Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-08-19
xP JAMES G. KdDTGAN AS 4 P0LI1I
TIT pOPPTPIIO.FISI.

C4L CORRUP7I0FLST
| In the wear 1S58--just seventeen years
apo-there was very exciting contest IN
tho old sixth Congressional District COM
posel @, the counties of Hancock, Wash
iinotou and Aroostook. The Republican
candidate was Stephen G. Foster of Penn
broke, and the democratic candidate was
Bion Bradbury of PASSPORT. As the can
vass waxed hot there were muttcrings and
foreshadowings and some imprudent
boastings of an enormous and unprece-
dented democratic vote in Aroostook.
1t was understood that Bion Bradbury
relied upon James c. Madigan, then Gus
tom House officer at Houton as Chiei
Manipulation of the Democratic vote. Al
ter the election the frauds, briberies, and
outrages were so fragrant and so enor-
| nous that the Governor of the State (f1on.
Lot NJ. MORRILL, upon the petition OF GER
tain inhabitants, dispatched a special
Agent to the Madawaska region to inves,
tipate the matter The gentleman sc.
lected for this important duty was the Hon
James S. Pike of Calais. since l. S. Min
lister at the Hague. Mr.. Pike made full
| report which was laid before the Legisla-
ture and the entire fraud was exposed
| In that fraud Mr. Madigan had most I'M
pleasant prominence.
Mr.. Madigan was sent to the Madawas-
ka region because he was Catholic and
could mix his religion with the politics re.
| CURED for the occasion To see how well
he united the two it is only necessary to
recall the fact, stated by Mr.. Pike in his Of
fetal report, that "Mr. Madigan addressed
the assembled voters of the plantation on
SUNDAY preceding the election from the
steps of the CATHOLIC CHAPEL in Mad
awaska.'
The particulars of Mr.. Madigan's ag-
gravated and outrageous conduct are
given at some length in the report of Mr..
Pike. The main features of Mr.. Mad-
gan's extraordinary course on that occa-
sion are also given in an exhaustive re-
port of a Legislative Committee of Inves-
tigation prepared by the late Hon. Elijah
L. Hamlin then Senator from Penobscot
The following significant paragraphs are
quoted from Mr.. Pixies official report:
"At the late election in Madawaska Mr..
JAS. C. MADIGAN of the town of Houl-
ton "a place over one hundred miles dis
tanO an actire politician and an officer in
the Revenue service of the United States,
obfciated in counting the uotes Of that plan
tatton And Mr.. Cook Hammond. another
volunteer in the same service, did the
same thing at Van Buren,. At both these
places colOred ballots were systematically
received in direct Uiolation Of the taW. 1t
could only have been in Difference to the
supposed superior knowledge. and the
countenance of such volunteers, that the
regular authorities would have permitted
such an abuse, and rendered themselves
liable to the serious penalty attached there
to. All the votes of one party given
throughout the French District, at the last
election, were on Enthusiastically blue pa
per. And it is only a continuance of a
plan hitherto resorted to in that quarter
under like inspiration"
1.-THE revenue officer from Houlton,
MIR. MADIGAN, taking his stand at the
polling place by the side Of the window
through which the votes were deposited,
inhexibly maintained his position through
out the entire time OF balloting. Here he
could deliberately inspect every voters
ticket and from this inspection no man did
or could escape. The pencil talltes upon
the sill of that Windoa0 do TO this day, to the
number of forty. fUe, attest the industry and
thrift With aohtch Mr.. Madigan drore his
business transactions on the MddaWaska
Exchange that day. There is reason to
believe that each of those tallies repre-
sents the federal sum of one dollar and
fifty cents. This con ecture is elucidated
by the statement of that substantial citi-
zen of Madawaska, Mr.. Francis Thibodeau,
to be found among the papers accompa-
nying this report. Mr.. Madigan's watch
full guardianship and the blue ticket, rem
dered the espionage of the ballot box at
that poll perfect and complete
Mr.. Francis Thibodeau, who is named
in the foregoing, was at the time one Of
the best known citizens of Madawaska.
His testimony under oath contains the fol.
lowing reference to Mr. Madigan:
''MR. MADIGAN paid my friends to
keep still. He gave money to
the women. Mr.. Madigan stood at the
voting place all day at the window very
near too. He paid Michael Martin and
Solomon D'Aigle dollar and a half apiece
for their day. He paid them all; could
not get one without pay. Some told me
he got half dollar and some dollar and a
half. MIR. MADIGAN had q bad effect on
people here; learned them all TO take
money for their roteS. Some woud rote the
other way but for The money.
Mr.. Madigan called on Marcel Thibo-
deau's wife and asked if her husband was
a republican. She said he was republic
can democrat. MIR. MADIGAN asked
her hoW much acoald 6ny him orer, if five
dollars would. She said sometimes it did
not take so much He gave her five doll
lars and asked if that was enough. She