Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-12-30

/ ana common QeCenCy 10 say nothing
of high official integrity, required
that the men chosen by the people should
be declared elected and receive their GER
tifcates. But the Governor and Council
had resolved otherwise, and in collusion
with other well known men they entered
into a conspiracy to change the result and
deprive the 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 1t.
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 not
crossed or man had junior left off his
name or the initial letter of his middle
name was wrong, or the ballot that elected
him had the names printed at right an
giles TO the narrow side when they should
have been parallel, or the signature of
all the town officers, to the acute eye Of
a single Councillor without any other eyi-
dence, were written in the same hand, or
the total number of votes was not filed
out in the right part of the election blank,
or one of the town officers was an alien
or two selectmen were permitted to swear
away their own return by an ex parte
affidavit that although they had once
sworn that the return was sealed in open
town meeting, they now swore 1t was
not, or the returns of cities were signed
by only three aldermen just according to
the blank sent out from the Office Of the
Secretary of State after being prepared
as a 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. The result of the whole
of this pitiful and wicked pettifogging
was to change a Republican majority of
seven in the Senate and twenty-nine in
the House to a fusion majority Of nine in
the Senate and seventeen in the House,
with FIVE Republican cities completely dis
franchised and denied by the Governor
and Council the poor boon Of new cleo
ton. SO that Portland, Lewiston, Bath,
Rockland and Saco, are absolutely rem
dercd incapable of taking any part in the
organization of the legislature or in the
choice Of Governor or the election of state
officers or the original composition of the
House committees which shape and prac-
tically control legislation. Perhaps if
the representatives chosen by these five
important cities will humbly petition the
House and cool their heels in the ante
chamber Of fusion greatness for three or
four weeks they may be permitted to be
sworn in when they can no longer embar-
rass the progress Of the consplrators pro
gramme, and no longer be able to serve
their constituents. These five cities have
a valuation Of more than titty-one mil
lions of dollars, and pay nearly one quar-
ter of the entire taxes Of the state. To
be accurate, they pay % per cent. Of the
whole. This very wear the fusion state
government has levied and collected from
these cities more than two hundred thou
sand dollars of taxes, and now by virtue
of a disgraceful trap concocted in the
office of the Secretary of State, four of
these cities are disfranchised. The fifth,
our beautiful metropolis Portland, pays
one hundred and eighteen thousand dol
lars of taxes and Is denied representation
on the paltriest of dishonest pretexts, and
is not even allowed the opportunity Of
new election. But | viii not allow my
self TO 90 into a lengthy speech. Before
closing, however, | beg you to observe
the following points.
First-The Governor and Council have
refused certificates to % Republicans of
the House and to eight Senators. Thirty
seven in all swept off 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 provide and direct the mode Of cor
rection. But the Council said the law
was unconstitutional, and they set It
aside. They gave out that Henry W.
Paine of Boston advised them that this
was their proper course. When | see an
opinion Of Henry ". Paine that the ex-
ecutiye department may at viii set aside
the laws they are sworn to enforce, | will
unite with his other Kennebec friends in
deploring the decay of his splendid intel
lect and the loss Of his admirable judg-
ment. Till then prefer to remember
Henry w. Paine as | have known him
for quarter of century.
Third-There have been ffty-nine an
nual elections in Maine, carried in turn
by the old National Republicans, by
Democrats, by Wings, and for twenty
years by Republicans. In all that time
not so many fatal defects in returns have
been found, nor so many Senators and
Representatives counted out as Garcelon
and his council have counted out this
single year. Twill add not half so many.
Fourth-And all the fatal defects are
in Republican senatorial and representa-
tive districts Not one Democrat or
Greenbacker elected to the Senate or
House was found to have defective re-
turn behind him-of course not after the
returns had been secretly and surepti-
tiously doctored, as openly charged by
Hon. Chas. B. Rounds. These returns
were cooked and made over to fit the re-
quirements, and the Council never dared
to accept Mr.. Rounds offer to prove his
charges. 1t is understood that they are
taking characteristic revenge on Mr..