The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-12-27
MAINE.

Gil" So says the Ottawa Republican. Tn,
y outrage, which is thu characterized rs unpre
. ccdenteu in the history Of the country, had ju.
this extent, AT the September election il
Maine The democrats and grccnbackers, thougl
voting for scpcratc candidates for governor
united IN all the districts on candidates foi
senators and representatives They polled, n
New York Suns figures Say S94 more votes
than the republicans did in the state Yet &C
cOrding to the returns sent 10 Governor GarCe
Ion by the republican election officers from the
various towns aud election districts, the repub
licans, thus IN the minority in the state, elect
ed nine more senators and thirty more repre-
lscntatives than the grecnhackcrs and demo
Gratis did. On the face Of 1t, this looks as il
there must have been fraud or at least great
J irrcgulurily somew here. Gov. Garcelon saws
there were both frauds and irregularities, gross
and abundant. Votes were openly and shame
fully purchased Ivy by republican professional
vote brokers in many districts and paupcrs
and jaIl-blrds IN others were allowed to vote
contrary to law; and as to irregularities, cases
like this are cited I'm one county persons
with Ms many as four different combinations
in initials received the republican vote" in
anchor town the republicans voted for
"Charles A. Rolfe" and for Charles Rolie,"
but counted all the votes for Charles A. Rolfc :;
and so on, cases of such irregularities being
innumerable, while the supreme court of the
state has decided that any variation in initials
Smith and William Smith were voted for, the
the court holding that the vote for each name
must he counted separately.
In correcting these irregularities it is claim.
ed that the council not only had the consttu.
ton and laws OF the state for their warrant, but
also abundant precedents in the uniform prac
tice OF republican councils before them. Dozens
ii instances are cited where, within the last
ten years republican governors and their coun.
ellis in Maine in exactly the same way, count
cd out democratic senators and representatives
who were elected by the returns AZ sent in, bu,
which returns the councils changed on account
of alleged irregularities, and declared the CD
posing candidates elected
And 1t WAS by thus acting, strictly within
the constitution and laws, as claimed, and
closely following republican precedents, that
Gov Gareclon and ms council have committed
the "grcatest political outrage IN the history OIL
the country A republican editor has the
cheek to say that-a republican editor who
justified the counting in Of republican gov.
crnor and legislature in Kentucky by return
ing beard Illegally toistcd on the state by mill.
tary power. though majority of 10000 was
cast against them; republican editor who
JUSTIFIED the counting in by an illegal return
ing board, of three congressman in Missouri |
in 1866 who were fairly beaten by from 1000
tn 5000 majority each; by II republican, editor,
in short who not only justified these and in
Vulnerable like 0utragcs by his own party
within the last 10 years all over the country
but had also the incredible cheek to Justify and |
defend the GROWING political crime of the
a. es that resulted IN the counting IN by cor
rupt returning BOARDS Of Rutherford Is. Hayes
NJ President Of the United States, whom the
whole world knows to have been dCfc itcd by
a popular majority of 100000 votes and ma
jority of Is of all the honestly chosen electors
With such examples before him, the republi.
can editor or politician who dares refer to the
Maine Outrage" at all, exhibits an amount
of impudence 30 stupendous as to be simply
While. however, one can hardly refrain from
spittiug in the face Of the stalwart politician
who can summon up sufficient cheek even to
mention Maine, the FREE TRADER never,he-
less does not justify the act of Gov. Garcelon
and his associates. The most that can be said
in their defence is that they have followed bad
republican precedcnts, and that, among demo
Gratis, should be u condemnation rather than
defence. The democratic view has ALWAYS
been that the functions of returning boards are
ministerial only, and on this view democrats
and all other parties had steadily acted until
come fifteen years ago, when republican return.
ng boards commenced the practice of assum
ng judicial functions. The practice is SO
raught with evil that unless \ stop is put to
I all our elections must soon become the
hcercst farce. Democrats cannot afford toll
abandon their vantage ground on that question
our liberties are involved in it; and while +
hey can well afford to sneer at republican al
acks on Gov. Garcelon Us exhibitions of aston u
shing hypocrisy and cheek. they owe it to
themselves to disown his acts and cast him of I
" publican and elmer" d
lC
The Ottawa Redublican, following the CHI. v
ago Times, Inter Ocean, &c, gives grossly n
alse and perverted account Of what occurred
the meeting Of the Democratic Central com.
ni'tee In Chicago on the 18th inst in regard