The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-02-05
The yarmouth Contested Election.

appeared and took his oath as representati 'e
from the classed towns of Yarmouth a3d
North Yarmouth, but he did SO with the IN
knowledge that his seat was to be contes'id
by Reuben Merrill, who claimed 1t by virtue
of having received superior number OF ne
legal votes cast on election day. At the pr p
er time the case came before the Committee
on Elections, and the contestant and the IN
cumbent both appeared with their ATTORNEYS,
Hon. Joseph Baker of Augusta for Mr.. Gooih,
and Hon. Warren II. Vinton of this city, or
Mr.. Merrill. After a long and patient he ir
ing, the Committee were forced by the tei ii
mony to decide in favor of Mr.. Merrill, and 1Ir.
Gooch was allowed to retire to his pleas, mt
home in Yarmouth, after having worn his
chatting honors but very few days. We b i've
appended all the material portions of that re-
port to this article and to its statements of
facts the readers attention is invited. the
report was adopted by the House, and the ies-
olution giving Mr.. Merrill his seat was pa ed,
without dissenting voice: the opposition not
rising to the dignity Of doubt.
Perhaps few words in relation to the his
tory of affairs in the town Of Yarmouth, nay
not be out of place. The two towns, Ear-
mouth and North Yarmouth. were, until few
years since, united as one town. The origin
al town was decidedly and irrevocably 'nt-
democratic. as that word democratic has come
now to be understood from its practical Uses
and its practical lessons. At the two viii ges
known as the Falls" and the Corner" were
those who, even under democratic resime,
were wont to " sit at the receipt of custt as"
There were the tax gatherers, the tide waters,
the census marshals. and the representa- ives
Of national power, all formed and fashi ned
according to the Pierce and Buchanan ;lod-
els. To such men it was humiliating Il be
overruled by an invincible majority, AMI SO
the project was started and successfully car
ried, to divide the town. 1t was the utnat-
ural mother that favored the division Of the
child. The towu was divided, and Yarmdlth,
including the villages aforesaid, became sem-
ocratic town, and generally has since Teen
ruled, municipality, according to the mctern
democratic standard, that is, accordihl to
real democracy inverted,-the few controlling
the many, by pulling the wires, packing and
managing caucuses, and by performing the
other needful functions assigned to party u adj
ers.
We need not say that the worst typt Of
Breckinri dge and Floyd democracy has sre-
vailed there-fnding no where else acre
faithful opponents this side of Lincoln c un-
ty, or that its purposes had to be carried put,
by fair means perhaps, If possible, but to be
carried out at all events. The two towus are
classed for the election Of representative, end
the report below reveals some of the unsSru-
pnlous means used TO gain an advantage ever
the other town of the class, which is not
cursed with political stockholders, but is mtde
up largely of an honest yeomanry, who are
more familiar with the arts of husbandry Ian
with the diplomacy and tinesse of party ptli-
ticians.
OF Mr.. Gooch personally we know nothisg
His opponent at the last election, Capt Nj r.
been absent from home the most of his life,
and who was selected for representative FIR
his sterling qualities as a man, and not fro.i
any choice Of his own. He was obliged ID
contest the seat given to Mr.. Gooch, to vindt
date the honest rights of his towpsmen, ant
all fair-minded men will rejoice that honesty
and truth have triumphed over chicanery and
the grossest corruption. We are told that be.
fore the committee developments were made
by Mr.. Gooch and his friends, not well calcu-
lated to increase faith in the moral perfection
OF human nature, but admirably adapted to
bolster up the dogma of total depravity. If
downright lying was not INDUCED in, it was
very evident to observers that truth was used
with marked economy, and that infinitesimal
quantities were made to 60 great way.
We are rold that Mr.. vinton exhibited tuen-
ty-one plain falsehoods on the part of the
testimony for the respondent, deemed essen
tial to his cause, and yet did not pretend to
number the minor prevarications.
1t was in evidence that men were sent for
to come TO Yarmouth and vote for Mr.. Gooch,
who had no more right to vote there than the
farthest stranger and this must have been done
with the knowledge of those-town officials
too-who knew their incompetency. We are
not surprised at such developments, for our
experience during the last four years, as
member Of the loyal portion of the Democrat
ic party, in watching, counteracting and OPP
posing the trickery and outrages of the Bucha-
nan managers, has convinced us that no
scheme OF infamy is too damning to find its
advocates among those politicians, if it prom
ises even appropriateness. If any one wish
es for convincing evidence of the substantial
justice Of this remark, let him go into almost
any locality in the State where has been
cluster Of federal Office holders, under the
past administration, and take a peep behind the
scenes of the Caucus room and the conven-
ton, and assembings of the juntos and cab
ais, and he will never doubt again.
We are informed that the Committee on
elections, in the case referred to, virtually de-
cided the question before them some DAYS be-
fore their report was made. They kept back
the report to accommodate Mr.. Page of Ber-
wick, in making a minority report 1t was
finally made to the House on Thursday, and
assigned for Friday at 10 o'clock. Not till
nearly IL o'clock was it taken up. A messen-
ger was requested by the Speaker to call Mr..
Pages attention to the matter. Mr.. p. found
In one Of the passages adjoining the Repre-
sentatives Hall. and informed that the matter
had been taken up. He did not appear in the
House. After waiting awhile the resolve re-
ported in favor of Capt. Merrill was called for