Middletown transcript., 1904-10-03
MIDDLET0wN, DEL, OCT. 3, 1904.
BRANDYw1EE HUNDRED SITUATION

MlDDLETOWN, DEL, UCI. . loV4.
BRANDYwINE HUNDRED SITUATION
The EUe7aiaag Journal on Satur-
day gave highly garbled ver-
sion of the meeting of the Re
publican County Committee and
it's action in reference to the re-
turns from the Third Election
District of Brandywine Hundred.
In it's desire to be fair and to Of
fer no possible excuse for charg-
es Of unfairness, the County
Committee extended to the rep
resentatiyes Of the press the
privilege Of being present and re-
porting all the facts. But the ef-
fort is made to create the impress
sion that the committee was in.
fuenced more by the desire that
majority of it's members are
supposed to have for the success
of one or another candidate than
by the aim to do what-the law de-
mands. The Journal knows or
should know better. Every mem
ber of the County Committee is
a Republican and more desirous
of the success of the party than
is the Journal, and all know that
no party can succeed unless fair
treatment is extended to all can
didates and the law rigidly fol
lowed.
The law governing Primary
Elections in this county provides
that "the regularly and consti
tuted County Committee or gov
erning authority Of the political
party, organization or associa-
ton holding any primary election
is hereby empowered to calculate
the aggregate number of votes
cast in all the hundreds Of the
county or any subdivision there
of, flor every person voted for
any one Office at such primary
election, and to declare the can
didate or candidates, in cases
where candidates for more than |
one Office are to be nominated, re-
ceiving the highest number Of |
votes the nominee or nominees
of such political party, organiza-
ton or association for the Office
for which he was voted for at |
such primary election. In all
cases of a tie vote, or Of contests
the regularly organized County |
Committee or governing author
ity Of the political party, orgrni-
zation or association or holding
such primary election shall have
the power to hear and determine
such contests, and to decide who |
shall be entitled to nomination.
There is in this law nor no other |
law, any provision that on a mere
protest because the protestant, |
'has reason to believe that he |
received" more votes than are re-
turned by the election officers,
that the sworn return of these |
officers should be thrown out. |
We donot believe that the County |
Committee would be justified in |
throwing out the returns of any |
district unless it were clearly |
proven that the officers had vio- |
lated their oaths and rendered |
themselves liable to prosecution.
Taking the case in point, Mr..
Brown offered simple protest |
over his own signature entirely |
unsupported by evidence against
counting the returns from the |
Third District Of Brandywine
Hundred, because he had every
reason to believe that he had re-
ceived more than 90 votes. He
might with equal honesty land |
we knoao that Harry Brown is
honest have entered the same |
protest against the Third Dis
trict of ST. Georges Hundred.
But is that a good reason for dis
franchising nearly 200 Republi-
cans, who honestly voted for
some candidate /? No. Ii there
is anything wrong with count
and Mr.. Brown or any other can
didate knows of it, why not come
backed by the necessary affidav-
its sof men who voted for Mr..
Brown. Mr.. Quigley's majority
over Mr.. Brown in the County
was Sc. In order to secure a
recount of the ballots in the dis
trict referred to, Mr.. Brown
should have had the affidavits of
not less than 73 men (29 whose
Votes were counted and 44others
whose votes were needed to
change the RESULT that they had
voted for him in that District. To
admit of any other construction |
is to lead to anarchy. If Brown
hoe fha rioIt "a ahino+ ~ l:c4c;atc |