Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-11
'HYATTSV|[[EVO
SUBJECT OF PROBE
Mayor HaIIoran, Defeated for
Reelection, Demands New
Deal in Two Wards.

! Alleging irregularities at the recent
municipal elections in Hya:tsville
! Md. Mayor Hailoran. who was defeat
ed for re-e.ection by Councilman T.
! Hammond Walsh has petitioned for a
! new election Il. the second and third
! wards
! Investigation Ordered.
/ The council. al a meeting last night,
=: by vote of to 3. adopted resolu-
/ ton for the appointment of COM
! mittee to investigate the election. and
! ordered that the polling list and return
j of the judges be turned over To the
/ investigating committee, composed of
Councilmen H. A. Harrison. chairman;
Walter S. Dutton and DR.. S. A. Cara.
| The committee will report its findings
| to meeting of the mayor and coun-
Gil next Monday, the time limit set
| by the town charter for the swearing
| in of new officials.
Mayor Halloran's Protest.
Mayor Halloran. in his protest. al
legged that the judges allowed persons
who were not legal residents OF the
| town. and that in the third ward GER
F.; tain ballots. at least four in number
were legally marked in his favor and
| were illegally rejected and not count
ed by the Judges. for the reason that
1
person for the Office of councilman.
! In discussing the petition. Mayor Hal
! loran claimed that these illegal bal
| lots We're cast by persons who were
temporarily employed in Hyattsvilie
and were legal residents OIL otner
parts of the state.
The judges in the second and third
wards explained that these men were
allowed to vote because they declared
that they were qualified voters In the
state. and had lived in Hyattsviiie SIX
months prior to the election.
Former States Attorney S. Marvin
Peach. counsel for Councilman
welsh, who. upon the face Of the re-
turns. received 235 votes to 2O9 for
Mayor Halloran. entered protest
against the investigating committee
examining any records of the returns
except the judges tally sheets.
New Election for Councilman.
In the, second ward. where the vote
was a tie between Edward Devlin and
Robert w. Owens. for councilman for
two years the council ordered new
election to be held May 29. An ami
mated discussion resulted on the ques-
ton as to the personnel OF the ON
Gals to conduct this special election.
1t was finally decided that each can
didate should suggest to the council
the names of a judge and clerk, the
mayor and council to appoint the re-
naming officials.
What promised to be a sensational
development occurred when. in reply
ing to a question. Clerk G. Hodges
Carr stated that he found the ballot
boxes on a shelf in the town treas
urer's Office in the municipal building
Tuesday morning after the election
and that none of these boxes was
locked or sealed. Mayor Halloran
smoothed the troubled waters when
he stated that there was no evidence
of tampering with the boxes. and the
matter was dropped. Mr.. Devlin de-
clared that at least thirty-five un-
qualified voters were allowed to par
ticipate in the election in the second
ward. e@-E
Certificates Ordered In Three Cases.
The council ordered that certificates
Of election be issued g. Sherman
James in the third ward and Joseph
T. Fritts in the first ward and Town
Treasurer William A. Shepherd.
Councilman John A. johnson. who.
upon the face Of the returns, was de-
feated by Joseph T. Fritts in the hrst
ward by ono vote, protested against
Fritts' election, but fnasmuch as the
council will not recount the ballots
Johnson's only redress appears to be
in an appeal to the courts.