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1298 JOURNAL OP PROCEEDINGS [Mar. 28,
Mr. Neal, Chairman of the Committee on Elections, sub-
mitted the following
REPORT:
To the Honorable, the
House of Delegates of Maryland:
On the 13th day of January, ultimo, your Honorable
Body referred to its Committee on Elections, the following
order :
"Ordered, That the Committee on Elections, be, and they
hereby are, required to examine into, and report upon all
charges heretofore made against the Board of Police Com-
missioners of Baltimore city, in regard to their appointment
of officers for the conduct of the late elections of said city."
Although the order contemplated merely an investigation
of, and report upon all charges made against the Police
Commissioners or Baltimore city, in reference to their con-
duct in the appointment of judges and clerks of election for
the late Municipal and State elections in said city—still, as
charges had been also made, in a general way, by a portion
ot the political press of the State, that fraud, intimidation
and violence had prevailed in said city at said elections, to
such an extent as to invalidate both of them, and as those
who appeared before your Committee to substantiate the
charges covered by your order, also desired that these latter
charges should be investigated and reported upon, yonr Com-
mitteee felt justified in going beyond the strict letter of the
order, and did inquire into these latter allegations, and now
report—
That they began their investigation on the evening of the
tenth of February last, and continued it until the afternoon
of the sixteenth inst., sitting always twice and sometimes
thrice a week
That more than two-thirds of the time occupied by their
meetings, was given to those who appeared before your Com-
mittee tor the purpose of showing that all of said charges
were true, as had been alleged. Many witnesses were ex-
amined on their behalf, and but few oa the part of the
Police Commissioners. The investigation was as full, as
free, and as fair as under the circumstances it could be pos-
sibly made. Every facility was granted to those upholding
the charges, that could be given ; all their witnesses were
summoned, and whilst it had been stated, and certainly was
expected, that they would appear voluntarily, some of them
would not appear even after summons. This your Commit-
tee regretted, quite as much as those who had had them sum-
moned, but felt itself powerless. The Commissioners them-
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