Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-07-25
DOUBTFUL BALLOTS
TO COURT TODAY IN
PRIMARY RECOUNT

With the close of the count on
Thursday night. less than two coun-
ties remained TO be counted in the
State wide recount which has been
in progress for the past two weeks
at the State House under the direc-
ton of Governor Baxter and the
| members of the council. Twenty one
towns in Washington county, the
| next to the last county to be count
cd, were completed on Thursday to-
gethcr with Piscataquis, Sagadahoc,
Somerset and Waldo counties. The
city of Portland is also still to be
counted.
The members of the council count
i ed on Thursday morning and after
observing quiet from noon until aft
| err the funeral of the wife of Chief
| JuStiNe Leslie c. Cornish. they COM
menccd again at 3.15 and counted
| until u O'Clock.
They will count today until noon
and will then adjourn until Monday
! afternoon at 1.30 o'clock, at which
| time they will finish the count and
will also take up the count of DEM
ocratic ballots in Franklin county,
where a request has been received
I for recount in one of the offices.
The members of the council will
| then be obliged to wait until the de-
cision on the doubtful votes is given
| out by the supreme court, after
which these votes will be added to
or subtra cted from the totals as the
| case may be.
The series of questions bearing
upon an Interpretation of the pri-
mary laws and questions with regard
| to various ballots will probably be
| presented to the supreme court to-
day by Governor Baxter. 1t was his
/ intention to present these questions
! on Tuesday but because of the death
of the wife of Chief Justice Leslie
G. Cornish this was postponed.
There are between 1900 and 1000
! doubtful ballots. some of which have
| been counted in the total and some
| that have not which will be effected
I by the decision of the court and an
| official stated Wednesday that this
! number of ballots might swing the
! election either way.
Senator Ralph O. Brewster has
| made the following statement with
regard to an open letter from Judge
Arthur j. Nadeau of the Fort Kent
municipal court which was publish
ed in the morning papers on Thurs
day morning:
Il cannot believe that a man of
| the intelligence and experience of
| Judge Arthur J. Nadeau of the Fort
Kent municipal court would sign a
! statement that 50 per cent of the
! voters at the Fort Kent polling place
received the assistance of an cleo
ton official in marking their ballots
it it were not true. Nor can I be-
lieve that Judge Nadeau signed and
gave such statement to an attor-
ney representing me in the investi-
CATION of the conduct of the recent
primary election over the State with
out realizing that he might be called
upon to back up his opinion 1t is
n tribute to his integrity that he does
not deny the correctness of the
statement although he realizes the
possible result it may have in invali-
dating the illegally marked ballots.
"Our Constitution provides thta
no person shall have the right to
vote who shall not be able to
read the constitution in the English
language and write his name The
affidavits of town officials and others
showed that approximately 1000 out
of the 200O votes cast against me on
the St. John river were marked by
; an election official in defiance of the
law. These citizens are not eligible
to vote unless they can read and
| write, and if they can read and write
they must mark their own ballots
under the salutary provisions of our
statutes The only exception is
small group of the older voters.
IF we adopt the principle suggest
| ed by Judge Nadeau that ignorance
| of the law should excuse an cleo
! ton official for marking a thousand
| ballots. it seems to me that we
should be establishing a very dan
gerouS precedent"