River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-12-25
MAINE.

Inc hepuDllCdDS OI Mdlu6 ludu0 IL
gallant fight in September to regain
supremacy in that State and besides
giving their State ticket a large plu-
rality of the votes polled they elected
a sufficient number of members of the
legislature to give them a majority of
thirty-six on joint ballot. Upon a Sc
ries of technical defects in the returns
however, a Democratic canvassing
board has nullified the popular viii as
expressed at the polls and certified to
the election of sufficient number of
Democrats and Greenbackers to the
legislature to give the fusionists ma
jority of twenty-six on joint ballot,
thus enabling them to elect State Of
ficers, United States Senator, and
seven Presidential electors if they
choose to do so. This is the culmina-
ton of one of the most contemplate
and deliberately planned schemes -
thwart the will of the people that has
ever been attempted by the Democrat
ic party-a party well schooled in cleo
lion frauds as a fine art. AS o naoeno
of making a series of informalities in
the returns from Republican districts
only, possible, the Democratic Secre-
tary of State in sending out the blank
forms for use by election officers in
Republican districts purposely made
them defective in order to create ir-
Irregularities and afford a pretext for
throwing out the returns made by the
officers of such districts, and the per-
sistent refusal of the Democratic State
canvassers to permit corrections to be
made in accordance with law and Gus
tom, was but an adherence to the gen.
eral programme agreed upon to usurp
the State government and the legis-
lature. Though high judicial tribunals
have held that merely technical de-
fects in election returns can not ope-
rate to defeat the clearly expressed
will of the people, the canvassing board
of Maine ignores such decisions and
practically DISTINGUISHES sixteen thous-
and legal voters, and "a tie legislature
is constituted with the power to pass
upon the eligibility of its own mem
bers those who have been wrongfully
counted out have no redress. In view
of the far reaching effect that this
bold usurpation was originally design
| ed to have-the decision OF the Ma
tional Presidential contest in l880-it
| is a matter of great moment to the
entire country and should be met bold
| " and fearlessly by the Republican
party. In the face of the great wrong
perpetrated by the Democratic can
wasting beard of Maine and the propo
sition of prominent Southern Demo
Gratis to have Presidential electors il
certain States chosen by the legisla
ture, it is plainly the duty of the leg
islature of every Northern State, thu
legislature of which is Republican, tt
check-mate the Democrats in tha
game by electing Presidential elector:
for tie election of the next President
and thus place the election of Demo
cratic President in 1880 beyond al
possibility.
While the Democratic press of New
England tallies one for the Democrat.
in Maine and exults over the success
temporarily attained by the question:
BILE work of the canvassing boart
there, the New York World, goot
Democratic authority but sharl
enough to recognize the fact that
stupid blunder has been made con
dennis the Democratic mode of count
ing in Maine as follows: "Gov. Garce
lon and his advisers have made a sc
rious political and not less serious
moral mistake. They have nulllflet
the will of the people of Maine as ex
pressed at the late election on sceoun
of technical errors and overslghts
These errors and oversights were com
1
local canyassers. The votes were, II
fact thrown out on account of the III
formality in the manner in which the!
were returned There is no pretens'
that this infcrmality was such as Z
leave the intention of the voters Il
doubt, The tenor of the statutes, Ju
diciaI decisions, and treaties which
deal with elections is that every pre-
sumption should be made in favor 0
giving effect to the real intention Q
the voters. The canvasSers IN Maine
have unquestionably nulliied the res
intens ION of the voters. There Is n.
lodging that fact, and. with far mind
81 neoule that fact viii be decisive Q
any controversy that may be raised
There are also number of other Den
ocratic journals outside Of New Ens
Land who do not hesitate to denoane
. . the unfairness of the Maine canyassln
board.