Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-11-21
Defending the Outrage.

the defence OF the conspiracy to steal the
legislature. Boss Pillsbury needs bracing
up in his arduous task and the Argus
''lends hand" That paper said yester-
day:
Some people are hard to please. Blaine &
Co. appear to be in this category just now.
They must do something to cover retreat
from the. to them, unlaughable farce which
they have just enacted. So they are trying
to make fuss because they can't have con-
troll, just as they please, of the returns which
by law are placed in the keeping of the Gov
ernor and Council and which are required by
law to be safely preserved and laid before the
legislature on the first day of its session.
The Argus may forge and put into the
mouth of Gov. Garcelon speeches which
he never uttered, but it cannot make the
people of Maine believe the action of a
committee of republican gentlemen such
as called upon Gov. Garcelon at the State
House. was a farce. These gentlemen,
led by an honored Ex-Governor
waited upon the Governor to demand
what they believed to be their right, viz
TO examine election returns in certain cases
reported to be defective, i'm order that they
may be corrected in accordance with the
statutes. The committee was one that
would not take part in farce" and the
business on which they went had none of
the character of farce whoever views
it in that light may see good reasons to
change his mind before it is done with.
No republican or body of republicans
asked to have control of the election re-
turns in any manner that would take them
from the presence or oversight of the Gov
ernor and Council, or in the least interfere
with any rightor duty which they may have
in connection with the returns. Is it diff
cult thing for the Governor and Council
to grant request to senator's and repre-
sentatives elect to look at the returns a
few minutes to ascertain il they are cor
rect? 1t has been done under every pre-
vioIs administration without question or
Hesitation. All the Governors of the
State for quarter Of a century say that a
refusal to allow persons interested in the
returns to see them was never known
while they occupied the Governors chair.
Ask any man of common sense what he
thinks of such denial and he will say
that it is an outrage. How can men cor
rect informalities in returns until they
Lpox,y tb M euoh - Cor,,,al;t;os ov;et onlLo.
can they know they exist except by exam
ination OF the returns? All the way
from the announcement by the
town clerk in open town meeting of the
result of the election until the time men,
Der Of the legislature takes undisputed
possession of his seat, the law intends full
and complete knowledge to the public and
those Immediately interested of every
thing needful to be known by them
concerning the election. And new
er until this fusion Council closed the
doors of the Council Chamber against the
people who asked to see the returns has
the privilege been denied them. Is this
Reform, or ENGRAVING despotsm upon the
State Is it in the interest of the people.
or is it step to prevent the will of the
people as declared at the ballot box taking
effect? Is it because the Governor and
Council have a sacred regard for the safe
ty of the returns, or is it one of the steps
in an unholy conspiracy to keep control of
the State in defiance of law and in spite
of the registered popular decision that
the reins of government must be passed
over to different men and different party
from those now misruling the State?
William II. Smith, another prominent dem
ocrat of Augusta who has been reported as
rather opposed to close application of the
laws, is reported as saying: 'What good
God. will the Governor and Council of Maine
back down and be bulldozed in doing right /?
Then they ought TO be frowned upon and cow
ards will sheer at them. "-Baagor CONNER
ciai.
There is not word of truth in the above
as relates to Mr.. Smith The democratic
organs must be in desperate need of sup
port for their conspiracy when they have
to take such an unwarranted way as the
above to manufacture public sentiment.
For the organ of a revolutionary unto
the Maine Standard is very tame this week.
Even its dirty jokes are not up to its aver
age nastiness.
A iawsuit has been going on for some time
u Plain Cffv o. over an iron holt worth
forty cents. The costs 10 the litigants have