New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-03-23
FICTION FRAUDs IN MAINE.

Maine is a good Republican state, DuI tho ne
publicsps there have some desperate rascalites IN
the way of voting to contend against.
The treaty of lSi2 brought within the State
limits several thousand of the French population
on the upper ST. John, near the Csna1. frontier.
These people are ignorant in the extreme, and Of
course 60, in nearly solid column, for the Demo
cratic party. They are marshsled by the United
States Custom. House Ulcers who reside on that
frontier, and whose chief duty consists in super
ysipg the elections.
At the election last Fall very great effort was
made by the bogus Democracy to elect their candi-
date for Congress in the district where this popula-
tion resides. They number about 500 votes, aud
il was thought that by desperate effort and extern
sive cheating the election could be carried. The
desperate effort was made, and the cheating all
done, according to the programme; but the over
towering Republican majorities of TIE civilized
portions Of the district proved too strong for the
conspirators, and the scheme failed.
The scandalous character Of the proceedings
among the French population having been repre-
sented TO she Governor Of the State, he at once
ordered an investigation. The report of this IT,
yestigstion has just been published BY the Legi'a-
ture, and q copy of il is before US. This report
exhibits TIE fact that the entire body Of voters OF
the French settlement are in the lowest scale OF
political ignorance. For example, it is stated by
competent witnesses that Of the whole eight hun
dred electors, there are not ten who know the
name of either the President Of the United States
or the Governor of the State In which they live.
As matter of course, this is class OF people
among which modern Democracy thrives Ike
plants in hot-bed. By the means Of rum and
money, and the superintendent OF Federal Office
holders, this iner. mass of voters was carried at
the last election in almost solid column against the
Republicans But this is not all, nor the worst.
The mansgers of affairs there determined not only
to throw this lightweight Of suffrage into the scale
against the Republicans, but TO pile In heavy
swndIe on tie top Of it. They thus returned not
only the real vote Of the precinct, but, taking pat
tern BIZ the Ksnsas and Minnesota friends, re-
turned false exhibit of several hundred spurious
and fictitious votes beside.
The report 10 question has brought out this fact
in the clesre.t manner and it has also brought out
TIE Iact GU o-Cnbe al ssH'
outrageous fraud on the ballot-boI are h, Custom
House cfieers Of tie UHixd States Government
These men held the ballot box, counted the votes,
AID made the returns OF the state OF the poll 10 the
State authorities. They bought up the voters tney
stood over the polls, and they then falsifed The re-
turns to the extent of nearly doubling their ordi-
nary msjoriiies. AL this j. fully snd unequivocany
established BY this investigation. We do not know
what sort of laws they have in the State Of M,ine
against .windling but We should think that, if JUS
,ice were done, the Custom-House officer Dickey,
,poken Of in the report, would find his way into
be Penitentiary
We would .eem to be reaching the last stages of
political corruption, If such onenses as are de-
tailed in this report can be committed in New
England with ippunity. In the first place it is a
scandal and an outrage that the Federal authorities
sheuM esUntepsncs sueA yila.ae' By retaining