Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-09-19


A0Anon ymous communications not read; 10
Jected manuscripts not returned or preserved.
Names Curious Gubernatorial Com.
pl1c0t1On.
1t is likely that one of the most curious po-
Itical battles on record will be fought in the
Maine legislature on the first Wednesday in
January. A governor Is to be chosen under a
complicated law which in the present relations
OF parties in the legislature gives room for a
variety OF possible results. A section of the
state constitution provides that in elections
for governor whenever it shall happen that no
person has a majority of all the votes cast
the House of Representatives shall select two
persons from among the four having the high
est number Of votes; and the names OF the
two persons so selected by the house shall be
sent to the senate, which body shall choose
one OF them as governor. The Maine senate
contains % republicans and IL democrats.
Tie house is made up of IS republicans. 2
democrats elected by republicans, 81 green.
hackers and n democrats. AS the republican
senate would of course choose Connor the re.
publican candidate for governor, if his name
should be one OF the two sent to it from which
TO select, it would seem reasonably certain
that the opposition majority of greenbackers
and democrats will not permit his name to 90
before the senate. 1t has been assumed that
1t follows necessarily that the names of Smith
and GarcelOn will be decided upon. But the
greenbackers are as determined that Smith
snail be the next governor as the democrats
are that Garcelon shall fill that Office.
The greenbackers know that il the reput.
hcan senate is compelled to make the
olsagreeable choice between Smith and Garce
ION, the latter hard money man, will Ger.
ta1nly be selected. Consequently 1t would be
as fatal to Smiths chances to send uD the
n alo =.
as to permit that OF COnnOr to go before that
body. And some of the greenbackers who.
outside OF their financial views are bloody
Shirt republicans, would perhaps prefer Con
nor TO Garcelon. When 1t is remembered that
majority OF the democrats In the house are
Ike the republicans, hard.mOney men and
unalterably opposed to the idea of governor
who is unsOund on the financial question, the
popularity of the situation will be appre-
clated. In this cut-thrOat game the senate
Will reject Smith if he is presented, and the
greenbackers can prevent the election of
either OF the other nominees unless an i'm.
propaDle fusion OF republicans and democrats
can De brought about. But there Is another
fact to be taken into consideration. which at
nrst glance seems to complicate matters, but
which may turn out to have quite an opposite
eject. The law provides that the house shall
select two names from the four having the
highest number of votes. Now il dissatisfied
persons have cast votes for any other names
than those OF the regular candidates, or II
votes have been given by way of compliment
TO local celebrities, or If as a joke on any one
votes have been given him, or If through mis-
take In the written ballots votes for the gov.
ernorship have been given to some
Candidate for another Office, a fourth
person will be constitutiOnally eligible
NftiHa M
four will stand the best chance of being
elected. The vote classified as "scattern."
Is, consequently, Of great importance in thi,
election; IL 1t amounts to only one it nav
make governor. To whichever party the
person for whom it Is cast may be found to
belong, he will not be 80 Objectionable to
members of the other parties as one of the
regular nominees In the gOvernOrshp struc.
gle. 1t would aOt be strange if the election
should resemble In some respects that held by
the Greek leaders after the defeat of Xerxes
TO award the hOnors for wisdom and conduct.
Each leader, swayed by vanity put down his
own name for the first prize; but large ma
1ority OF votes for the second prize were
given to ThemistOcles, who thus obtained the
real honors OF the election. In the vote in the
Maine legislature each representative may be
expected to place on the double ballot to be
cast the name of his party's candidate and
then that one OF the remaining three which is
least Objectionable. At the very least enough
scattering votes should be obtained In this
way from the greenbackers or democrats to
make with the solid republican vote a total
sufficient to send the dark horse before the
senate. And if the unkno n should be a man
OF respectable attachments the republican
senate would choose him eagerly In prefer.
ence to either Smith or GarcelOn
The new pavement on It'll street seems to
be, as every body says it is, most excellent
job. SO good is it, indeed, that the question
naturally suggests itself why it is not also laid
within and between the railroad tracks Occu.
plying that street. II it is good for the use of
the public, it must be equally good for the
purposes Of the railroad company and if the
property holders on that street or the general
public can afford or rightfully be made to pay
ior such an improvement, there certainly
exists no good reason for exempting the rail.
way company from the application of the same
rule Let us have no Determinations in favor
OF interpretations and against the people, Messrs,
Commissioners,
line republican convention at Worcester
yesterday did not bend to the storm to any
considerable extent. A straight republican