The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-03-08
THAT ELECTION INCIDENT.
Hoar Thinks Anker Has Seen New
Light on It.

To the Editor of the "Times": As
the method Of voting is Of the greatest
Importance to the citizens of the city of
Barre, permit me to reply, through your
paper, to Mr.. Anker's letter of yester-
day.
When Mr.. Anker read the law to the
inspectors in ward two he read (as tax.
en- from the Barre Daily Times Of March
5th, 1000, He (the inspaGtor) shall al
70 receive the ballots from the voters
after the same have been marked and
place the same in the ballot box all pro
yided by section ~ Of the acts Of 1899.
In the article Of yesterday he found
something new like Saul of Tarsus on
his way TO Damascus, he, too. was struck
with new light, for that, on his way to
the laws of 1894, he discovered that the
ballots were to be delivered to the pre-
siding officer, but failed to find any law
that gave the inspector the right to
place the same in the ballot box and
in lieu thereof filled in the remaining
space Of his quotations with ~Stars,
stars, stars 1t looked as ii he was
struck with stars, for 80 great was his
surprise in failing TO find the law as
aboFe quoted. But those stars must
have been falling stars, as he fell very
gracefully when he got to that point.
a little atomizer, while on the curb
the other day, said (and he must have
been squeezed for that purposel that
it was necessary TO hand the ballots to
the presiding officer So that he could
look into it, and see that the voters did
not cast two ballots. The inspector could
No 4 20 L, 4
the secrecy of the ballot How could
he cast two ballots for the same per
son, or on the same subject, when the
election officers would only give him
one2
Now, Mr.. Anker, let us turn the
searchlight on page II Of the city char
ter of the Guy of Barre. This city char
ter, passed by the Legislature some ten
years later than the law you have re-
ferred us to, and which il the supreme
law in the city Of Barre. There it
states that the inspector of elections
should be present to preserve order, aud
to allow no one to vote whose name is
not on the checklist at such election 1t
does not state that the inspector shall
receive my ballot, or yom ballot All
that the inspector can do is 30 stop me
from voting, II my name Is not on the
checklist The latter part of said sec.
tion states that the inspector shall re-
turn in sealed package, indorsed BY
him. all ballots cast at any election
within an hour after Adjournment. I'm
der the general law. as referred to BIZ
Mr.. Anker, he (the inspector1 is to re
turn al votes received by him. not all
votes cast 50 that any person can see
there is conflict between our charter
and the general law If there is, and
further, If in our charter We have
special law regulating certain subject,
the general law must give away to our
charter.
To illustrate; The general law pro-
vided that road commissioners may be
elected BY the people in any town on
March meeting day Our charter pro-
vides that our road commissioners. who,
under our city charter are called street
commissioners, shall be nominatei by
the mayor, confirmed, etc. No one for
i moment win say that we must follow
the general law, and IN town meeting as
semble To elect street commissioners. So
that our charter supersedes the general
law. Hoar.