Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-12-24
The Maine Swindle.

As ought to have been expected, the whole
sale political outrage, whereby the governor
and council of Maine, taking advantage of
their official position and power over the re-
turns, have so manipulated them as to re-
verse the will of the people, has raised a
storm of indignation among the independent
freemen of the Pine-tree state which the
guilty conspirators will find it difficult to
quell. As was foreshadowed last week, the
Infamous plot results in changing Repub-
lican majority of seven in the senate and
twenty-nine in the house to fusion majority
of nine in the senate and seventeen in the
house, with the populous cities of Portland,
Lewiston, Bath, Rockland and Saco, which
have valuation of more than fifty-one mil
lions of dollars, and have nearly one quarter
of the entire taxes of the state utterly dis
franchised And all this is done upon the
mere technical plea of informality. There
is no pretense of fraud in the returns, or
even Of such errors or oversights as to leave
the intention of the voters in doubt. These
informalities were committed by the local
canvassers, not by the voters themselves
The following are specimens In Portland,
where the Republican representatives had
majorities of more than five hundred, the
vote is rejected, and the chief city of the
state is DISTINGUISHED, because, though the
votes of the successful candidates and their
chief competitors were correctly stated, a
few votes for boiling candidates in two
wards were returned as scattering" in
stead of giving the names in full, with the
number of votes for each. In other cities
the returns are rejected because signed by
only three aldermen, the blanks forwarded
from the secretary's Office having space for
that number only From Cumberland county
three senators are thrown out becausein the
returns from one town, each Republican
candidate having the same number of votes,
the number was written out in full only after
the first name, and the word ditto was
used after the others. These are such mis-
takes as the law of 1877 was intended to af-
ford an easy remedy for; fact of which
the conspirators were well aware; but cor
rection of Republican returns was exactly
what they-the conspirators-didn't want.
A rousiug mass meeting was held at Au-
gusta on Friday last, to protest against the
outrageous usurpation. Ex-Governor Con-
nor presided, and Senator Blaine and others
made ringing speeches. The following reso-
lutious were unanimously adopted
First-'rhat a republican form Of government
requires and demands the prompt and hearty sub
mission of all to the will Of the majority as ex-
pressed at the polls, and any attempt TO thwart
this will or deprive the people Of their choice is a
crime against liberty which, II successful will I'M
dermne civil order, corrupt society and lead to
| boodshed and anarchy.
Second-That Alonzo Garcelon, governor OF
| Maine, and the seven executive councillors asso-
| ciated with him, have forfeited the confidence
and earned the condemnation OF the people Of
this state by falsely declaring the result of the
cent election and attempting to install the minor
| ity in power over the majority. They have com
mitted this crime knowingly, willfully, deber
ately, with light before their eyes and in defiance
| of Inconsistencies evidence and proofs submitted
them by aggrieved, outraged parties
7hird-rhat great crime of this kind, at
tempted for the first time in Maine, cannot carry
| with it the authority OF law and must not be per
mitted to gain its wrongful and wicked design
We call on all good citizens to unite with us il
ayerting this threatened calamity, and we max,
a special and direct appeal to those men who
| were fraudulently counted in as senators and rep
resentatives not to contaminate their honor no
soil their consciences by accepting the wages o
sin. They each and all have II in their power I,
refuse to act as receivers of stolen goods and thu
escape the brand of infamy which surely await
thieves.
A conference of the leading Republican
of the state, including the delegation in con
gress, was called for Monday evening las,
to decide what course shall be pursued il
the exigency.