The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-12-23

of Maine. Let it be especially remembered that
Gov Garcelon and his Council do not even claim
that they have knowledge of single illegal vote in
any one of the numerous towns whose returns they
have rejected. They do not claim to show that any
vote was cast without being counted, or counted
without being cast, or that the people anywhere
voted differently from the returns made. They only
claim that certain returus were defective on techni,
cal points, narrow andimmaterial in themselves and
easily corrected under the laws of the state ana
then they claim the right to set aside and dsobey
tho.e laws They hold the towns accountable for
not complying with the striceSt letter and the last
exaction of one statute and then defanty proclaim
their right to nullfy another statute in the same
book on the subject. In other WORDS they
claim that the statute regulating the duty of town
officers shall be fulfilled to the uttermost and mi
nutest point while the statute prescribing the duty
of the Governor and Council may be set aside by a
sort of plenary power of dispensation extended to
them alone.
1t has taken centuries to educate the Anglo-Saxon
race to submit to majority of one, and the moment
we refuse to submit and attempt to overthrow
popular election on any preteXt whatever Republi-
can government is imperlled il not lost. The ma
tions of Latin origin have suffered the reproach of
not being able TO maintain a republic because the
party beaten the polls would resort to the sword.
But terrible and calametous as this resource is it
has in it element of manly daring that places it
high above the despicable meanness of cheating the
people by false count made by the men who are
solemnly sworn to perform that duty faithfully i'm
partially and honestly. Maine has hitherto been
blessed by honest government no matter which
political party was in power, and when the people
decrecd change the state administration has al
ways shown ready and chearful acquiescence in the
popular will. The Adams men yielded to the Jack
son men, the Democrats to the Wings, the Wings to
the Democrats, the Democrats to the Republicans,
and the Repu blicans to the present dynasty not
merely with readiness but with chivalrc courtesy
and good feeling that did much to remove the asper
ity of the proceeding contests For the hrst tlnlo
in our his tory the party defeated at the polls re-
fuses to obey the popular DESIRE soils the records OF
the state with fraud and invites the reign OF an
archy 1t is for the people whose will desplsed TO
find their remedy and vndicate their sovereignty. .
At this very point while the pen is in my hand and
the ink is not dry the last paragraph the letter
of Gov. Garcelon reaches me. beg you TO READ IL
with care and see with what emphasis the Governor
dwells on all the minute directions for the town OIL
GERS and how he entirely avoids stating that equaly
minute directions are prescribed by the same law
making power for the Governor and Council. HAD
these directions been followed the technical defects
in every return would have been cured But the
Governor and Council chose TO disobey them and
ciary in declaring them unconstitutional. In his
letter to the public Governor Garcelon remembers
to forget all reference to this controli-
ing fact in the whole case. can
and compaisance with which the Governor refers
the rejected Republican members to packed
House and Senate for final adjudication OF their
rights After empaneling the sworn twelve with
necessary prejudgnent of the case, the mercl1ul
Governor turns to the innocent man who IS wrong
fully and wickedly accused and harangues him up
on the virtues of trial by jury. 1t will be turtlef
observed that Gov Garcelon deals only in generall-
ties. He does not give the reasons in the cases o.
the thirty-seven victims who were counted OUT
Democrats beyond the state socitous for the honor
of their party have demanded of Gov. Garcelon the
reasons for his extraordinary conduct and he seeks
to Justify himself in their eyes by quoting the stat
have been counted in previous years. The question
remains and recurs, how did Gov. Garcelon apply
the statutes? Let him answer that and when hon
orable Democrats outside the state ask MN 1oi
bread let him not give them stone.
Very respectfully, =,
(SigneO JAMES u. BLAINE.