Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-11-20
BLAINE'S MAINE.

Republican Ballot Box ManipulatOr6 in
Fletcher's Fix-Protest of Republican
Counsel.
AUGUSTA, Nov. 19.-Gov. Garcelon sat with
the council to-day both in the forenoon and
afternoon session. Hon. Andrew Lacy, of
Wescassett called at the council chamber in
forenoon to see tho returns from Lincoln
county. He stated he had been promised
by the Governor he might see them. The
Governor stated the conversation related
to returns of election of county officers and
not to those of Senators and Representatives.
Lacy then stated his desire was to see the re-
turns of the county commissioner and Sena-
tor, but the council declined to let him see
the returus. in either case. Hon. E. @. Far
rington, of Freeburg, member of the Gov
visory committee that the uniform custom
for the two years In which he
was in Office was to advise parties
in the interests of defective returns in all
cases where their rejection could possibly
change the result of the election, and that re-
turns were in all cases freely exhibited. He
cited the Burleigh:Maduganc case in which Hon.
Madugan and Peter Charles Keegan, of Wood
stock, were permitted to spend long
time in examining returns from every town
and plantation in the country. No communi-
cation having been received from counsel in
response to any of the letters addressed to
them by counsel or by Senators elect, Messrs.
following letter this afternoon:
AUGUSTA, Maine-To the Hon orable, the
Governor and Council of the State of Maine:
We beg to call the attention of your hon orable
body to the communication we laid before you
yesterday. After it's receipt you
continued in session for some
hours, and to-day you held another session
IN PM md IN
o'clock P. II. We cannot wait over your ad-
jcurnment Of this afternoon session without
endeavoring to impress upon your
honorable board the great hardships and wrongs
under which our clients are suffering
in consequence, being excluded from examina.
ton of election returns. You have, by official
order, duly recorded in the Office of the secre-
tary of state, that the twenty days allowed by
statute for application for corrections
should begin to run from Monday,
the 18th inst. We are now at
close Of Wednesday, the 10Th, and have lost
three days Of the period according to the terms
of said order excluding the three Sundays, No.
should only have fourteen days for actual ex-
animation of returns if we were
peymitted access to them tomorrow.
O1t of our clients has received suggestions
from member Of your honorable board, that
he might get certified copies of tbs records
county. Putting out Of consideration the la
Dor and expense of so doing. we beg
to- submit to your honorable board,
that after certified copies had ali
been procured Our client would stand precisely
where he stands to-day. What he needs to
know and what the statute gives him the right
to know, as we respectfully
submit, is whether the returns
before your honorable body arc
in all respects regular whether they are de-
fcctive in those points for which the statutes
provide the mode of correction. If regular
there remains othing to be done. If irregu-
lar and defective on those points, which are
durable by q reference to the town
records. then the party interested may at
once procure the necessary Qualifications from
the town clerks. It surely can not DO neces-
sary to argue before your honorable board that
the law giving the right to correct errors car
ries with it the necessary right to ascertain
what those errors are; it could not possibly
have been III contemplation of the law making
power to confer upon the parties
right to correct errors in
returns, and at the same time to give the Gov
ernor and council the right to say that those
parties shall have no opportunity to find the
nature and extent of these errors. With great
respect your obedlent servants.
(Signed) BAKER & BAKER. Of counsel.
When the messenger bearing the letter
reached the State house, at half-pa 2 O clock,
he was informed the council had adjourned
over to Friday. It is understood that the
question of the right of Senators and Repre-
sentatives elect to examine election returns in
their own cases by themselves or counsel, will be
tested by. proceedings before the supreme Judi
cisl court. 1t is said Chief Justice Apo leton is
judge before whom the proceedings will be