The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-23
VOTE THROWN OUT
AT SEVEN BOXES,
CURTIS ASSERTS
tContinued From First PACE

vi' i rs - rage
The count or the tally. and perhaps in
both
Under the circumstances. it is certain
mat the committee will order a re-
count. As this tedious work will re-
ouire Tune. II is probable that the com
mttee Will be called to meet some af
ternoon this week, order supper served
as the work proceeds. and endeavor 20
complete the recount in a single even
ing. With fresh men. familiar with
the work. and with only nine names 10
tally. II should take but a small PRO
portion OF the time that it took the
tired election officials. many of whom
we're not familiar with the duties or
particularly trained in rapid methods
OF accounting.
Full Text of Petition.
The Curtis petition follows in fun
Richmond. Va. June 10. 1913
To the City Democratic Comcittee or
the CITY OF Richmond.
Your petitioner, John y. Curtis, re-
spectfully shows that he was n can
didate for the House OF Delegates in
the lesalized primary election ncld in
the city OF Richmond on the 18th dag
OF June, 1918. In which election. &C
cording TO the published returns. your
petitioner received 4.72l votes. which
was ffty.tyvo votes less than the total
OF Mr.. d /. Toney, who ran nth in
a field OF nine, There were FIVE mem
bers to be chosen for the House OF
Delegates from the city OF Richmond
and II will, therefore De seen that
your petitioner failed by the said
number OF ffty-two votes OF being de-
| clarcd ono OF the five nominees
The total vote pollcd in the entire
! city OF Richmond was G.i66 and the
! publisher returns show that 1852
votes were counted for the nine can
! ddates for the House OF Delegates
! Dividing this number by nvo will
! show that $50 2-5 votes were count
ed for mem bcrs OF the House OF Dele
gates, leaving difference OF 495 30
votes which was rejected by the cleo
| ton officials for one cause or an
/ other. Your petitioner does not
| charge that there was any fraud in
| the conduct or the recent prim-
! airy. but he does believe that there
! were IRREGULARITIES in making up the
! returns. which might easily affect the
| standing OF the several ca ndidates, and
| particularly the standing of himself
and the next highest competitor, the
aforesaid u. L. Toney.
difference of Fif,.-Two Votes.
| Fitsy-two votes is n very small pro-
! portion OF the grand total OF 9,iG6.
and your petitioner feels. in justice to
| the +72l citizens who voted for him.
| that a recount OF the ballots should
be ordered and had by your honorable
! committee. Attention is called to the
| fact that the polls opened at 80 on
tbs. morning OF June ~. and closed at
7:29 that evening. The mere tact or
remaining in the several polling pre-
| cincts for so long n period was OF it
self hard days work. but when an
account is taken OF the confined and
! narrow quarters provided for the cleo
! ton officers in which to count the bal
! lots and make their returns. and when
il is further considered that many
precincts did rot report to your COM
mittee until after daylight of the
| morning Of June IL. il would b< more
! than remarkable II the election Of
| ncnrs being human did not make
mistakes, either in reading the bal
lots or in making the tally. or in both
and your petitioner believes that a
number of mistakes were so made
sufficient in the aggregate to mater
tally alter the results disclosed on the
face OF the returns.
observed Separate Rules.
Your petitioner would further cali
attention TO the following paragraph
in Section .. of the plan adopted by
your committee: Should the voter
in marking his ballot vote for more
or less than the number required to
be voted for each office. the ballot
should he held to be defective only
as TO that particular Office. and shan
be deemed n valid ballot as 10 all
other portions" In pursuance of this
provision in the plan. 1t would seem
that the clection officials in seven pre-
cincts Of the city rejected all ballots
for members of the House of Delegates
which did not contain exactly five
names These precincts were as fol-
lows: Second Lee. where the total vote