Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-12-19

Dispatches received on Wednesday state
that on Tuesday the Governor and Council of
Maine issued certificates to members Of the
Legislature, and in doing SO perpetrated the
outrage which has been for some weeks fear
ed-that of counting out the Republican ma
iority in both branches. Under this revolu-
tionary action for it can be considered as no
other, Senate, to which the votes Of the
people elected 10 Republicans and T. Demo
Gratis, has been so reversed that it will con-
sist of II Republicans and 20 Fusionists or
Democrats. House to which the people
elected 9S Republicans and GO Fusionists has
been so changed as to contain - Democrats
zone more than q quorum, IS Republicans
and ) vacancies. These changes involve the
defeat of the Republican candidate for Gov
ernor, who had 20, 600 plurality over the
Greenback candidate, 40, 900 over the Dem
ocratic candidate, and who only lacked about
$50 votes of having clear majority. 1t al
SO involves the choice of Fusion State officers
nna gives the tinvern manf nj Maine INTO the
hands of party that the people voted down
thus perpetrating usurpation as complete
as WAS ever attempted in France or Mexico.
The outrage has been accomplished under
the cover of certain frivolous technical er-
rors in the returns, like the returning of q
number of voters as 'scattari ng," the sigma
ture of the returns by but three Aldermen
and the Mayor, and in one instance through
the failure of City Clerk TO sign the return /:
and the Governor and Council have done this
work in the face of a law passed in 1877.
which explicitly requires these officials to cor
rect such technical errors and make the re
turns conform to the expressed will of the
people. The cities of Portland Lewiston
Bath, Rockland and Augusta will not be rep
resented because the Governor and Council
refused to receive the corrected returns in de
fanca of tbis law In Portland where the
Ra,,,,tl;oo,, Io,,r.s.,,o+;,-as l,a5 % l.oe+ 200
AluJorl.!' lhe! Are reJec'eu pecauSe Oh the re-
turn hundred votes, more or less. cast for
boiling Democratic candidates in two Demo
cratic wards. were returned as scattering
and On re.rr,,ad ~ A,,o,rsto Nv The cir Clarf
M ~
AHus '''0oo Peot4e "Hu eisntn u ti4e
taxable properly II the State nave no voice
IN the formation of the State Government
In Cumberland County three Republican
Senators ave raia,ted becarse in tho re+,,r,, of
-, ~. - -, a. -. -. ~ .
oHe W. '1!e '0''9 DeHe 'H SAiHe iol tns
Tour hePubhcsh Candidates, the WORD ditto
was written after the number of votes for the
first man named on the ticket and so on
through the whole list of COMMITTEES citias nv
.o,rrI lii o-o g.. 1o,,;oa ,aS1-,-s,,..,;o-
w" 10 "tii'N a'e ,lu' NeIieu iePi eSen'"'ioH
IN vlolaton OF al law ana precedent
The Boston Herald, which Is the only real
" Independent" journal which we know,
among those speei6callv claiming IN he sucb
cbsractarizes tbis biob bo,dad ,,rooo.d;,,,,
- 3.
anu 'he noti'e "nlcn nes al the Dottom OF H.
as 1t deserves, when 1t says:
The Governor and council taking advep-
tage of their position and power over the re.
turns have SO manipulated them as N re
verse the will of the people. This is The real
point. as il will be considered and indeed in
the public mind. Supposipg that The teebDi.
cal grounds are legally Corrected which
there are grave doubts that we need not dis
cuss-this by no means weakeps the appeal
to the tribunal of last resort in republic
Local officers NAV have been culpably pepB.