The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-12-20
sTHE MAINE FRAUD.

| IL IL very easy anu eHeCuVe way Oh "
swerng any republican taunt in regard to Ii
recent alleged returning board frauds
Maine, to refer HIM to the fable Of the bull an
mas,iif, wherein The bull, having made
furious lunge at the masLitf, was by the latte
caught By the tail and worried until he bawle
in agony for mercy, upon which the masti
replied: 30 yes you eau heller, but who begu
this thing" Indeed ono can hardly refrai
from slapping u stalwart IN the face when h
comes up sn;ckerAg and ,ee.heelng over II
legged democratic frauds in Maine, after fo
years justifyng and defending the more glal
ing, infamous and IN all its bearings and const
queuces infinitely more important fraud il
Louisiana and Florida in 1876. 1t is like
man coming up and taunting you with tn
theft of u siSponce who has robbed you of ter
thousand dollars.
| But for all that though the mouths OF th,
Republicans may he easily enough stopped, tina
constitutes no defence of the Governor ant
Council in Maine if they have committed The
fraud IA alleged.
The case in Maine, as it appears on the sur
face, Is about this: The election last September
in that state was an intensely exciting one
The grecL hackers and democrats were earnest
but poor, while the republicans run in thou
sands on thousands of dollars, levied without
mercy on the office holders Of the country and
Overrun the state with orators eectoneerng
IA hrnk nra nd in oil rtu
OF the state votes were openly and shamefully
bought up by ihc republicans, while the OPP
pos'te party had no money, whatever might
have been their inclination, TO indulge in simi
lar practices. Yet in spite of all, the result
was so close that the republican candidate
lacked thousand votes of having a majority
Of all the votes cast and had but triflng
plurality over his democratic opponent On
the face Of it, il certainly looks unreasonable
that with so close vote the republicans should
have elected majority of IS in tho lower
house and in the upper house Of the legisla-
turc. The almost inevitable inference is that
there must have been fraud somewhere togive
the republicans such preponderance in the
legislature. Coy. Garcelon and his Council"
,ay there were such frauds, numerous and
ylaring, and in overhaulng the returns they
'ound SO many papable mlscounts, frauds,
md technical defects that in rectifying the re-
urns as they have done they have obeyed every
sunctilio of the law and kept all through |
'igidy within the line of duty.
Well, We hope, in the statement they prom
SO soon to publish explaining their action,
hat they may make it so appear. 1t must be
,orno in mind, however, that until the mon
trous precedent began to be set by the repub-
leans twelve or fifteen years ago, eliminating
n the grand steal of the presidency in 1876,
be general understanding with regard to re-
lrning boards was that their functions were
urely ministerial; that they were to open the
lection returns OF senators and representatives
$ sent to them from the different counties of
istric,s foot up the figures and certify to the
>comlng senate and house of representatives
ne result, If there were any irregularities in
ne returns, or any fraud appeared on their
ice, that was II matter for the respective
ouses to look into, who alone, by every state
institution in the country, are made the "sole
idgcs of the election and qualification of
leir own members" As before intlmatcd,
lc republicans in hundred cases before 1875
in Missouri, Kentucky, Louisiana and all
yer the South-departcd from this rule, and
every case of such departure were guilty of
onslrous frauds, and always against earnest
protest The republican party thus
'cpared the way for the browning fraud of
ealing tie presidency in 1876, and also for
is theft of the Legislature in Maine. c
The democrats cannot, dare not and will not '
stify Gov. Garcelon and his associates in a
parting from the sound old democratic prac.
&c of treating the functions of returning
'ards as purely ministerial, Though the re. Il
lblcan party has given them hundreds of u
eceden,s to take the opposite course and
sumo for returning boards judicial func. "
ms the republicans always did 1t wrongfuIly
d with conscious criminal intent and Dur II
sc, so that no one can ever Justify their &C. D
vi 40 pIcScucuts Ii inc WDOle election y
siness has become Initiated and debauchcd Ia
these republican practices, as in point of VI
It 1t nearly has become 1t is the duty of the III
mocrats to reform the abuse, not to endorse II
d perpetuatc it by participating in the same d
me- The democratic returning board in al
w York, with Gov. Robinson at the head, y
canvassing the recent returns of that state, oi
very different and nobler example which ID
would have been well for the Maine func. ~
naries to have followed. Though the vote &c
$ very close, and the irregularities numer- 50
enough, they changed never figure of the I'll
urns as properly footed and sent in from the IL
rious election districts and counties, and
We the election to the whole republican state IN
Ir..s. xA