Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-09-24
Office of secretary of state,
.Nuguil:i. sScIt. II. lIV4.


Augusta. Sept. Il. 1904.
/ Maine:
| Dear Sir-The first intimation that
III" secretary of States office had or
The error in the official ballot for Rock
port and 81. George came from Hon.
, Herbert l.. Shepherd Of kuc&port This
Was follow ID soon after by telephone
mess; :reS from non. William +. cobb.
Hon. &. +. Littlcfi-id ANA Hon. May
Eard s. Bird. aSNinG Yi;it the trouble
WAS with the ballet. Later had siml-
lar telephone messages from Chairman
Andrews -: tie board of selectmen of
Euckport, and Chairman Allen of the
board of selrclmcn oI ST. George |
.mm"diatelv srw Mr.. A. ID. Russell. the
clerk VINO has been IN charge of the
printing of the Official ballots ever
since the Australian ballot Law has
been il force. ahd we Went 1T once To
The Journal o:fite and started Il thor
"ush investigations of the whole mat
Ter. We found that The nomination
look was correct ana that tie copy
furnished the printers was corr rt.t. In
order to cnlnp-te tine printing ~ the
allowed by lie law, il is necessary to
divide the work and carry along soy
eral counties at the same time; cleo
trotypes are therefore made Of each
county ticket exclusive Of the repre-
seatatives. which must of course be
changed for each class of towns. The
BALLOT form as made up Tor printing
therefore is composed OF three sec
Voting squares. and the guberE;torial
tkets: the middle section the county
tickets: ana the bottom section the
reIreSt Natives to the L "isltture In
Changing FROM one town 10 another III
The same county il is Only nee -ssary
to change the representatives. to the
Legislature. bat in changing to Il town
in another county The plate containing
the county officers must also be
changed.
The error in R0ckport ard St. George.
was due 20 the failure of the compost
lor "a change tie county plate wn..n he
ChanGed The rep"eSrntativ. *. The work
OF making Up the official ballot since.
the establishment of tine law. has been
III charge OF Mr. Arthur l.. Brown. on, |
of ~" ~ lest ana most careful printer, !
III H,u-le and man whose personal /,
integrity viii lot be questioned by |
any one VINO knows him. In all the |
teHrS THAT Mir. Brown has handled this |
work. the error in the Rockport and |
st. George ballots is the first that has
been made ny him--a most credtable
record III New ni the thousands of
forms il" has had To handle and change.
All Brown is 4 lifelong Democrat
and was one Of the democratic candi-
oates; ~ ;h. LEGISLATURE w the official
ballot in this city al The recent cleo
ton. ! have $" il Nj. Brown about
this natter. ana re frankly admits
thai tie error Was lis NJ man could
feel W0.s" ,,bout Il linn he does. He
is csi eci;illN hurt :" think that his un-
l"rtutdtc error has ben made the
basis &c 4 charge that he undertook
t" Co.nmi; Il fraud upon his purity. 1t
IS TO be said. however. in his behalf
that ne responsibility for the error
rests n.ure upon the proof reader from
this Office. who. in the rush Of his work.
failed Ia detect and correct it.
It is not the fact, rs has been stated,
That the lists ANA specimen ballots arc
Printed from The identical forms uecn
in printing the official ballot Ii is
necessary, in order to make connec-
tons within the time limit. to print the
lists and specimen ballots on Il sepa-
rate pirSs, and they are handled by an
ntirely differeh: crew, both depart
ments Of the work being carried for
ward at the same time.
Continued on page %