Minority Report of the Committee on Elections, Made in the House of Delegates March 2D, 1860. Testimony Taken Before a Committee of the House of Delegates of Maryland on Contested Elections

n.p., 1860. Paperback. Very Good. Paperback. A VERY INTERESTING CHAPTER IN MARYLAND POLITICAL HISTORY. This is the official minority report of the Committee on Elections concerning a contested election for Maryland State Comptroller held in 1859 between William Henry Purnell and A. Lingan Jarrett. Purnell was the incumbent Comptroller and won the 1859 election, but Jarrett contested the result because of purported fraud in Baltimore, where the results favored Purnell, whereas the rest of the State favored Jarrett. The Committee of seven members favored Jarrett. Their report was to be provided to the House of Delegates for action. This minority report is from 2 of the 7 committee members, who disagreed with the majority report and supported maintaining the re-election of Purnell. Despite the minority objections, the Maryland House of Delegates passed Resolution No. 6 on March 10, 1860, declaring the elections void in Baltimore due to widespread rioting and fraud, and declaring that Jarrett was elected comptroller. Governor Thomas Hicks refused to recognize Jarrett or administer the oath of office to him, and Purnell continued in office until he resigned on May 8, 1861. (Then the real fun began!) In the wake of Purnell's resignation, Governor Hicks appointed Dennis Claude comptroller. Claude took possession of the comptroller's account books, stamp, and office space in the record office building in Annapolis, while Jarrett started his own books, procured another copy of the comptroller's stamp, and set up office in the old comptroller's office in the State House. During the spring, summer and early fall of 1861, Claude and Jarrett held competing claims to the office of comptroller. Jarrett had the support of the treasurer, Sprigg Harwood, while Claude was supported by Governor Hicks. Because the governor had refused to administer the oath of office to Jarrett, the legislature acted again on June 21, 1861 by passing an act (chapter 43) enabling Jarrett to take the oath by a Court of Appeals judge. Jarrett took the oath of office in July, 1861 before Judge James L. Bartol. Claude then took the case to the Harford County Circuit Court asking for an injunction against Jarrett to prevent him from acting as comptroller. The court held that the constitution called for disputed elections to be decided by the legislature, that the governor had the power to make appointments only until the legislature acted, and that it had done so in this case by deciding the election for Jarrett. Claude appealed to the Court of Appeals, which unanimously upheld the lower court's decision on October 8, 1861. Unfortunately, Jarrett was unable to enjoy the role of undisputed comptroller for long, as the elections held shortly thereafter brought Samuel Snowden Maffit to the office on January 8, 1862. After this controversy, Purnell went on the be named deputy postmaster of Baltimore by Abraham Lincoln in 1861; he was reappointed by President Andrew Johnson in 1866 but rejected for the appointment by the U.S. senate. He also served as Colonel, U.S. Army, 1861-62. He became President of Delaware College (now University of Delaware) in 1870. He was also a Principal, Frederick Female Seminary (now Hood College), Frederick, Maryland, and later New Windsor College, Carroll County, Maryland. . A. Lingan Jarrett was less of a figure in Maryland. He was engaged in the practice of law in Harford County and was clerk of the court in the Harford County Circuit Court from 1851 to 1858 and again from 1867 to 1891. He was also a member of the Mt. Ararat Lodge of Masons for fifty years. SCARCE. DOCUMENT W. This volume contains the 24-page minority report as well as the 128 page transcription of the Committee On Contested Elections. 8vo. No cover, sewn binding. Minor stains on title page, with a small piece missing from bottom of title page. Remainder of pages are slightly yellowed but clean. Maryland. MD/4233.