The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-25
THE MAINE OUTRAGE.


have disgraced and menanced the
American republic during the past few
years, none has been so enormous, fla
grant, and shameless as that which is re-
ported from Maine. The State election
occurred in September. It was notori-
GUS the very next day that the Republi-
cans had swept the State. Tt soon be-
came known that Davis, the Republican
candidate for Governor. had about three
times as many votes as Garcelon, the
Democratic candidate, vast plurality
over Smith, the Greenback candidate.
and came within few votes of having
a majority over all the other candidates.
The counting of the votes showed that
the Republicans had elected ninety
members of the House against sixty
one members elected by the Democrats
and ureenbackers, and eighteen laapub-
hcan Senators against thirteen Fusion
lsts." The result, when definitely ascer-
tanned, was promulgated throughout
] the country, and admitted by the Demo
Gratis. There has never since been de-
NAL that the Republicans carried the
State by large majority, and secured
both houses of the Legislature, which,
under the constitution Of Maine, elects
the Governor in the failure of any one
candidate to secure majority over all
the others.
It soon came to be noised about that
the Democratic managers had organ
lied conspiracy to count out the Re-
publicans. The Governor and his
Council are the Returning Board of the
State. Garcelon and his associates
have proved plant tools in the hands
Of the conspirators. The canvassing of
the returns began nearly month ago
and has proceeded in "Star-C Chamber"
fashion. The Republican candidates
have applied in person, through counsel,
and through the Republican Commit
tee, for the privilege of scrutinizing the
returns, with view to correcting any
technical errors there may have been.
but have been refused. The Demo
cratic and Greenback candidates, it is
understood, have been given the priv
lege which has been denied to the
Republicans. The conspiracy contem-
plates the election of Smith, the Green
hacker, as Governor, with the under
standing that the Democrats shall have
the United States Senator next year.
1t is still more comprehensive, however,
from the fact that the coup of this year
furnishes a Democratic Canvassing
Board for the Presidential election
next year, and the contingent of
Republican Presidential electors next
year, though they be chosen by the
people by as clear a majority as the
Republicans had last September.
The Democratic Governor and Coun-
Gil pretend that they have followed
literally the constitutional provisions
governing the count. lie this were true
it would be equally true that the popu-
lar will has been defeated by mere
technicalities- "a condition that must
always be great wrong. But it is not
true that the constitutional injunctions
have been strictly obeyed. While the
law of Maine is exceptionally strict in
requiring exact con1ormance to the
technical rules for elections, it also pro-
vides for certain term during which
defects may be cured. The Democrats
and Greenbackers have had abundant
notice and opportunity for correcting
the errors that have occurred on their
side, while the Republicans have been
denied even the privilege of looking at
the returns, and have not only been
refused the opportunity to correct, but
have not been able to ascertain what, if
any, errors have been made. So Re
publicans who received a majority of
votes have been excluded because there
were only two notices posted in their
district instead of three, Or because the
notices were posted for only six days
instead of seven, and for other formal
and insufficient reasons. It is
the first time in the history
of Maine that the privilege of in
specting the returns has been confined
to one party, and the fact that this
privilege was given to the defeated
party alone, with the result of overrid-
ing the popular will as expressed at the
polls, is ample evidence of the fraudu-
lent intent with which the unjust dis
! cTlmluaClOu was auOpC0Q.
When it first became known that the
plot for counting out the Republican
majority in the Maine Legislature had
been devised, it was said that the sug-
gestion came from Democratic leaders
outside the State, and that it had been
agreed upon with the purpose of hold
ing the State for the Democrats in the
Presidential year. This may be done
in two ways, if the Republicans submit
to the present villainy. The new Gu
sion" Legislature may pass law vest
ing in itself the power to appoint the
Presidential electors, or it may elect a
Governor and Council pledged to pur-
sue next year the same line of frauds
that this years Returning Board has
resorted to for overcoming the Repub'
lican majority. The fraudulent Legis-
lature, even if it be tolerated by the
people of Maine, will probably not dare
ID E., II,