The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-02-26
TESTIMONY IN SEAT TEST
GIVEN TO STATE SENATE
WicOmicO Magistrate Transmits
Documents In Tilghman-Ward
Contested Election Case
NOW UP TO COMMITTEE

Tilghman-W Ward election contest il
which William B. Tilghman, Republi
can, seeks the seat in the Upper House
of Senator David ]. Ward, Democrat
of Wicomico county.
Delegate Jones, Wicomico, desig.
mated by S. King White, a Wicomicc
magistrate, to bring the sealed evi.
dence to Annapolis, gave the docu.
ment to Walter j. Mitchell, president
of the Senate.
The opponent of Senator Ward, who
was certified as having been elected
by margin of nine votes, alleges ir-
Irregularities in the counting of the
ballots and tabulation.
Twenty-Five Witnesses Appeared
Twenty-Five witnesses, including
election officials of both parties and
members of the board of canvassers,
testified before Magistrate White.
The testimony was transmitted under
seal to the Senate.
Counsel for both sides request the
elections committee to set next Thurs
day for argument. Mr.. Tilghman will
be represented by William I. Norris,
Baltimore, a former president of the
Senate, and by Stanlyey G. Robins,
Salisbury. Hooper S. Miles and Levin
Claude Bailey, of Salisbury, are coun-
sci for Senator Ward.
May Open Ballot Boxes
The elections committee will decide
whether any of the ballot boxes shall
be sent to Annapolis, opened and the
votes recounted.
The elections committee is compos-
ed Of nine senator's. Senator McComas
OF Garrett, is member of the COM
, rsittee.
Civil Marriage Bill Again introduced
: The civil marriage bill, again seek
ing the right for municipal officials to
perform the marriage ceremony in all
parts of Maryland, was introduced in
the lower branch of the General As
sembly tonight by Delegate Emanuel
Gorfne, Democrat, Baltimore City.
Under the measure introduced by
the Baltimore City delegate, any judge
or clerk of court of record, or the
mayor Of any Incorporated municipal
ity in the State would be authorized
to perform marriages, right now
vested in the clergy only.
The measure did not include the
justices of the peace in that class of
persons who would have the right
to perform the marriage rites as they
would have had under the similar
measure introduced at the 1929 ses-
sion of the Assembly. At that time
the bill was defeated.
Delayed in action by the most heat
ed and closest debate of the current
season, brought about when the purse
net bill was brought to the floor of the
House, the general assembly yester-
day passed score of measures and
saw twice that many introduced.
The House introduced measures
which would limit and define the state
liability of airplane owners engaged
in commercial transportation, provid-
ing a pension for the family of an
Annapolis man, killed by state game
wardens, and revision of the license
fees charges for motor vehicles.
Would Provide Bridge Fund
The Senate, before both bodies adj
journed until noon today, received
measures providing for spread of
the gasoline tax fund for the con-
struction of bridges and creation of a
statewide criminal Identification
bureau.
The House passed measures
authorizing an increase in the Balti-
more City police department, city
loan for construction of a central
court building and local laws affect
ing several of the counties.
An addition of one month to the
open season on shad and herring was
provided in bills reported by both
House and Senate committees, and the
urse net measure, designed to curl
commercial fishermen in the Chesa-
peake Bay weathered storm in the
House on committee reports and was
placed on the calendar for final pas
sage in the House.
A measure introduced by Delegate
Marshall T. Heaps, of Hartford county
with the backing of the State Roads
Commission, would change the system
of making surveys for state highways
Would Change License System
Delegate George Hofferbert offered
a measure which would provide fol
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