New-York tribune., 1879-11-12
4 THREATENED FRAUD N MINE.
The election in Maine September s for
,rnor resulted as follows

DAVIS ltcpubllcanl. ..--..-.-..-b0,lb
Smith lGreenhackcIl l..---..----...-.------ll, 1910
Gnrcclon QeuiOcr l.l4B
Bon Bradbury and dscattering....--.----- 81
As the Constitution of Maine requires at the
popular election an absolute majority over all,
it viii be seen that Mr.. Davis, though having
an overwhelming plurality, fell a few votes
short of an "clection by the people" The
choice Of Governor thus dcv0ves upon the
Legislature, and the rule prescribed in the
Constitution is that the House shall send to
the Senate two names selected from the four
highest voted for and the Senate shall there
upon, by majority vote, select from these two
the one who shall be Governor of the State
BY the regular official returns. the Republi-
cans elected nineteen Senators and the Demo-
crats and Greenbackcrs together elected
twelve Senators. In the House the Republi-
cans elected ninety-one representatives
and the combined opposition elected sixty.
The Republicans thus have n clear ma
iorlty of seven in the Senate and of thirty
one in the House ; and under the forms Of
law and in precise accordance with the spI1t
and letter OF the Constitution, they have the
right and power to choose their Governor
when the Legislature assemblies in January.
Under the Constitution and laws of Maine
the Governor and Council are required to send
certificates of election to those Senators and
Representatives who, on the face of the re-
turns, appear to be chosen !" and If the re-
turns are irregular or defective in form they
may, under certain prescribed restrictions,
call on the city and town authorities for such
corrections rs will make the returns conform
to the actual results as written in tho munich
I l. 10 Of 81
ernor and Council ends, and most properly
ends, for all further official scrutiny is re-
manded to the Senate and House, which are
made by the Constitution the sole judges of
"the election and qualification of their own
members"
The Governor and Council are about to
meet at the State Capital TO order the certi-
fcates of election to be made out and deliv-
cred, and for weeks past the air has been
full of rumOrs that they were intending to
constitute themselves q sort Of L0uisi-
ana Returning Board, and assume the author
ity to revise and recount the returns of the
September election. The special object of
this rumored movement is to throw out enough
Republican votes to give the Democrats and
Greenbackers control of the Senate. Should
the Republicans of their choice for Governor,
because in sending the name of Mr. Davis,
they would be compelled to associate with
him one of the three next highest In the vote
for Governor, and thus the Republicans would
only be left choice between Mr.. Smith, the
Greenback candidate. Mr.. Garcelon, the Dem
ocratic candidate, and Mr.. Blon Bradbury, a
well known aud leading Democrat, who re-
ceiyed the vote above quoted and thus be-
came fourth on the list of constitutional can
didates.
Ii is very instructive and suggestive fact
in this connection-as detailed to us by a
correspondent who has lately Investigated all
the facts on the ground-that the Democrats
were exceedingly anxious in advance of the
election to have Mr.. Bion Bradbury receive
enough votes to make HIM constitutional
candidate" thus clearly foreshadowing the
fraud and conspiracy which are now said to
be in process of further development. Mr.
f.. F.. Pillsbury, a well-known Democratic
editor In Maine Is said by our correspondent
to have made careful preparation to give Mr.
Bradbury the requisite number of votes 1t
pointedly increases the enOrmity OF the
threatened fraud to find that it was provided
for with cool deliberatiOn and calculation In
advance of the election. when the people at
large had not yet an opportunity to cast n
single ballot indicating their choice of their
own rulers. That choice, II seems, was to be
set aside, II distastcful to the Democracy, and
set aside. indeed by devices and by machinery
new at least to the people of Maine
1t is further limited that II the fraud goes
forward as now projected, Governor Garcelon
and his Council do not intend to con1ne them
selves to revision and recount of the returns.