Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-25
'YsssGca s~s
Ps~~eyesasia
BY tho Ex- -Committccmau


vania than the proposition that what
Is known as tick" or "check"
mark has the same value in marking
of n bollot as the TX" established
by usage, custom and statute, which
ruling has been made by Philadel-
count in the Quaker City.
For the time being this question
has overshadowed in the minds of
men who follow politics in this State
the interesting situation which has
developed through the demand of
numerous ballot boxes, the discov-
cry of blunders and what are classed
by some individuals and newspapers
as worse in certain wards and the
closenesS of the vote.
Newspapers and lawyers do not
believe that enough can be devel-
oped in Philadelphia to overturn the
majority of Congressman j. Hampton
Moore, but the delay of the count
and the cropping out of political
animosities will not be without ef-
determined to complete the count in
time for ballots to be printed and
it may be that some of the mooted
questions may come up later.
The Philadelphia Record says
concerning the ruling: The judges
yesterday handed down a decision
which is considered revolutionary, as
| far as the compilation of primary
votes is concerned. They ruled that
a pencil marking, commonly referred
| to as a tick has the same weight
| and effect as a cross in the marking
/ of a ballot The question came up
when it was found that 90 ballots in
the Nineteenth division of the Sec
ond ward bore the tick marks in
stead of the ordinary crosses. Judges
Audenried and Ferguson decided
| that the marking of crosses opposite
the name of candidates is impera-
tive only at general elections, and
that the rule did not hold for the
primaries"
When Judge Audenried ruled that
the tick" mark had the same weight
and effect as a cross eX-JudSe James |
Gay Gordon pointed out that in the
event a cross was marked opposite
the name of Congressman Moore and !
tick" beside the name of Judge /
Patterson the second would invali- |
date the first and make both void. !
Decisions were even read to show |
that in the past the law has recoS- |
nized only a well-defined cross as |
method of ballot marking.
The Evening Ledger joins the |
Philadelphia Inquirer and Bulletin |
In demanding a clean up on eleo- |
tions in that city. 1t says: Good ,
daylight let in upon the methods /
employed IN some OF the wards at
the recent balloting will reveal some /
: amazing things. Judges Audenried /
ard Fcrgusof ar" to be commendr,! |
for their apparent determination to
see the thing through, to take the
lid off and let the people see what
has been under it, 10, these maay
years. The effect of such an eXaI,
ination as the court has ordered is
sure to be felt at future elections.
The day Of the personally conducted
election is almost past.
Not only in Scranton but in
various other cities results have
| been changed by the official count
and there has been much dismay
| among some candidates. In Union
! town the school director candidates
are not those thought nominated.
Cambria county judges have re-
fused TO order ballot boxes reopened,
although it was contended that the
| election was Illegal because county
commissioners numbered both ballots
| and stubbs. Johnstown papers init
! mate that there may be formal con-
| tests filed.
| The general attitude of judges
! is that ballot boxes can not be open
I ed on imaginary errors, but that
! there must be real cause shown.
BY 26 votes Councilman ID. j.
! Campbell has been declared the
: fourth nominee for council in
/ Scranton. There were "a candidates
! in the field and four were nomi-
! mated. The opening of ballot boxes
| from borough districts in Mayfield
and Olyphant brought a switch in
! the votes of four candidates for the
Republican nomination for school
/ directors. The two men shown to
| have been nominated by the sealed
returns lost out on. the recount i'll
court.
In Bucks county the official
count showed that not enough offi-
cial ballots were provided for some
districts, and upon using up their
supply borrowed from others. West
Bristol township, for instance, ex-
haustcd it's supply of eight ballots
/ and borrowed from Bristol borough.
| Several up-county districts which ran
/ short of official ballots used sample
ballots instead. This procedure has
raised the question whether other
than official ballots cast are legal
and can be counted and may be a
question for the courts to decide.
| Col. George Knox Mccain says
in the Evening Ledger this about
man well known to many here:
Henry K. Boyer was one man who
did not hesitate to tell Quay just
what he thought. And his express
sions were not always to Quay's lik-
ing. Boyer's fearlcssness in this re-
spect was due to his answering 10y
atty as a member of the organization
Quay was aware that no matter what
happened in the course of events at
Harrisburg, or elsewhere over the
State, Boyer would stand by the ma
chine. And his faithfulness to the
old man. as the Senator was known
among his intimates, was rewarded
with high offices. l once heard Sen
ator Quay say that Harry Boyer was
the ablest parliamentarian that ever
sat in the speakers chair, and that
AL Crawford came next"
The Public Ledger speculates
labout what the Governor will think
about the returns from Ware wards
in the Philadelphia judgeship cleo
ton. the Governor having said that
he would regard any organized ef-
fort against sitting judges as an un-
friendly act and some figures now
showing that Ware men in certain
wards voted heavily for Eugene G..