The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-12-18
The Great Steal.
Public Opinion OF 1t.
from the Boston Traveller
THE MAINE COUNT.

THE MAINE COUNT.
Governor Garcelon and Council of Maine,
aided and abetted by certain class OF Demo-
Gratis and Greenbackers of that State, have at
last, after no little hesitation, yentured upon
the extraordinary act of counting out the large
Republican majority in the Legislature and
defeating the will of the people as plainly ex-
pressed at the polls. 1t is claimed that this has
been done because of informalities and irregu-
larities in the returns in certain districts,
which have served to vitiate the election of
certain Senators and Representatives. But
the popularity of the matter is that nearly all
these informalities have been found to exist
only where Republican candidates were elected.
The popularity of this is such that it is not ful-
ly appreciated by many citizens in Maine. In
deed it is very extraordinary circumstance
that all the errors-it is not alleged by the
Governor and Council that fraud exists-should
be found on the Republican side. 1t has hith-
erto been supposed that the Republican officials
of Maine by reason of their long acquaintance
with the forms of election returns, to say moth
ING of their admitted intelligence, were less
liable to make errors than the Democrats But
all this appears to be reversed, and the opposl-
ton returning officers are announced as the
careful, intelligent men, while the Republl-
cans are pronounced stupid and blunderlng.
ItSis yerv peculiar indeed that cities distin-
guished for the intelligence of their citizens,
like Portland, Bath, Rockland Lewiston and
Saco. all of which elected Republican candi-
dates to the Legislature, should be found max
ing defective returns to the extent that tnelr
entire representation should be thrown out.
Such proceeding as this may satisfy the par
tisan Democrats and Greenbackers OF Maine,
but it will be hard to satisfy the people OF the
State generally that the excuses under which
it has been done are anything but frivolous,
and merely for the purpose OF obtaining con-
troll of the State Government against the ex-
pressed choice of the electors. One OF the sus-
picious circumstances attending the proceed
ings of the Governor and Council in their can
vass of the returns was the almost utter exclu-
sion of candidateselect from the Council
Chamber during the counting OF the vote
Had they been admitted it is believed that
they could have had the privilege under the
statutes of the State, of correcting the !ntor-
malities existing in the returns from their DIS
tricts. 1t IS understood that the Governor and
Council defend their action on the ground OF
Republican precedent. But even admitting
this, the principle is plain enough that two
wrongs do not make q right, and such prece-
dents do not excuse the plan adopted TO deiea1
the will of the electors on mere techmcai
grounds In any event it is probable that the
people of the State will not accept these ex-
cuses but will by their action at the next State
election show their resentment by an over
whelming maiorit against the party now Ill
possession of the Government 1t may be
fortunate circumstance that an appeal lies to
the Legislature, both Houses of which are tne
final and sole judges of the election and quai-
fcation of their members. 1t remains to be
seen how far partisan feeling will go with them
toward doing away with the plainly expressed
choice of the DeODle.