326 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [Feb. 19,

and Third Districts. The First District is divided
into two Election Precincts, designated First or Solo-
mon's Island Precinct, and Second or St. Leonards'
Precinct. The election in Calvert county outside of
said Second Precinct, is admitted to have been in all
respects fair and regular. The issues involved between
contestant and contestee in this case therefore solely re-
elate to the election held in the Second or St. Leonard's
Precinct of First Election District. The election was
held under the provisions of the Act of 1890, chapter
538, commonly called the "Australian Ballot Law. "
By its provisions all voting is on an official printed
ballot, which with the most minute detail is described
in the law. The President of the Supervisors of
Election for the county is required to procure and
deliver this official ballot to the sheriff of the county; the
latter being required to deliver the same to the Judges
of Election in sealed packages on the moning of elec-
tion. The committee find from the evidence that the
Democratic Supervisor of Election did deliver the offi-
cial ballot in proper sealed packages to the Republican
Sheriff of the county, and the said Sheriff on the morn-
ing of the election did deliver to the Judges of Elec-
tion of the said second precinct what purported to be
the official ballots for said precinct, but on being
opened by said Judges, was found not to be ballots
but local laws for the county. The proof does not
show how these local laws were substituted for official
ballots after the latter reached the Sheriff's hands.

At the second or St. Leonard's Precinct on the
morning of the election, awaiting the delivery of the
official ballots by the Sheriff, and ready to conduct
the election and receive the official ballots, were the
officers prescribed by law, all properly qualified; these
officers consisted of two Democratic Judges, one Repub-
lican Judge, one Democratic Ballot Clerk and one
Republican Ballot Clerk, The two Democratic Judges
and Ballot Clerk, with their colleagues, at the hour
for opening the polls, that hour being 8 A. M., opened
the polls, but there being no official ballots present no
one voted. At about 12 1/2 P. M. there were brought
some, not in sealed packages, but loose, to the Second
or St. Leonard's Precinct, official ballots prepared for
the First or Solomon's Island Precinct, where a messen-