The Washington times., 1921-01-25
md. VOTE MAY
Be RULED OUT.
Electoral College BIunder
Threatens to 0isfranchise
State in Presidential Count.


SO far as it's vote for President last
fall is concernedy
This question today Is puzzling
members of the Maryland Electoral
College.
FEAR ADDRESS WRONG.
Although the electoral vote was
dispatched by special messenger to
the Vice President late last night II
| 10 said that the envelope containing
the certificate Of the vote was i'm
properly sealed and addressed.
While members Of the Maryland
had been mailed to the Vice President,
Il was not until last night that II was
discovered II had not been dispatched
as required by law. The time limit
for the Vice President to have receive
ed the electoral vote was last night.
The vote was received three hours
before.
Although the vote Of the Electoral
College was rushed by special mes
senger to this city last night, II was
stated this morning that 1t was not
certified as required by law, and was
not delivered by the official messenger
appointed by the Electoral College.
LIABLE TO $1,000 FINE.
Failure to deliver the certificate
may he held against Charles ("Buck")
Taylor, assistant superintendent OF
public buildings. In Baltimore. the Of
liable to a 81, 900 fine for neglect of
the Maryland ofhcials. President
elect Harding received a $4,000 ma
jojrity in the November election in
Maryland.
Vice President Marshall today will
decide whether or not Maryland will
be disfranchised. as far as the No
vember election 10 concerned, because
OF the failure of the members of the
Maryland Electoral College to prop
erly address and seal the envelope
containing the vote.
Mark Thistlewaite, secretary to
Vice President Marshall, received the
envelope containing the certificate OF
| Maryland's vote at his home late last
night. This morning he delivered the
envelope to the Vice President. Mem
bers of the Electoral College Of Mary
land fear the certificate Is not r.
proper form, as IT is said the en-
| velope is simply addressed, THE Vice
President. Washington. ID. c. Elec-
toral vote for Maryland" The law
requires that the sealed envelope
bear on the outside the statement
that inside Is the certificate OF Mary
lands vote. This statement must be
signed by the secretary OF state OF
Maryland and sealed with the Mary
land seal.
PUZZLED AT BLUNDER.
Washington officials were puzzled
today as to how Maryland could have
made such blunders James w.
Owens. of Annapolis. who served as
secretary Of several Democratic Elec-
toral College meetings. had been
pressed into service as assistant sec
rotary when the Republicans met on
January 10. and it was believed he
would have properly guided the Re-
publicans.
Discovery that Maryland's cleo
toral vote had not been sent to the
Vice President was made a little
before o'clock last night. A
frantic rush. containing many ele-
ments Of the dramatic. was made
to retrieve the plumbers and get
Marylands ballot certificate to tho
Vice Preident Of the United States
by midnight as required by law.
The Maryland electors were In alb
solute ignorance of the failure OF
the college secretary, L. Edward
Wolf. of Baltimore. to dispatch the
When William G. Albrecht, president
of the college, learned of the pre-
dicament, he got busy. Secretary
Wolf was found to be sick in bed.
but when he learned that he was
liable to a fine of $1,000, he left his
bed and answered the telephone.
WHAT LAW REQUIRES.
Wolf said he had neglected to mail
copy to the Vice President. The law
requires that one copy be mailed, and
to provide for emergency In the event
of the mails falling, another copy be
delivered in Washington by messen-
ger. A third copy must be given to
the United States district judge-in
the case Of Maryland, Judge John c.
Rose, Of Baltimore.
Not only had Wolf neglected to
mail q copy, but he had made no pro-
vision for delivery Of the Washington
copy. nor had he sent one to Judge
Rose. Maryland's vote, therefore,
was not recorded.
The three copies of the certincate
were in a safe In VOLTS office in Bal
timore, and he gave the combination
over the telephone. But the messen-
ger, Buck" Taylor, could not be
found. Albrecht, as well as wolf,
had visions of that $1,000 fine. In
the meantime, Wolf insisted upon
going to his office in an automobile
Getting the certificates from the safe,
Wolf handed one OF them to Fred Os-
tendorf. OF his office stan. and or
dered him to take the envelope to
Washington. :.
Both AIbrecht and Wolf declared
they had the erroneous impression
that the copy Of the electoral vote
did not have to reach the Vice Presi-
dent until February o. the day before
the Joint session Of Congress. When
the canvass OF the States votes Is
made.
VICE PRESIDENT GONE
The office OF vice President Mar