Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-08-19

keep checklist, but it might as well been
thrown TO the devil There might have
been as many votes cast before got there
as after, but may be not, don't know
The people voted so fast it
was impossible to check them. They
piled over one another like a flock OF sheep,
The new names were kept on separate
paper, in book, by the Frenchmen. 1t
was all hubbub, and the devil to pay.
Some names were added to the regular
voting list-a few. do not know where
the bounds OF this plantation are. All the
| inhabitants above come down to vote here.
| We had some voters down from Little Black
River. There would be no difficulty with
| the checklist if the voters would let rum
alone. ! should like to see an election
here without rum, once. NJ
David Page was the only republican about
the polls election day, and they drove him
off. The wav they abused the old gentle
man was ridiculous it was too bad. lie
| is verv nice man and a good citizen.
Dickey did the most OF the
| work. lie is lawyer, doctor and most
| ANYTHING. He knows more law and Cos
| pei than most anybody here. He told me
| at the close: "My God, we have voted
| like hell. | have not worked SO long for
| nothing"
Martin Savage. Assessor of Hancock
| Plantation, testihes as follows:
| II think there were some voted who
| were not of age | saw one | thought not
| over sixteen but his father swore he was
| twenty-one and we let him vote. Pretty
| much our whole vote in this plantation Is
| French. They act more like wild beasts
] 4 81 Ihnrn
| be no more pulling and hauling among a
| parcel of wolves just ont OF The woods
| than there is among them the day Of cleo
| ton"
Mr.. George Secly, merchant of Hancock
Plantation, testifies us follows:
"There were not serenty.fre coter Mf0Um
here that acre not paid for. Not
more than one in fifty of the French vot-
ers can read and write; do not know OF
but one who can. Very few OF them
know who is President of the United States
or Governor of the State of Maine"
Mr.. David Page of Hancock Plantation,
a well known republican, testified.
"Plenty of offers were made to me to
me to sell votes. | had no money and did
not buy any. Voters were round Dickey's
store like bees, two months before cleo
ton. Almost all the votes were paid for.
There must have been one thousand dol
lars spent in this plantation. There was
no chance to dispute votes at the election.
1t was like throwing feathers against the
wind, to object to votes
This testimony might be quite indefi-
nitely prolonged. But 1t would only be a
repetition of the same kind of outrages
throughout that whole French region of
Aroostook where Mr.. Madgan has for
years been a sort of Political Vicar Gen
eral for the Democratic party. Indeed
some of the testimony is too indecent and
offensive to be transcribed in the columns
of paper that circulates in families. 80
From all this testimony it clearly APP
pears that Mr. Madigan was palpably, gra.
tuitously and shamelessly guilty of offens-
es against the law and good morals under
the following counts:
LIST. He acted as an election officer in
plantation one hundred miles from his
residence, where he had no right to do so
except the right of mobviolence.
3D. He conducted the election in utter
disregard of the laws of the State-having
all the votes of his political party on blue
paper, when the law, under heavy penalty
requires them to be on unmarked white
paper.
Sd. On the testimony of unimpeached
witnesses fortified by the strongest circum-
stantial evidence, he openly bought and
paid for voters. Indeed as one witness
states "MR. MADIGAN learned tie peo-
''ple to take money for their cotes,' and
furthermore that he ''had very bad eff
feet on the people"
4th. Mr.. Madigan evidently resorted to
the prejudice of creed and the force of reli-
gious bigotry to effect political results. Ad-
dressing his political crowd from the steps
of the Catholic chapel on Sunday and
buying their votes at the polls on Monday
is mixture of church and State, which
only politico religious demagogue like
Mr.. Madigan would attempt
These are the simple facts of the case,
which are narrated with no more harsh
ness of language than is absolutely neces-
sary to clearly present the enormity of
the offenses. 1t is for the voters Of the
Fourth District, without regard to previ-
Gus political differences, to teach Mr..
Madigan a Wholesome lesson on the 18th
of September. He may again organize
fraud in Madawaska, but it will be a sad
day for our politics if the other sections of
the District do not rise with indignant
protest against his shameless and pre-
sumptuous candidacy.
TDT YYTT1y