Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-12-20

carry with it the authority of Law, and must
not be permitted to achieve its wrongful and
wicked design. We call on all good citizens
to unite with US in averting this threatened
calamity, and we make a special and direct
| appeal to those men who are fraudulently
counted in as Senators and Representatives
| not to contaminate their honor, nor soil their
conscience by accepting the wages of sin.
They each and all have it in their power to
refuse to act as the receivers of stolen goods,
and thus escape the brand of lnfamy which
surely awaits the thieves.
In response to loud calls for Senator Blaine,
that gentleman took the platform amid the
widest demonstrations of applause.
Mr.. Blaine said 1T is WE'LL Mr.. Chair
man, in a meeting of this kind to understand
with precision the grievance of which the peo-
pie complain
Let me state it as briefly as possible. On
the eighth day of September last, the voters
of Maine, in pursuance of their organic law
proceeded to elect Governor and Senators
and Representatives in the Legislature. The
election was preceded by a prolonged, thor
ough and somewhat exciting canvass of the
State. Hon. Arson =. Morrill,, who, | regret,
is not able to be with us this evening, told me
that he had voted for fifty-five consecutive
years in Maine, and in many Of the campaigns
IL
and that in the whole of that long period he
had never known political contest in which
the issues before the people had been so ably,
SO deliberately and SO thoroughly discussed
both on the stump and by the press. He said
he did not believe there had ever been year
in which every citizen of the State knew so
well, just what he intended by his vote as in
the election of 1879. | am sure that would
be the testimony of every honest and candid
man in the state-The vote was full, free and
fair.
The result of that election, AS shown by
the official returns, was to give the republi-
can candidate for Governor a plurality of
twenty-one thousand votes over the green
back candidate, and of forty-six thousand
over the democratic candidate. In the legis-
lature, by the official returns the republicans
chose nineteen Senators and the opposition
twelve Senators, and in the House the repub-
licans chose ninety members and the oppos-
ton sixty-one. On the legislative ticket the
republicans had an absolute majority of near
ly five thousand on the popular vote. This
was the result as shown by the official re-
turns made by the city and town clerks and
Immediately made public by the Secretary of
State.
When the sealed returns were opened some
weeks later to be counted by the Governor
and Council they disclosed the same result
that had ben published from the clerks re-
turns and common honesty and common de-
cency, to say nothing of high official integri
ty, required that the men chosen by the peo-
pie should be declared elected ard receive
their certificates. But the Governor and
Council had resolved otherwise, and in collu
sion with other we'll known men, they enter
ed into a conspiracy to change the result and
deprive tho people of their choice. And then
began the remarkable count which has just
closed to the lasting dishonor and disgrace
of all who had part or lot in it. They began
to discover fatal defects" as Gov. Garcelon
termed them, in the returns from republican
towns. Here and there an was not dotted
or a not crossed, or man had junior left
off his name, or the initial letter of his mid
die name was wrong. or the ballot that elected
him had the names printed at right angles to
the narrow side when they should have been
parallel, or the signatures of all the town
officers to the acute eve of single councillor
without any other eyidence-were written in
the same hand, or the total number of votes
was not filled out in the right part of the
election blank, or one of the town officers
was an alien, or two selectmen were permit
ted to swear away their own return by an ex-
parte affidavit, that although they had once
sworn the return was sealed in open town
meeting they now swore it was motor the
return of cities was signed by only three
aldermen Just according to the blank sent
out from the office of the Secretary of State
after being prepared as trap or pitfall.
These and numerous other minor points of
like value were freely used to destroy the
popular vote and maintain in power the party
and the men whom the people had rejected.
Theresult of the whole ofthis ptiful and wick
ed pettifogging was 20 change a republican ma
jority of in the Senate and 20 in the House
to fusion ma jority of in the Senate and
II in the Housewife five republican cities
completely DISTINGUISHED and denied bv the
Governor and Council the poor boon of a
new election. SO that Portland, Lewiston,
Bath, Rockland and Saco, are absolutely rem
dered incapable Of taking any part in the
organization of the legislature, or in the
choice of Governor, or in the election of
State officers, or in the original composition
of the House committees, which shape and
practically control legislation. Perhaps if
the representatives chosen by these five
important cities will humbly petition the
House and cool their heels in the ante cham
Der of fusion greatness for three or four
weeks they may be permitted to be sworn in
when they can no longer embarrass the pro-
gress of the conspirators programme and no
longer be able to serve their constituents.
These five cities have a valuation of more
than fiftv-one millions of dollars and pay
nearly one quarter of the entire taxes of the
State-to be accurate they pay 90 per cent.
of the whole. This very year the fusion
State government has levied and collected
from those cities more than two hundred
thousand dollars of taxes, and now by virtue
of disgraceful trap concocted in the Office
of the Secretary of State four of those cities
are DISTINGUISHED. The fifth, our beautiful
metropolis, Portland pays one hundred and
eighteen thousand dollars of taxes and is de-
MED representation on the paltriest of dishon-
est pretexts, and is not even allowed the op
portunity of a new election. But | will not
allow myself to go into a lengthy speech.
Before closing, however, l beg you to OBJ
serve the following points
First-The Governor and Council have re-
fused certificates to twenty-nine republicans
of the House, aud to eight Senators-thirty-
seven in all-swept of and out by one wave
of an autocratic hand.
Second--Of this entire number there was
not one case for which the law did not pro-
vide and direct the mode of correction. But
the Council said the law was unconstitutional
and they set it aside. They gave out that