The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1903-05-08
THE RESULT OF TUESDAYS
ELECTION.

ELECTION.
The municipal election in Baltimore
on Tuesday, says the Baltimore "Sun, >
was the closest that has occurred for q
generation. In total vote of nearly
hundred thousand, according to the
face of the returns, the change OF one
vote in each precinct from the Demo-
cratic to the Republican candidate
for Mayor would have elected the
latter. As it is, the returns elect
4 mixed ticket. The Democrats by
the returns elect the Mayor by plu-
rality of less than 600 and the Repub-
licans the other two candidates on the
general ticket, namely, the President
of the Second Branch of the City Coun-
Gil by a plurality Of about 1850 and
the Comptroller by plurality OF 743.
The Republicans have four hold-over
members of the Second Branch of the
City Council, elected for four years in
1901. At the election on Tuesday
they elected the President and one
other member, while the Democrats
elected three. Therefore for the next
two years the Second Branch, which
has to pass upon the Mayors nomina-
lions, will consist of six Republicans
and three Democrats. The Democrats
carried three of the Councilmanic dis
tricts, which correspond with the Les
islative districts into which the city is
divided, Ivy pluralities Of about AGO.
100 and $500, respectively. The
other district the Republicans carried
by. about 1880. Of the "a members
of the First Branch, the Democrats,
according to the returns up to the
present time, apparently elected Is
and the Republicans 8. The aggre-
gate plurality for the Democratic can
didates in the First Branch election
was about 5000. II the final result
confirms these returns, then the Dem
ocrats will have a considerable MAORI
ty OF joint ballot, which will enable
them to elect the City Register, who
is a member of the Board of Awards.
The Republican party managers, it
is said, have preferred charges Of fraud
in the conduct of the election, and It
is reported that Mr.. Wachter, the Re-
publican candidate, will contest Mr..
McLane's election. If there is any
reasonable ground for suspicion of
fraud, Notwithstanding the safeguards
of the election law, then all honorable
men, Democrats as we'll as Republi-
cans, should unite in furthering TO the
best of their ability and opportunity
thorough investigation. Mr.. McLane
is a gentleman of unblemished reputa-
ton, and he would not accept an office
which has cloud on the title. Nor
can the Democratic party afford to 60
into Office by the aid of fraudulent
means. The great majority of the
men who compose the rank and file Of
the. party are honorable men, and they
would be quickly Disguised and offend
ed by the idea that their party has to
win victories by cheating citizens out
of their rights. Fortunately, this con-
test, :fit should be made, will be made
in the courts, and our courts are non
partisan and above suspicion. The
Democratic candidates will have, there
fore, an abundant opportunity to make
their title clear, and the people will
consider it clear, unless the Republic
cans can make good their charges.
Charges of fraud by defeated candi-
date are not infrequent. They are
made, in fact, at almost every close
election. They are easy to make and
sometimes difficult to sustain. But
the Democrats owe it to their party to
offer every facility for full and
searching investigation, and the Re-
publicans can rest satisfied that the
tribunal that will decide the case is
fair and impartial and anxious that
Justice shall be done.
Washington City Monday did spe-
cial- honor to the memory of tue late
Alexander Shepherd, says the Alex
andria "Gazette," the funeral being
an unusually imposing one. But the