Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-12-24
MONTPELIER VT.
FollOM the Law.

elected falled to receive certificates, ana
enough fusionists were given certificates
to give them majority in both Senate
and House.
Gov. Garcelon has made statement,
addressed more particularly to the demec'
racy of the country, in which he pretends
to give the justification of this perform.
ance. In substance he claims the action
of himself and council was legal and that
hy the constitution they were bound 10 act
rs the did.
The republicans Of Maine are greatly
excited and are holding indignation meet,
ings over the counting out, and denounc-
ing it as illegal as well as thoroughly
dirty and mean. Some of their resolutions.
especially one passed at Dexter, seem to
point towards furcible resistance to the
seating of the men VINO have the requisite
certificates without the requisite votes to
b. members.
It will be well for all of US who believe
in government by the people, in that kind
of government which is called republican
OR democratic and is in principle set over
against all forms of monarchy and oil
garchy, TO carefully observe how the
sovereign people think and act when there
comes strain like this on our frame of
government.
Kingdoms get their rulers By birth and
they have been torn with war because OF
disputed legelimacy and doubts as to
which claimant had the largest amount of
blood royal flowing in his veins. Re,
pub,ics get their rulers by the peoples
will expressed through the ballot-their
danger has been from the faction fights of
hot,heads who do violence and wrong
because they claim and believe they have
been wronged. Whenever the dispute
CONES rs to " who is elected it is rep,
ettiol in another form of the old question
of legitimacy that has had so many lives
stcrilied to it.
ihree years ago this whole country
WAS on the brink of civil war. There
were two beliefs us to what was the real
result under the law, of II great contest
Tncre were two claims as to what was
the proper tribunal to determine that
result. The republicans generally and
naturally supported the theory that gave
Ia. determination to Il tribunal in sympa-
thy with them; the democrats rs naturally
supported the theory that gave such de-
termination to another tribunal that was
in sympathy with them. Believing that
G orge L. Elmunds more than any other
man procured the passage of the electoral
commission bill we have believed that he
mty be justly said to have saved the
country from civil war. But The worked
with other men of cool heads and patriotic
hearts in DO b parties and they share with
him in having done a good and great
decd. Meantime the Americans have
never realized how straight into war the
pith marked out by partisan hate and
hope of power would have led,
Ia a less degree now this Maine matter
brings up this same question of 'who il,
elected" The immediate prize is less !;
the principal the same. Aud there is a
danger too that to the local irritation there
nay he added wide spread wrath and
that the local consequences may in some
Of their branches affect the nation at large.
s. the whole country has a deep. interest
in what is done in Maine. Names cleo
t1ral vote may determine the next presi-
Dental contest and the legality of that
yJte will be determined by the lawfulness
Of her state government.
Among democrats opinions differ AS TO
what has been done. The New York
World and the Brooklyn Eagle denounce
and deplore the action of the governor
and council; the Louisville JoWrnGL even
Limits that such meanncss is almost bad
enough to make hemp u good remedy
Independent newspapers, for instance the
Springfield Republican and Boston Herald
lenounce the proceedings. Many demo
cratic newspapers however justify tie
performance. Republican newspapers
of course dcnounce it.
The letter of Gov. Garcelon in his de.
fence is unworthy of public officer. He
pretends 10 give the law and fails to make
mention Of the statute of 1877 on which
the republicans base their case. We looked
in vain for any explanation how he and
his council got over its provisions; there
WAS no mention thlt there was any law
which provides for the vcrification Of re
turns by the reu)rl. If that law was o
doubtful constitutionality it was the duty
Of fair men to yet the opinion Of the SUI
prem9 court. Until declared unconstitu
tonal by competent authority it shoul,
have been obeyed.
The conclusion is one that cannot b'
avoided that the counting by the govern o
and council was not made by fair mel
trying to do their duty but was made Il
effect particular result. When there ar
mist .kes enough to m Ike u change in one
quarter of the members chosen it is absurt
to believe they were all made by on
party. The doctrine Of chances is goo
enough to prove that either democratic
mistakes were overlooked or that correc
tions were allowed to be made by on
purity and not by the other. Besides tn
case mentioned by Gov. Garcelon in hi
letter where a member was counted GU
because the returns contained the sigma
lures OF the selectmen in one handwrtin
turns out to have been an asinine or Grim
inal mistake on the part of the council
for the selectmen, one of them democra
say their signatures were not in the sam
handwriting but that each selectman sigr
ed his own name. 1t is certainly enoug
to enrage the Maine republicans whe
seven or eight men in performing a hig
public duty know so much that they kno