Norwich bulletin., 1911-01-19
WHAT MIR. JoDoIN CLAIMS
 IN HIS PETITION
Allegations Of the Contestant for Con-
 gressman's Seat.

The notice served upon Congress- man Higgins was as follows:
 To the Honorable Edwin ". Higgins,
 Declared Mennber-Elect to the
 Sixty Congress of the Unit
 ed States for the Third Congress
 sional District of the State of
 Connecticut:
 You will please take notice that the undersigned intends to and does here by contest our election as represent ative in congress of the Sixty second congress of the United States, and the undersigned specifics the following as grounds upon which said contest is made:
 Ffrst-That the undersigned contest ant, citizen of the United States and a duly qualified eleetor of the state of Connecticut, and regularly nominat- ed as candidate of the democratic par ty flor representative in congress for the Third congressional district of the state of Connecticut at the congress siQnal election held in said district, in pursuance of law, on the Sth day of November, 1910, received a plurality of all the lawful votes cast at said cleo ton for representative in congress in the said district, by the legal, and duly qualified electors of said district vot- ing at said election, although by req son of the lack of skill, understanding of the law and an erroneous inter pretation and construction thereof, as more particularly set forth in para graps Fourth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth following, it appears otherwise on the face of the returns
 Second-That you, the contestant herein, did not receive a plurality of all the lawful votes of the legal and duly qualified electors of said Third congressional district legally cast at said election for representative in the Sixty second congress, although on the face Of the returns it is SD made to appear owing to the errone- 0us rulings and decisions of the sey- eral moderators of the several elec- tors meetings in said district, and their failure to understand, interpret and construe the Jaw under which said election was held, as more particularly set forth in said paragraps, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth, following.
 ThirdLThat the undersigned con- testant at said election received more lawful votes for representative in the Sixty second congress cast by the lawful, legal and duly qualified eiec- tors of said district than did you. the said contestee. although on the face of the returns the contrary is made to appear through the lack of skill and the failure of the moderators of said electors meetings to understand and construe the law as stated in the pre- ceding paragraph.
 Fourth-At the said congressional election held in said Third congress sional district as aforesaid on the 9th day of November, 1910. all of the cleo tors of said Third congressional dis trict were required by the laws of the state of Connecticut. to wit: chapter 250 of the public acts of said state passed at the January session, 1909, Of the general assembly of said state to cast their votes for representative in a form 1- taining the names of all the candi- dates of all the political parties for representative in congress, and also the names of all the candidates of all political parties for all other state and local offices to be elected on said day and printed and furnished said electors by the secretary of said state of Connecticut, and said form of bal lot had never before been used by the electors of said congressional district in a congressional election in said state and district; but always thereto fore the electors Of said Third con- gressional- district, by the laws Of said state had been required in the election of representatives in congress in said district to use separate party ballots printed by the several political parties on blank paper furnished by said sec retary of state, on which were and were required to be printed only the names of the candidates of a single political party and on which the names of the candidates of other po- litical parties were prohibited to be printed. And on said new ballot there was printed in addition to the names of the several candidates of all politi- icai parties to be voted for, as afore- said certain instructions to voters required by said chapter 250 of said public acts of 1909. which said instrue- tions were faulty; not in harmony with said act of 1909; misleading and con- fusing both to the voters and to the moderators or presiding officers of election in the several towns and pot- ing districts in said Third congress sional district of Connecticut, and the nnoderators or presiding officers in the several voting districts of the said towns having more than one voting district therein, were unski1led and did not understand said new and untried ballot nor the instructions thereon printed, nor the meaning of said law of 1909, nor the proper interpretation and construction thereof; and they the said moderators, and the electors Of said Third congressional district were misied by said faulty and misleading instructions printed on said ballot, as aforesaid. and said several lnoderators or presiding officers did enormously rule and decide that more than 750 ballots regularly deposited in the ball .1