The Portland daily press., 1879-12-20
An Appeal.

To the Editor Of the Press:
Men and brethren: The right of suffrage
and representation are the dearest rights
that an American citizen possesses. Our
fathers for seven long years fought and
suffered for these rights. They held the men
who deprived them of them as deadly enemies;
and for long years after our independence was
gained the recollection of the wrong done to
the Colonies by England in denying our
fathers these sacred rights caused our peoE le to
cherish the bitterest hatred against people
who spoke the same language and whose
religion and personal interests were the same
No intelligent Englishman today questions
the Justice of the cause our fathers eSpoused
in demanding representation where there was
taxation. For the first time in our lives we
in this peaceful State of Maine find ourselves
DISTINGUISHED and, although taxed to the eX-
tent of one-seventh of the whole State tax
we are deprived of representation. Ii elthef
one of you were DISTINGUISHED personally oy
one or more men you would hold the person
or persons committing the outrage to be your
deadliest enemies, and if you found that your
disfranchisement was the result of a deep lald
scheme by them your hatred would be still
more intense.
The Democratic party have done all that has
been described above and that to in pursuance
of deep laid conspiracy against us. Instead
of being the guardians of suffrage and the
rights of the people the Democratic Governor
and Council have been the destroyers OF them.
They claim after accomplishing the villalny
that there is no legal remedy to give us our
rights and coolly ask US what we are going to
do about it. Without discussing the legal as
pect of the matter, wish to impress upon all
Republicans in this city what conceive to be
their duty in so grave crisis as this. First:
Hold every man engaged in this plot against
your rights in adherence and treat him with
loathng and contempt Second: Every man
who will profit by such a villainy, no matter
who he may be, should be held as guilty as the
men engaged in the plot. Some of these men
who are pretty thickly veneered and vanished
have been engaged in fathering the steal and
have failed to cover up their tracks. LII we
mete out to these men the sociol punishment
their crimes deserve we shall never hear OF an
may claim, and justly, that in party point Of
view we shall be gamers; but there is some
thing more than mere party politics involved.
Our right to be represented and the right OF
the majority to rule is too sacred to be trampled
upon with impunity, and party advantage
weighs as nothing in the scale against any
attempt to thawrt the will Of the people.
Let us always contend for every mans
right TO vote with any party he may choose;
but no man no matter how high his position
may be, should be countepaneed one moment
in the attempt to disfranchse any citizen, no
matter how humble he may be.
We cast clear majority for our senators
and county officers and these conspirators have
deprived three senators of their legal rights,
We have elected our Judge of Probate. Yet a
man is to be thrust into an Office of the highest
and most delicate trust who was never elected.
We elected Register of Probate. Yet a man
is to be placed there who is not the choice OF
the people. A County Attorney whose duty
it is to punish offenders against the law is to
be placed in that responsible position by means
more criminal than tina practiced by any Gull
prit whom he will prosecute in the name of the
State. What a mockery of justice to have men
who acquire office by such means to administer
it? When the full extent of this outrage be-
comes known no man with any sort of moral
principle who accepts office by such means
can look honest men in the face. In another
article propose to review this plot, show how
it was concocted and who the men are who
have been engaged in this infamous scheme.
l shall describe the men who are to take what
belongs to others-men in our own city who
have been engaged in depriving their neigh
bors and former friends of the right of suffrage
and representation. 1 believe the men who
have done this should be kept in the pillory.
The Republican press in this State cannot for
one moment let up on these men, and the
PRESS deserves great credit for defending our
rights in this matter. Let theft be treated as
theft ANOTHER REPUBLICAN.