Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-12-08
'PEAsE's PETITION,
Democratic Side Of The
Shrieva|ty Contest.
All Sagadahoc County Stirred
Up Over Ba|Iou Case.
Samples Of Simplified Spelling
Figure in Ballot Legality.

| Bath, Me, Dec. -tSpeciaD Much
| interest is shown all over Sagadahoc
county in the hearing to be held in
this city tomorrow before Associate
Justice A. NJ. Spear at the courthouse,
| on Tho petition OF George &. Pease OF
| Phil osburg, Democratic and Prohibi
ton nominee for sheriff at the Septem-
Der election, to have John w. Ballou,
for more than 80 years the Republican
incumbent, declared not elected.
The petition OF Mr.. Peasc is Il vol
luminous affair. 1t is long and goes in
to hair splitting details and will deal
with many techncalties Of the Aus
tra!ian ballot, but which when settled
will undoubtedly teach voters consid-
cradle about the legality and illegalty
| Of certain ballots.
Mir Pease opens his petition by de-
clarng that he is AZ years old, was
nominated for the office Of sheriff on
Aug. ;, but at the election of Sept l.
the election officers in the various
cities and towns failed to correctly
count and return the ballots legally
cast fer him. whereby it was made tC
appear that John ". Ballou received
1912 ballots and Mr. Pease but 1885,
and as a result Ballou has been de-
clared elected and granted Il certificate
Of election
Mr.. Pease declares that of these
1912 votes counted and returned for
Mr.. Ballou there were 90 votes in the
i city OF Bath alone illegally counted for
| him. He then goes on to describe
every one Of these 90 in minute detail
| and this is where the ir-splittins
| comes in. Among the points raised
why they should be considered Illegal
| according to his ideas. are the follow
| ing: Name j.. w. Ballou" with Bal
| ou sticker placed over the name of
| office as we'll as over name Of Pease:
mistake Of spelling such as John W
| RalleW" and y. W. Blou," also q bal
lot with the name "Balou' written in
ink while in other instances his name
was spelled in written ballots job
| Blue" In addition to the mistakes OF
! spelling, exceptions are taken to bal
! 'otS that were marked with crosses
! that We're not exactly like the X as
| shown in the specimen ballots and
| where they were made like a Maltese
cross or with two parallel lines, o.
with marks of any sort either by pc
| u pencil in any of the columns. Crit
| ism of the ballots is made in ever.
| own in the county with the exception
| If the little town of Perkins, where
| 10 claims that the returns Wer,
Wrongfully counted and that Mr.. Bal
| on instead of receiving six ballots re
| 'eivcG but three, and that although
| here were only two votes counted il
| he returns for Mr.. Pcase, in realit
| here should have been five and tina
| similar errors We're made in the Othe
| owns and the city of Bath. In clos
| ne this minute criticism Mr.. Peas
| claims that n plurality of the vote
! given at the election were thrown 70
/ lin and that he was duly elected an'
| Untitled to Il certificate Of election.
| In Substantiaton of these claims NJ
| oeaSe asks that Mr.. Ballou be dcclar-
| ID to have failed of an election.
| All the town clerks Of Sagadaho
| Ounty have been notified To appear q
this hearing and bring their record
! If the September election, together
| With their ballots A thorough cX.
: animation of the ballots will be made