Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-12-31
HOW MINE VAS STOLEN.

The Democrat last week devoted con-
siderable space to defence of Governor
Garcelon for his action in turning the
legislature over to the democrats after
the republicans had fairly carried it. The
Democrat with the most brazen impu-
dence, starts off by denying that "even
on the face of the returns, the republic
cans cast greater number of votes than
the opposition and elected a majority OF
both houses of the legislature. With
such premises, it is easy enough for The
Democrat to conclude that Garcelon has
done no wrong But there was never a
greater preversion of fact than that of
The Democrat. There is not democra-
tic paper in the Countrywide Water
town Democrat not excepted-which did
not Immediately after the Maine election
publish the fact that the state had gone
overwhelmingly republican. For pur-
poses best known to themselves. however
the democrats have now conceived the
idea of thwarting the will of the people
and DISTINGUISHING $1,000 voters in that
state. AS told by senator Blaine in a
speech few nights ago "the result of
this pitiful and wicked pettifogging is to
change republican majority of in the
senate and 20 in the House to fusion
majority of 9 in the senate and II in the
house, with five republican cities COM
pletely disfranchised and denied by the
governor and council the poor boon of
new election-so that Portland, Lewiston
Bath, Rockland and Saco are absolutely
rendered incapable of taking any part in
the organization of the legislature or in
the choice of governor, or in the election
of state officers, or in the original compo-
sition of the house committees, which
shape and practically control legislation.
These five cities have a valuation of
more than SOL 900, 900, and pay nearly
| one-quarter of the entire taxes of the
state To be accurate they pay % per
cent ..of the whole This very year the
fusion state government has levied and
collected from these cities more than
5000, 900 of taxes, and now by virtue of
a disgrace full trick concocted in the office
| Of the secretary of state, four OF these
| cities are disfranchised. The fifth, port
laud) pays $11S,000 of taxes, and is de-
| MED representation on the paltriest of
dishonest pretexts, and is not even allow
ed the opportunity Of a new election"
There is not the slightest pretence that
there were any irregularities in voting or
| material errors in the ballots. The mis-
| takes where any exist, are merely clerical.
such as any board of canvassers is likely
to make, and were never known to vitiate
a return. For instance, the vote Of Port
land was thrown out because in one ward
the word scattering" was used to cover
a few ballots. Pennington was disfran-
chised on account of an error of addition
in stating the total number of votes,-an
error which could no affect the canvass
because the number of votes for each can
d date was given correctly. Nearly 600
republican votes were discarded in Show
hegan because the names ON the ballots
were printed in two columns instead of
one. And the most peculiar feature of
the case is that all these errors are in re-
publican returns, the democrats having
had access to their and corrected them
where similar plumbers had been made
while the republicans were not accor> ed
the same privilege. As far as political
results are concerned we say let the
Maine democrats 60 ahead and carry out
their infamous schemes for the republi-
can party will be the gamer in the end.
But morally it would be well for them to
call halt. But this they will not do.
They mean to not only steal the state
now, but again in 1880 and have it's
electoral vote counted for the democratic
candidate for the presidency if they can.
Furthermore if successful in this opera
ton they mean to count the republicans
out in enough other states to win, no
matter what the honest vote may be. Of
this there can be no doubt. 1t is the
plain duty of republicans in New York
and other close and doubtful states to
provide against this contingency, and
change the law as regards choosing presi-
Dental elections. Let them be chosen
by the legislature, as was formerly done,
and thus nip in the bud the plan which
has already been agreed upon by the
democrats for counting their candidate
in, even though he may receive the
smallest number of votes.
| HOW DEMOCRATS LOOK At 1T.