Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-12-19

CHICAGO, Dec. 18.-The Daly Ne,us has the
following from Hon. E.. F. Pillsburv:
Augusta, Me-, Dec. 1s.-The apparent Re-
publican majority for members of the legis-
lature was obtained by wholesale, systematic
bribery, bulldozing and fraud. There was q
popular majority for Governor in opposition to
the Republican,. In many districts giving
fusion majority for Governor the Republicans
succeeded in getting a majority for members
of tho legislature by trickery aad other frauds
The Governor and council have not based their
action on these frauds in any instance. not
having jurisdiction, but they have strictly fol-
lowed the constitution and thrown out such
returns as were fatally defective, whether Re.
publican or Democratic. In some counties
more Democratic than Republican returns have
been thus rejected. The Republicans have
been in the habit for years of secretly return
ing defective Republican returns to town off,
GERS for correction, but took advantage of ae-
fects in Democratic returns. During twenty
three years of Republican rule they have never
lost an officer by reason of such defects, while
the
DEMOCRATS HAVE LOST MORE OR LESS NEARBY,
EVERY YEAR
This has served to make Democratic town
officers more careful and the Republicans more
careless. The present Governor and council
have held the Republicans to the strict letter
OF the constitution and laws, and the result is
an anti-Republican majority in both branches.
They have in no case travelled outside of the
precedents established by the Republicans
themselves, and in most of the cases their &C.
ton was
BASED ON OPINIONS GIVEN BY JUDGES OF THE
SUPREME COURT. ..s1.
For instance. the judges gave an optimism in
1875 that the Governor and council could not
count votes returned for VIM. Il. Smith and
W. d. Smith for the same office, as having
been given for one and the same person. Ap-
plying this rule this year changes the result in
a large number of districts. In 1877 the Judges
gave opinions that
RETURNS COULD NOT BE COUNTED
where the signatures Of the officers were writ
ten by other hands than their own. Several
cases OF this class were found this year. In the
same opinion the judges decided returns could
not be counted where the town clerk had
failed to attest them. This rule changes sew.
eral cases cases ALSO Returns from the city of
Portland were fatally defective in not comply
ing with the constitution in giving the names
of persons voted for, with the number of votes
against each name. Some 14O votes were
returned as scattering. This changes
result On three senators and leaves five vacan-
oies in the house. In Lewiston, Saco, Bath
and Rockland the returns were signed by
minority only of the aldermen. The law re-
quires the whole number of ballots to be given
in the returns, and there are
ABUNDANT REPUBLICAN PRECEDENTs FOR RE-
.- .. JECT1Na THEM
where they fail in that respect. So, too, where
there is material difference between the whole
number of ballots and votes stated. Several
changes have resulted from these defects. In
all doubtful cases the governor and council
have consulted eminent counsel before coming
to conclusion, and in every instance the &C.
ton of the board has been unanimous, with
one exception only. With that instance the
question at issue did not affect the character Of
the result. ... -'s-
(Signed,) E. T. PLLsBuRY.