Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1911-10-11
REGISTRATION TANGLE
Cook And Rossman Acted Within
The Law When They Suppressed
Disorder Yesterday.
TWO MEN RELEASED.
Holmes And Morgan Two Officials
Committed To Jail To Be Heard
In Court Friday Morning.

Charged with interfering with tn,
work of registration and with disor-
| der in the registration office of the
| Third precinct of the Fifth district
located at South Baltimore, Holmes
r. johnson, of Baltimore, and Philir
Morgan, of Glen Burnie, after beinl
committed to Jail by Robert r. Cool
and Herman +. Rossman, chief Judges
and registration officers for that pre-
cinct, yesterday afternoon, as told in
The Capital, were later brought tc
Jail here, given a hearing before Judge
Brashears under habeas corpus pro-
ceedings and admitted to jail for q
further hearing at 10 O'Clock on Fri.
day morning.
Holmes and Morgan are friends of
Edwin Cecil, the gentleman who
will, it is understood, run as an in
dependent candidate for Sheriff OF
the county. The explanations of
those oh different sides of the case
differ materially, Mr.. Johnson and Mr..
Morgan both asserting that their
arrest was uncalled for and that the
charge was laid against them merely
because they had gone to the regis
tration place to see that the names of
men alleged to be unjustly registered
were stricken from the book.
The rights of the registration Off
GERS to make arrests and their sworn
duty to preserve order about their
places of registration are made plain
by Section Is of the General Election
4 ,ot, e
registration, and each of them, in
addition, to the power hereinafter
conferred upon them as Judges of
election, shall have, during the re-
spective times of the appointed sit
tings of said Board of Registry,
authority to keep the peace and to
preserve order and enforce obedience
to their lawful commands at and
around the places of registration; to
keep the access to such place open
and unobstructed, to prevent and sup
press riots, tumult, violence and dis
order, any violation of this Article,
and all other improper practices at
and around their place of registra-
tion tending to intimidation or to
the obstruction of their work; they
may compel, by summons or at
tachment, the presence of witnesses
before them for any purpose con-
nected with the duties of their
Office, and may commit for trial any
person committing at or around
their place of registration any breach
of the peace or other offense for
hidden by this Article; they shall
have the power to issue any of said
summonses, attachments or COM
mitments when sitting in any county
in this State, to the Sheriff of said
county or to any constable thereof"
The charge that Chairman John B.
Hanna, of the Republican State Cen
trail Committee makes that Rossman
is Objectionable to the Republicans,
whom he represents on the board of
registry for this precinct is refuted
by letter now in possession of Mr..
Charles H. Russell, of j., Republican
member of the Board of Supervisors,
for Anne Arundel county. This letter,
from Isaac d. Wheaton, a member of
the Republican State Central Com
mittee of the county, was received on
September 13, when there was some
talk of Rossman resigning from his
position. In the letter Mr.. Wheaton
urges that the resignation not be ac-
cepted. After referring to party
matters in connection with the NAM
ing of the Republican election ma
chinery, Mr.. Wheaton says to Mr..
Russell: "Do not accept the resig-
naticn of Rossman." Further than
this, Mr.. Wheaton, in a personal in
terview, urged the retention of Ross
man as. good man and as valuable to
the Republican party, according to
Mr.. Russell.
Mr.. Robert r. Cook, the Democratic
judge, and Mr.. Herman F. Rossman.
the Republican judge, whom both the
accused denounce as having treated
them unfairly, deny the accusations
made against them and declare that
neither Mr.. Cecil. who was present,
nor Mr.. Morgan, who supported him.
showed good reason why the names
should be stricken from the book.
They maintain that they then asked
Mr.. Morgan and Mr.. johnson to leave
the registration booth, that they both
refused repeatedly, and that it was
not till their patience was exhausted
that Chief of Police Irwin ordered
their arrest. Mr.. James p. Bannon,
who is supporting Mr.. Cecil, was
also in the room.
Mr.. Cook stated last night that
when Messrs. Cecil, Morgan, johnson
and Bannon appeared at the Office
Mr.. Morgan requested that 1sO names
be stricken from the registration
book, on which there was a total en-
rollment of 596. Mr.. Cook assert.
that the request was made that somt
of the voters living within a stone,
throw of the booth be stricken off
either as being dead or having moved
from the district.
Mr.. Cook said he had no authorit,
to do this, but offered to give thos,
making the request list of as name
already stricken from the book as no
being entitled to vote, assuring then
at the same time that other name
| would be stricken off if Investigation