The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-12-29
Maine.

MONuA1 s.s.s = = RI
Maine. 5
The Legislature Of Maine will not g.
.en,ble until next WedDesday week--the 7tn
OF January. En- the nesn time the erimlnha.
Him and recrlmination which have Hooded
tbe nress OF that State will go on untnter-
,m,,tinuIy. We have never coantenancesd
any attempt TO set aside the VIII q toe peg,
ple Of Maine; but we have beeH1 carer u
also not to do any injustice TO the DsmoSi avs
!, that state. We have mot Assumed the
statements OF their enemies 70 be true.
On Inc contrary, we have patiently awaited
Developments ip full confidence that 1t
conld not possibly be true that there was
ND .nrecedent 10 The action Of hfs Republican
predecessors in office for the cause pursued
by Governor GARcELOS in counting oqt
members of the Legislature upon mere
technicalities. Our patience has been re-
wardcd at last. We have found what we
were looking for. The Greenback-Lahor
Chronicle, published at Auburn, Name
SAYS that for taenty-three years hepuoh'
can Governor and Council have been count
ing the returns and throwing out defective
reports, "just as the present Governor ana
Council have done,D only that until this
wear no Republican has been thrown
out, while many Democrats have SUI
fered. This statement agrees with the
probabilities Of the case. 1t was never
a probap]y-true assumption that the Gov
ernor of State. had instituted new
methods Of ascertsfning who were elected
members OF the Legislature, and hao
adopted measures which defeated the voters
OF their choice and converted the Executive
Office into a mandatory OF bogus law
makers. 1t did not seem likely that man
OF high character could descend to the
depths OF degradation which disgraced the
Returning Board OF Louisiana in 1875, and
for no other reason than to secure to bis
party and its allies the control OF State
Legislature. And therefore we were ex-
pectine some such revelation as that which
we have referred to as coming from the Au-
burn Chronicle. That paper does not con-
tent itself with. the general statement which
we have already repeated as to the action OF
previous Governors OF Maine, but goes on
to give names and dates-as follows:
.In 1871 Senator Madigan, Democrat,
who bad a majority of the votes In bis dig
tricf, was deprived OF his seat on fecbni-
cality, several townships being thrown out
because the whole number OF votes cast was
not stated in the returns sent to the Secre-
tary's office. In the same year the same
Governor and Council counted in the SEN
ate returns from number OF towns which
gave Republican maJorlties, when neither
OF the returns from either OF the towns con-
tanned the full number OF votes cast. In
another Instance Republican was seated
In the House in the place OF Democrat on
the ground that one or two Democratic
towns had not sent in checklists. Another
Democrat, in that same year, was thrown
out and a Republican given his seat be-
. cause, according TO the report of the Coun-
ell. sthe returns from the town OF Wash
ington, not having been made in conformity
to law, shall not be counted No trouble
seems to have been taken to show why these
returns were not made according to laW.''
Now, one act OF yillainy does not Justify
another; but IL 1t has been the custom In
Maine to decide the elections upon mere
technicalities, and to require strict COM
pliance with the letter Of the law, then the
action Of Governor GARCELoN presents 1t.
self in very different light from that in
which it has been made to appear by The de-
mandatory articles in the Republican pa
pers. The Chronicle adds that never have
the Republicans counted out any OF theii
own party on account Of defective returns
but when there were such returns they were
fixed up. This is exactly the charge
brought against Governor GARCELoN, wht
seems to be push Pgsa fHgfSta y ss beei
playing the game of "heads I win" fol
years, and now they propose to play the
game OF "tails you lose" Let us hear fur
Their from the Pine-Tree State before wt
condemn the Governor and Council as imi
tators of the Returning Board OF Louisiana
OF 1876. t, -
What next? And what will be the re.
sultp The indications are that the whole
affair will be settled peaceably and without
intervention from Washington. The Re.
OH nSSOhiuS iCoS
and the Democrats more reasonable. The
attempt to prevent two OF the seventy.
eight Democrats and Greenbackers return.
cd to the House from assembling together,
and thereby preventing quorum capable
OF doing any business, may succeed but
to what good end we do not understand.
Other schemes may or may not be frus.
trated; butin any event, 1t is to be hoped
that there viii be no bloodshed.
New post-ofiices have been established at
Falmouth, Giles county, Va, and Elisha
Burton appointed postmaster, and at Pa
tricks Mill. Augusta county, in the same
State, with David Berry as postmaster.
Our Petersburg correspondent, who
formed direct Judgment in the election 81
the present Virginia Legislature, will be
pleased to learn that he has disciple In
Maine. MIR. FoGG. Of that State, says:
"The fact that In casting out this LONG
list Of towns the result affected the Republic