Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-12-27
TRUE INWARDNEss OF THE MAINE
MIDDLE.

CHICAGO, Dec Is. The Daily
News has received the following from
Hon. l.. F. Pillshury:
"AUGUsTA, Me. Dec. 1S.-The APP
parent republican majority tor menu
bers Of the legislature, was obtained
by wholesale systematic bribery,
hull-huZing aud fraud. There was IL
popular majority for governor i'll OPP
Do sitiun to The tepublirans. lm many
districts giving Fusion majnritics for
governor, the republicans succeeded
in getting msjprity for members
of the legislature 10y trickery and
other frauds. The governor aud
council havemOt based their action Oh
these frauds in amy instance. not
having Jurisdictions, hut they have
strictly followed The constitution ana
thrown out such returns al were
fatally defective, whether republican
or democratic. In some counties
both democratic and republican re-
turns have thus been rejected. lhe
republicans have hren III the habit
for yenrs OF secretly returning tie
fectivr republican returns To the
town officers for correction, but took
advantage of the defective demo-
cratic IL During the twenty
three years of republican rule, they
have never lost an officer by reason
of such detects, while the democrats
have lost more or less nearly every
wear. This has served to make the
democratic town officers careful and
the republicans more careless. The
present. governor and cUuncl have
held the republicans to the strict let
ter of the constitution and laws, and
the result Is Ill anti-republlcan ma
jurlty in both branches. They have
in no case travelled outside Of piece
dents established by the republicans
themselves, and in most OF the cases
their action was based on opinions
yiven by judges OF the supreme court.
For instance, a judge gave al opinion
III 1875 that the governor and c"uhcli
could NOT count the votes returned
for VIM. ii. Smi Il and w. ii. Smith.
:ur the same %Gflicr, as having been
given f,,r ore and the same person.
Appl. ing this rul. tins year, CHI nges
will result IN Il large number uf dis
tricts.
In 1878 the judges gave Tho opini""
that the returns could not be counted
where the signatures of the officers
we're written by othriSIiands than
thei: own.
Several ca -es of this class were
found this year. In the same opinion
the jn,ises ,i-rid. Il that The returns
could not he counted where the town
clerk had failed to attest them. This
rute changes s 'vGral cases also.
Returns from itr city OF P"r'lind
were fatally d., feclive in not comply
ing win the runsi tuition III giving
names of persons v. ted for with the
number nt votes against each name.
Som" 40 vets were returne ~
.sscaitering." This changes Il c re-
suit on three senators and leaves tiv+
vacancies in the house.
In Lewiston. SEQ, Bath, and Rock
land, returns were signed bv only u
minority of the aldermen. The law
requires that the whsle number oi
ballcts be given in the returns,and
here are abundant republican prece-
dents for rejecting them where they
nj III that respect so, TOO, where
here is Il material difference between
the whole number of ballots and
votes stated. Several changes havc
resulted from these defects. In the
ioubtfu! cases the governor II coun-
i have consulted eminent c0uns Ell
before coming to a conclusion, and in
very instance the action OF the board
has been unanimous, with one cXcep-
ion, and i'll that instance the
question at issue did not affect the
laracter Of the result"
EFF PJILSRURY.