The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1956-02-16
New Complaint
Filed in Court
By Supervisors
Board Asks Thut Previous
Complaint Be Dismissed
From Records

Inc Board OF Election super
visors has filed new complaint in
the Garrett County Circuit Court.
At the same time it asked that the
other complaint be dismissed.
The new complaint carries prac-
tically the same arguments against
the County Commissioners of the
county in connection with the pur-
chase of voting machines, as had
been filed before, but this time it
carried official authorization for
the employment of Horace P. Whit
worth, Jr, Westernport attorney.
The title of the complaint was also
slightly changed.
Last week William O. Treacy,
minority member of the Board of
Election Supervisors, filed a pc
tition asking that his name be
stricken from the bill of complaint
and claiming that never in any
regular or special meeting had the
Supervisors ever authorized any
suit TO be instituted or ever author
lied employment of Whitworth. He
also voted against hiring Whit
worth at last Thursdays special
meeting.
This time the Board of Election
Supervisors made it official by
calling special meeting last
Thursday afternoon al which time
legal action was authorized by ma
jority action to employ Whitworth
for the purposes of representing
the said board in matters pertain
ing to the acquisition of voting ma
chimes in the county
The latest bill of complaint was
filed in the office of the Clerk of
the Circuit court on February 10,
and according to the rules of the
court the County Commissioners
have Is days after the first Mon
day of March to file an answer.
The only other change in the bill
of complaint was a paragraph
where it declared that the County
Commissioners refused to approve
the contract proposal and was re-
ported by public press that by
majority decision the Board of
County Commissioners approved
and stipulated its intention to pur-
chase voting machines from the
Shoup Voting Machine corpora
ton
The Board of Election Super
visors had passed a resolution by
majority vote on January 9,
ordering the purchase of SO manual
type voting machines from the
Automatic Voting Machine corpo-
ration and asked for approval of
the County Commissioners. The
County Commissioners refused APP
proval and in return notified the
supervisors they would approve the
purchase of voting machines from
the Shoup Voting Machine corpo-
ration
Bids received from the two COM
panies showed that Sc electrically
operated voting machines from the
Automatic company would be pro-
vided at cost of S53,064, with the
same number of voting machines
being offered by the Shoup COM
pany for S5080112 Manually Opcr-
ated machines arc 500 less per
machine for either Automatic or
Shoup.
The Commissioners in refusing to
approve purchase from the Auto
matte company said 1T does not
appear to us that we would be
serving the best interests of the
citizens of this county in approving
the purchase of the voting machines
from the Automatic Voting Ma
chine Corporation of jamestown,
N. Y, as it would involve a larger
expenditure of county funds. There
fore this Board will approve the
purchase of thirty-siX manual type
voting machines from the Shoup
Voting Machine company and we
trust that you will proceed with
out further delay