Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1806-06-16

fent cafe 1t was evident that the
freemen of Iflehoro' had afIembled,
held their meeting, and that the re-
turn was made according to law.
With refpe6 to the candidates
for whom the votes were given there
could not be a doubt. The final
letter was omitted, in fpelling the
nane of Caleb Strong, but he con-
ceived the evidence that it was writ
ten tor Caleb Strong was irrehltible.
he then went on To prove, at large,
that in courts of jultice where the
HtDgf exaf7nejS was required, va
ration like the prelcnt would not
be deemed exceptionable. He then
recurred to precedents recorded ia
the tranfactions of that board, in f.
milar cafes. 1t appeared that in the
returns of votes for fenatnrs, num-
Der were given for Nathaniel More
ton, and were by the deciGon of that
body, placed in favor of Nathaniel
Moretoo, jun. Fl it being fatisfac-
torily evident tha they were de6gn-
ed for him. He hoped, that in the
prefent conrrover z, which was inter-
citing in itlelf, an I more 70, as to the
manner in which itlmight be conduc-
ted, gentlemen would bear in mind
the importance Of adhering confcien-
tiouly to principle. 1t was this
which would conduit them fafely
and honorably through the perplexi-
ties of party colli6ons, and juitify
them to their conitituents and the
world.
| Mr.. Dana followed, and obferved
that he fhould not attempt to folem-
nize the minds Of that honerable
board with awful alarms left the con-
ftitution fhould be violated, or by
cautioDing them againlt any immedi-
a:e danger of thar kind, for he pre-
fumed it did not exit. Ii was true
he loved popularity yes, exclaimed
he, l love popularity, but what po-
pularity Not thar which | mutt
puriue, bat that which will follow
me. He then entered upon the me-
rits of the cafe to prove that the name
on the return was not Caleb Strong.
He faid to admit and receive fuch
conjecture would lead to a loofenefs
of conduit in fimiIar cafes, which
would admit of extreme abuies.--
The committee, be faid, had not
founded their determinations 70 ef
fentIally on the letters that might be
u(ed, as on the found they produced.
Where the sound 7vas the same in sub
stance I variety in fpelling had not
been deemed a 1ufRcient caufe of ma
king diftin6tions. He conGdered the
word then in di(pute to be Steer, and
therefore iaw no grounds for difpo-
hng of it otherwife than the commit
tee had done. He wilhed to know
how far gentlemen intended TO car
ry their principle Of evident inten-
ton. He had heard of man who
kept his accounts in hieroglyphicks,
and when he fold his neighbours
grindione, he charged 1t by making
a fmall circle I; but having forgotten
to make the fquare in the center, he
fometime afterwards prefented his
account for a chee{e. Did the gen
tlemen with for equal latitude in in
terpreting the returns Of votes for
Governor /? Without that, he could
not conceive that the votes then un-
der confederation could be confder-
ed as belonging to the column Of Ca
leb Strong.
He then adverted to precedents.
He quoted an infance which appear
ed on the records Of that board, in
I793, in which votes returned for
the prefent Prrhdeut of the Senate
were dfputed becoute the name was
fpeit Bakea inaead of Bar2a, III
n;embtr interrupted By s5tsrVing, that
| tie 0byeEian qUq5 nat uade s1 fbs ground
that il mar KEN, bH becage il appear.
cd to Be B,0F.e,r5 rsbicb qOaS % cam
f1en a name a. 10 ieaDs roani tsr HGcey-
tainty. Mr. Dana quoted likewi(e
the more recent cafe, Phanuel Bilh-
! op, who had been deRied feat, be-
| caufe a number Of the votes were
given for Penuel Bilhop. ii men-