Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-03-25

consideration is House Bill No. 2. An Act
to provide for the use of uniform ballot
boxes and for the preservation OF ballots
cast ut elections FFi ~
Mr. NEWBERT Of Augusta: Mr..
Speaker / move that the House go into
committee of the whole for the considers
alton of House bill No. . 43,s g4tae
The motion was agreed to- .f.ta - ts
The SPEAKER: The Chair appoints
as the presiding officer of the committee
of the whole the gentleman from Els
worth, Mr.. Peters, who will now take
the place of the Speaker nitas
In Committee of the Whole.
Mr.. Peters of Ellsworth in the Chair
The CHAIRMAN: Unless objection Is
raised, the consideration of this bill will
be section by section.
Mr.. NEWBERT of Augusta: Mr..
Chairman and gentlemen of the commit
tee. | presume there is very little diff
ference of opinion in this committee re-
lating to this bill. and l do not believe
that much discussion will be necessary
II is not radical bill. 1t is designed 10
improve the methods of making election
returns ana especially to safeguard and
preserve the ballots after they have been
once cast. | do not believe, nor do any
state of Maine who handle our election
machinery who are dishonest in intention
or purpose. l think there have been a
great many mistakes made, and IL this
bill will help a little to correct these
mistakes l think ii will be good thing
for our laws. | wish to call the atten-
ton of the committee to this matter,
not by way of criticism of the election
laws. but I put il in as a fact. We
Will take the city of Gardiner. After
the September election of 1910 our neigh
boring CITY, composed of good people
and, | believe, honest officials. and IN
that city the city clerk makes his re-
turn and it is signed by the aldermen,
and the city returned 591 votes for Bert
NJ, Fernald, Governor, and Gil votes for
Frederick w. Plaisted for Governor, CIV
ing Frederick w. Plaisted majority of
~ or y votes, and not until few weeks
ago was it understood that there was an
error in this case, an error OF about 100
votes in the returns: and as Governor
Plaisted said to me, his father was elect
ed by only 69 majority in Maine, and HAD
this election been close it might have
been very difficult matter to find out
where the difficulty was. The clerk and
aldermen returned a total vote in Gar
diner of 1923, and by some means or 9TH
er in the month of February last the
question was brought up and a certified
copy of the record was obtained from
the city clerk showing a total vote there
of 1873 instead of 1223. and that Bert NJ.
Fernald had 5s1 votes and Frederick w
Piaisted had Ill instead of GIL Now, this
Legislature eanvassed those returns and
made tabulation and there were 100 eit- .
IT,, -, -.
DISTINGUISHED by am error committed m
open city meeting
speak from experience, having been
elected city clerk in the city of Augusta,
believe the uniform ballot box provided
by this bill win be most excellent
thing. In this city we have dope some-
thing / think unlike any other town or
city in Maine. We have for many years
had ballot boxes which the city clerk
sends out in the morning on election day
by the city marshal to our eight wards,
and these boxes are under lock and key
In each box are placed all the articles
necessary for the ward room to use
during the day, comprising everything
from pens. sealing wax and Irvine to Off
cial ballots. All the returns properly
sealed come back to the city clerk of
Augusta after the election is over, and
the ballots have been counted, and this
year had ward room seals made, and
these packages have all come back to
me in splendid condition, so that when
We have had a recount here we have
had no serious mistakes Personally, |
believe the bill is a good one. .mea
Mr.. SCATES of Westbrook: Do I I'M
derstand the chairman It is the desire to
act upon each section separately as to
its adoption, and then adopt it as
whole? ''t
The CHAIRMAN: The Chair said It
would assume. in the absence of any i.
other motion, that the bill would be con-
sidered section by section. 1t is not
necessary to follow that procedure il the
committee desires to proceed otherwise
Mr. ScATES: If it is the desire CT
the committee, 1 move that We adopt
section one of the bill as printed
The motion was agreed to, and section
one was adopted by the committee
The CHAIRMAN: The next matter for
section two of the bill.
Mr. Newbert of Augusta moved that
section two of the bill as printed be
adopted.
The motion was agreed to and section
two of the bill as printed was adopted ,
by the committee.
ON motion by Mr.. Scates of West
brook Section Three of the bill as
printed was adopted by the commit
tee.
On motion by Mr.. Strickland of Ban
gor, Section -Four of the bill as print
ed was adopted by the committee.
Mr.. HERSEY of Houlton: Mr..
Chairman, | have no objections to
Section Four, of the bill with the ex-
ception of that part of it which may
allude to Section Six. I like the pro-
vision there about the ballots that
have been cast to be sealed UP and
marked, but / do not approve of the
ballots being sent to the secretary of
State Further on I shall offer an
amendment to Section Four. possibly
striking out anything that may seem
to allude to the ballots being sent to
the secretary of State. There is a
part of that section now, beginning
with line 40. which says, "the ballots