ tain districts where the re-
turns were strongly Republican. The
ballots were burned by the inspectors
Immediately after they were counted,
which is a direct violation of the law,
as they should be kept six months by
the proper officials, before they should
be destroyed. These facts and all
others will be thoroughly investigated
by representatives of the party, who
will appear before the canvassing
boards in all the counties of the state
on next Tuesday to see that an honest
count is had, and until that time the
actual result cannot be stated"
Mr. Campbell would add nothing to
the above statement.
The dismantling of the state head
quarters followed soon after the issu-
ance of the statement.