The Portland daily press., 1879-12-24
WEDNESDAY MORNING, DEC. "a

men. we all understand to be the merest delusi1n.
They lei them into the legislature aIlei teS bas
ture has been wrongfully made up, ana aIter ~ ns
discl rped in an unfair and partisan way, tne re-
snonEi Die duties of legisaion after they nave seat
ed tie Governor by an election tnefe naVlns poe e
one at the nolls after they have filled the state Of
fees: a ter they have taken possession ol po.n
branches of the legislature ley lgt oo So On
and nr0test their hands actually tied IN tnelr lhaDl
itv To do ANYTHING effective. (Applause9 say such
remedy and such an appeal Is Inc ;niury
nlaliseA had no doubt when the Ihl0rnnatloh wa
yen TO the public it was in all the Leading Jour
nails of all parties that the men had Voleu lol III
this civ we're defeated that they lacked some seven
hundred votes if recollect right, OF an election.
Mr. Talbot went on to give his views OF sne co ~
stitution and the laws differing somewhat from tne
chairman but giving it as his opinion that no pre-
cedent case can be found to justify the cobauGU u
the canvassing board in dlstranchlslg foIll ;o,
Whn the scrutiny of thu returns he sald was gwen
to the Governor and Co 1nei 1t was never suPposeu
II would be DO possbeto elect to the once OF GOV
ernor a man who in the blindness OF partlsah Ieenns
onld disreaard all the painest principles OF JUS
tce think that the Governor ana Councll are NOV
to cocsider anything outside OF the returns. TAP
vIanse1 He then reviewed the worst cases OF out
Taoe and closed by suggesting that the proper ren'
edy is an appeal by the unseated Representatives to
the Legislature ITSELF and in case that falIs 10 the
neople at the ballot box next september
HON. NATHAN WEBB
was then introduced and received with hearty
applause.
He said he reioced on reading the cal to find it
was stoned without regard to former political or
party association; that this was meeting to ex-
press the Indignation of the people at wnat they
halieve and know to be violent blow at their intre-
est and an assault upon their INSTITUTIONS ana de-
structve of the fundamental idea OF tne government
we have been so proud of and under which we have
lived SO successfully Tor hundred years. Mr.
webb went on to express the opinion that the acts
of the canvassing board are Illegal and arbitrary
NV law and eOuitV, lie closed broad
and able discussion of the issue with counselhng
moderation in act and speech.
AT the conclusion of Mr.. Webb's remarks
the Hon. A. A. Strout, one of the defranchised
representatives stepped to the front OF the
platform and was received with a whirlwind
of applause. Mr. Strout said:
Less than four months ago the people of this city
assembled for the purpose of expressing their
choice for state and county offices and for select
ing their Senators and Representatives to the
Legislature of the state. They had an important
dufv TO persorm both because of the gravity of the
issues involved in the campaign and and because OF
the Importance to the city of subjects OF legsla-
ton likely to arise involving the fixing OF the val
uaton of the property of citizens for the pur-
poses of taxation for the next ten years. and otner
business interests of great moment TO all BESIDES
il was the highest right exercised by citizen living
under a free government-the right to have q voice
in the enactment of the laws regulating his liberty,
his property and his relations to society. and the
RIGHT to assist in choosing the public servants in
trusted with the duty OF the execution OF tnese laws
The discussion which preceded the election had
been full and exhaustive, and although II IS now no
ticeable that one party at least took but little part
in these public Debates the people came TO the cleo
ton with an intelligent appreciation OF what men
and what measu res they preferred. You know the
result By a majority of nearly 700 votes the clt1-
zens of Portland elected the men whom they desr-
ed to represent them in these various oces trust
and that verdict stands to-day and will stand as the
will of the people in spite of the Vaccinations and
shameful disregard OF duty of the reckless and in
most cases irresponsible men who assembled IN the
Council chamber at Augusta for the purpose OF
thwarting that will and reversing that decision.
And now this tribunal of self-constituted judges
have denied to the Representatives OF your selee-
ton the certificates of their election and in other
instances have issued their summons to meni who
have been elected to the offices they were called
to fill To personally this act of nusticeis of very
little importance. Had we been permitted, we
should trust have discharged the duties OF repre-
senting your interests fearlessly and concienonsy
and that in this regard should have represented
with equal fidelity the interests OF all, hateVef
may be their participates or religious faith Great
Applause But in the deeper and more comprehen-
sive disaster involved IN this assault upon represen
tative government and public morals and good faith
allpersonal and private considerations Vansh ana
are swallowed up in an indignation at thea public
wrong perpetrated upon the people at largeaand in
our anxiety for the fnture of Republican institu-
tons.
And now why are we thus deprived of our rights?
1t is not charged-at least not publicly charged
that the election not fairly conducted and that
any citizen was not allowed to exercise his right of
voting as he wished and for whom he wished. All
the re luirements of the law touching the calling
and conducting the election were complied
with. so far as the people were concerned. The
vote was fairly and correctly counted and publicly
announced, and at the close of the day no one had
any doubt to the result. 1t had not then occur
red to our law abiding citizens, accustomed they
to believe that their will would be respected by
their servants, that Governor and Council would
be found base enough-would dare to seize upon the
State and set aside for partzan purposes the will of
the people expressed at the polls But very soon
the air was full of of their plots and to-day
a all
business and commercial interests, is unrepresented
in the House of Representatives Now what is the
pretext for this outrage? The constitution and
laws provided that the clerks of cities shall make
record of the lists of votes given in the several
wards and that return thereof shall be made in
to the Secretary of States Office in the
selectmen of towns are required to do. What is
the purpose of this return? The constitution and
laws make answer. 1t is that the Governor and
Council shall examine such returned copies of snch
lists, and that they shall issue summons, twenty
days before the first Wednesday in January 'to
such persons as shall appear to be be elected by
plurality of all the votes returned" That is the Ian
guage of the constitution.
The Legislature by subsequent enactment have al
lowed the amendment of defective returns in accord
ance with the record. Now l hold in my hand
certified copy of the last return from this city, 1t
shows the original to have been properly signed, al
though believe this certified copy, being made on
tio spaces appear for the sigma
ture of the aldermen. Our aldermen did not fall in
to that little trap. Some other cities did. l will
read the return. N1r. S. reads) Now does it not
appear who elected by plurality of the votes?
Yes it appears that the five Republican Representa-
tives, headed by the esteemed and lamented Moses
M. Butler were elected by clean majority of near
ly seven hundred votes AT the bottom of the list
are written the words "scattering, one hundred and
forty-three.' They were SO entered in accordance
with custom which has prevailed in all reports and
returns of this kind since the formation of this
State where the scattering votes were so few that
the result would not be changed And it turned out
in the investigation which followed in the presence
of the Mayor and Aldermen Of this city that all the
clerks and wardens of the several wards had return
ed all the different persons voted for except Ward
one. From that ward, which threw q Democratic
majority the clerk inadvertently returned scatter
ing fourteen" But fortunately he preserved and
returned the original ballots to the city clerk and
and clerk OF the ward every scattering vote for SEN
ators and Representatives was accounted for So
there was no fraud and no mistake in fact. That
at Augusta, offered to show to the Governor and
Council. And yet upon this miserable pretext
which added, substracted or disregarded made no
difference in the result, pretext which is without
even color OF law, this city has been disfranchised
And now let us see. hold in my hand a certified
copy Of the return of last year. 1t is the by
Darius II. Ingraham and Frederic Fox, ali belong,
ing to the opposition, held their seats; ,men by
whose votes the name of Governor Garcelon was
sent to the Senate and by whose aid he now holds
the seat he has dsgraced by his action That return
contained precisely the same defect which is now
held by the Governor and Council to be fatal. 1t
was good enough then to enable these men to take
their seats and elect Garcelon and the state officers
including Mr. Cove, but it is not good now. Fatally
ueIectlVe! Is ANYBODY deceived about that? In
stead of that returns being defective, say to you
that, in my opinion, if an indictmenG should be
found against the Governor and Council for a cor
rupt conspiracy against the institutions of free gov
eminent, and contained No more material error
than that found i'll this return they could not
escape, on the ground of informality the punish
ment they so richly deserve.
And now what is our duty as your representatives?
have not consulted with my colleagues but if thew
are of the same mind that 1 am we Shall claim the
seats to which you have done the honor to elect
us and use every honorable to carry out your
will. prolonged applause. We hope
that the opposition will repudiate this action taken
believe in the interests of a few reckless and des
perate men, and without consultation with the con
sentative men OF their party and the State this
and disgrace. L deprecate all violence
Revolutionary acts only justifable when the
cause is right when the grievance is SO intolerabe
that 1t can no longer be borne and wherethere is no
other redress. But there is another power more
potent than armed men, and that is an aroused and
intelligent public opinion. On every SIDE from the
pulpit, the press and from primary meetings of the
people, come the expressions of alarm and disgust
which this astounding fraud eXctes. In his recent
so called defence Gov. Garcelon speaks of this
as the action of 'enraged and discomforted
politicians" He is in erfor-It is the voice of the
people calling him to account for his BETRAYAL of
the trust they confided to his keeping Ali the
teachings of our past history all that is noble in the
men who have preceded him rise up to condemn him.
fortunately the genius of the state and the fate of
he republic do not depend upon the acts of the Gov
ernor and Council. The people constitute the state
and to their keeping and vindicaton may safely
sntruSt those institutions of free government which
nave BEEN rudely assaled by the men whose duty
was to defend them with their lives. [Great APP
,lause
The Hon. w. w. Thomas Jr. then submit |