The Portland daily press., 1863-09-28
The Vote of Lincoln County,

Report says that the right of Mr.. Smith of
Lincoln to a seat in the Senate will be contest
ed. He claims his seat by fourteen majority.
We are not informed definitely on what grounds
the contestant, will act, though we have been
told that the returns Of W aldobofo and the
action of the Selectmen of that town are likely
to receive attention. 1t is alleged that illegal
voting sufficient to change the result, can be
shown TO the satisfaction of an impartial tribu-
,n nal How this may be time win show.
wee In looking over the returns from that town
there is one fact which cannot fail to awaken
Il suspicion, and that is the unprecedented large
g vote for town of its population. 1t seems
TO ne its check list should be thoroughly over
hauled, to ascertain if a town of four and
half thousand population has in fact over one
thousand voters. In a cursory examination Of
! 1.-THE returns from different places where unpre-
cedentedly large votes we're thrown, we find
the following sesults, to wit: V9
., In this city, where every body conversant
with the facts knows that the number Of those
who did not vote is very small, the vote was
fraction short Of II per cent of the population
: Of ls6o, when il was several thousands less
than at present. In Bath, where a vote which
,aa astonished the canyassers of both parties was
rolled up, the per centage was fraction over
- 10. In Bangor IL was the same rs In Bath.
In North Yarmouth-made up Of very much
such population as waldoboro', so far as the
pupuits and avocaiions OF the people are con-
cerned, and therefore where the variations in
population from 1880 may be supposed to be
about the same, and where to secure the rep
resentative election unexampled efforts were
made to get out every sote--the percentage
was less than Il.
Bot how was Il In waldoboro', a town pro-
verbal for the conservative character of its
population-where population fiuctuates but
little-how stands the vote there9 The pop
ulation Of 1850 was 456a. The number Of votes
returned Is, Cony, 262; Bradbury, 77Htoial,
1885, or nearly tscenty-three per cent. of the
entire population, We do not say this is proof
Of wrong; we do say, however, that It is an
almost unexampled fact, unparalleled till this
year In the history Of elections in the older
portions OF the State. II Is fact of suspi-
cious character, and should prompt TO thor
ough examination TO see II gross error has not
a been committed. Where other places, more
favorsbly situated 10 get all their voters 10 the
polls, and more likely 10 have increased their
vote since 1860, have thrown a vote bearing
III 70 their whole population about the relation of
one TO six-which is an extraordinary full
vote-Waldoboro' has returned vote which
? 0to is population bears the relation, nearly, of
one to -four! 1t Is vote of upwards of two.
hundred more than the average ratio of other
large towns would give her-still it may all be
right, but the facts should prompt the authori-
ties Of the town to afford the fullest and freest
opportunity for investigation, that no unjust
suspicion may rest upon any portion of the
State. AtANA fFKo 80
In Scarboro', where it is claimed large IL
! legal vote was polled, Waldoboro' is matched
In this town the vote returned is over 26 per
cent. Of the entire population. In Westbrook
where +. 0. ]. Smith was elected, the per
"a centage OF the vote is large, but not up to
Waidoboro'. 1t reaches 21. We have no doubt
Illegal voting was largely practced where the
copperheads controlled the voting lists, and in
.iWsldoboro' this sort of game has probably
changed the result in the county.
+ NJ Already instances Of fraudulent voting have
been detected. An instance has come to light
90 of an individual having voted both in West
brook and Yarmouth, and the result is that he
finds himself brought up in the round turns Of
the law. We hope the most thorough investi-
,,f cations may be made, and where fraud-wicked
and wilful-is detected, the severest penalties
of the law should be visited upon the trans
gressors. ta
q
4 The Detroit Advertiser states upon
reliable authority that Cave johnson, former
ly Governor Of Tennessee, Member of Con-
gress, and U. s. Postmaster General, has be-
- come convert to Emancipation. Mr.. John