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Story
December 26, 1886
Savannah Morning News
Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia
What is this article about?
Proposals in Congress to elect postmasters instead of appointing them face doubt, illustrated by a chaotic mock election in Mount Holly, N.J., that led to fights, injuries, arrests, and controversy over the winner's alleged fraud.
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Full Text
Election of Postmasters.
There appears to be a growing feeling in some parts of the country in favor of changing the method of selecting postmasters. Several petitions have been sent to Congress urging the passage of a law authorizing the election of postmasters, and a bill has been introduced to accomplish that object.
It is doubtful if better postmasters would be secured by ballot than by appointment, and the chances are that the people would not be as well satisfied as they are now if they had the privilege of electing postmasters.
A few days ago a vacancy occurred in the Mount Holly, N. J., post office, and several popular citizens became applicants for the position. The citizens, not wanting to give offense to any of the applicants by refusing to sign their petitions, suggested that an election be held, and that the applicant receiving the highest number of votes be declared the choice of the town, and be indorsed for the position. The suggestion was accepted by the applicants and the election held.
The leading citizens now wish the suggestion had not been adopted. Free fights were frequent during the entire day of the election. The friends of the applicants stood about the polls and challenged voters, and bad blood was engendered. The applicants themselves got into a fight, and their friends couldn't resist the temptation to take a hand in it. The result was that quite a number of citizens were badly bruised, and one or two were quite seriously hurt.
Election day did not end the matter. Warrants were issued for those who had been disorderly, and the day following the election was pretty much given up to explanations in the police courts. Even the man who received the largest number of votes is not happy. He was accused with using fraudulent means to get votes, and a strong petition has been forwarded to the President against his appointment.
Taking this case as an illustration of what might be expected if the pending bill, providing for the election of postmasters, were it to become a law, it would probably be better to stick to the present method.
There appears to be a growing feeling in some parts of the country in favor of changing the method of selecting postmasters. Several petitions have been sent to Congress urging the passage of a law authorizing the election of postmasters, and a bill has been introduced to accomplish that object.
It is doubtful if better postmasters would be secured by ballot than by appointment, and the chances are that the people would not be as well satisfied as they are now if they had the privilege of electing postmasters.
A few days ago a vacancy occurred in the Mount Holly, N. J., post office, and several popular citizens became applicants for the position. The citizens, not wanting to give offense to any of the applicants by refusing to sign their petitions, suggested that an election be held, and that the applicant receiving the highest number of votes be declared the choice of the town, and be indorsed for the position. The suggestion was accepted by the applicants and the election held.
The leading citizens now wish the suggestion had not been adopted. Free fights were frequent during the entire day of the election. The friends of the applicants stood about the polls and challenged voters, and bad blood was engendered. The applicants themselves got into a fight, and their friends couldn't resist the temptation to take a hand in it. The result was that quite a number of citizens were badly bruised, and one or two were quite seriously hurt.
Election day did not end the matter. Warrants were issued for those who had been disorderly, and the day following the election was pretty much given up to explanations in the police courts. Even the man who received the largest number of votes is not happy. He was accused with using fraudulent means to get votes, and a strong petition has been forwarded to the President against his appointment.
Taking this case as an illustration of what might be expected if the pending bill, providing for the election of postmasters, were it to become a law, it would probably be better to stick to the present method.
What sub-type of article is it?
Historical Event
Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Social Manners
Misfortune
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Postmaster Election
Town Brawl
Mount Holly
Election Violence
Fraud Accusation
Where did it happen?
Mount Holly, N. J.
Story Details
Location
Mount Holly, N. J.
Event Date
A Few Days Ago
Story Details
A vacancy in the Mount Holly post office led to a suggested election among applicants, resulting in fights, injuries, arrests, and accusations of fraud against the winner, illustrating potential chaos from electing postmasters.