The Portland daily press., 1879-11-19
A BROKEN PROMISE.
Republicans not Allowed to In
SpGCt the Returns,
NOTWITHSTANDING GOV.
GARCELON'S SOLEMN
PROMISE.
The Republican Request and
How it Was Treated.
Republicans Not Allowed
in the Council Chamber.
AN APPEAL TO BE TAX EN- TO
THE SUPREME COURT.
Evidence that the Dem ocrats Have
Seen the Returns.
ACCUMULATING PROOFS OF CON-
SPIRACY.
Republicans Not Allowed
in the Council Chamber.
AN APPEAL TO BE TAX EN- TO
THE SUPREME COURT.
Evidence that the Democrats Have
Seen the Returns.
ACCUMULATING PROOFS OF CON-
SPIRACY.
[snecial DESPATCH to the Press

Especial Despatch to the Press.
! AUGUSTA, Nov. 1S.-The excitement and
the crowd have quite died away from this city.
The former worked itself off and the morning
trains took most of the latter, while the even
ing trains finished them. There are now few
in town save those who live here or have other
than political business on hand. The situation
in regard to TIE count remains unchanged.
Gov. Garcelon yesterday promised fair, but he
suddenly left town this morning and has not
since been seen. He went, it is said, to per-
form some surgical operation. suppose that
is so. He has cut stick if nothing else. But
it seems the Governor did all the promising.
The Council have shown no disposition to full
I'll them, doubtless regarding them as none OF
their property. The Governor said that ample
opportunity should be given for the examina-
ton of the returns, but when the Republicans
asked that privilege today no one seemed to
know anything about any such promise having
| been made.
| This morning ex-Gov Dingley and Hon.
Lewis Barker visited the Council chamber for
| the purpose of making a formal request for
permission to see the returns, but they were
only told that the Council had other business
in hand. Later Austin Harris and j. A.
Locke made formal written application as
members elect for permission to see the re-
turns from respective counties, and they were
also refused When they asked when the re-
turns could be seen, they were in effect told to
find out if they could. And the Council went
ahead hearing pardon cases very industriously
with the Cover Tor absent.
see no reason to alter the opinion of yes
terday that the Council have got their plans
entirely laid and that they have been formed
under legal advice and that any action that
may be taken by the Republicans will have
little weight. The Republicans willssee to it
that the facts in every case are plainly set be-
fore the people. AS good citizens all deprecate
the violation of decency which reversal of
the popular will would be, but as Republicans
they can look on the proceedings with q good
deal of complacency. Every person not elect
ed who is counted in will be worth thousand
votes next September, and coming in Presi-
Dental year this will be particularly accept
able. But as citizens they think the price is
altogether too high. The plain intention of
the Constitution is that those candidates hav-
'1eSS
moned to form the Legislature. 1t is evident
that the trainers of that instrument never had
the shadow of an idea that any other process
would ever be attempted or thought of in
Maine, for from the proceedings upon the
adoption of the Constitution it appears that
the section prescribing the method of issuing
certificates was passed as reported by the COM
mittee without debate while many of the sec
lions were debated at great length.
Among the Democrats, l find singular
unanimity of sentiment, though the most OF
them seen here tonight are of the Office
holding stripe. They all. as a matter of
course deprecate any unlawful or unwarrant-
able action, but they are extremely in favor of
going to the farthest limit of the letter of
the law When asked whether he did not
think such course as contemplated by the
Council would be suicidal to the party, one of
them reioiued profanely, Chow in HI can a
corpse commit suicide"
The Council will probably devote the whole
of the present session to the hearing Of par
dons and transacting other routine business.
They give no hint when they will take up the
returns, but Republicans can rest assured that
their interests will be faithfully looked after
by the Messrs Baker, their counsel, and the
committee appointed at the meeting last even
ing FELIX.
ITO the Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Nov. 1S.-The proceedings to-day
in the Counting OUT of the Republican mem
bers-elect of the Legislature have been i'm
portant and highly significant. From the
interviews between the Republican committee
M tala bady VOC. ardo u tbarn
was some hope that q basis of adjustment
might be reached, but during the night the
rumor became general that members of the
Executive Council would not unite with the
Governor on any plan that involved an ex-
animation of the official returns by any other
person than the members Of the Council, and
this morning when the Republican com mittee
went to the State House they were informed
that Gov. Garcelon had left the city on the
forenoon train, gone no one knew where. The
members of the Council were found to be in
session with Hon. John B. Foster of Bangor
in the chair, but they absolutely refased to see
the committee, not even admitting them for
two minutes to prefer their request. The
committee were informed, however, in the
office of the Secretary of State that the cleo
ton returns had been last evening reported
back to the Council by the examining COM
mittee and the Council had passed order
declaring that the twenty days. of the
statute for receiving applications for correc-
tions of returns should run from that date
Monday, the 18th. AS this order was made
after nightfall and the Council Immediately
adjourned the Republican committee COM
planned that one of the twenty days allowed
by the statute was thus at once and peremptori-
ly cut off
AS soon as the Council had refused to re-
ceive the Republican committee and legal ad-
visers of Senators and Representatives-elect
the Hon Joseph A. Locke, Senator-elect from
Cumberland county, and Hon. Austin Harris,
Senator-eect from Washington county, each
for himself and over his own signature sent
the subjoined communication to the Council
Both of these SenatorS-elect, accompanied by
legal counsel, waited for some hours III the
ante room of the Council chamber for an an
swer to their verbal request sent by the Coun-
cil's messenger to be admitted to the Chamber
to present their request in person. The Coun-
Gil refused to admit them, and the Senators
elect finally sent in the paper which is as fol-
lows:
To the Honorable Governor and Council Of
Maine.
The undersigned respectfully represents that
he was a candidate for the Senate of Maine at
the last annual September election from the
District of Cumberland; that as such he has an
interest in the official returns of votes cast i'll
the several towns and plantations i'll SAID dis
trict, and forwarded to the office of the Secre-
tary of State, and fearing that there may be
defects and informaities in the same which
can be corrected according to the laws of the
State, requests that he may have opportunity
in the presence of your honorable board to ex-
anime said returns by himself or counsel for
the purpose of correcting any defects or in
formalities that mag be found therein as is his
legal right under the laws of this State.
(Signed) JOSEPH A. LOCKE.
Augusta, Me-, Nov. Is, 1879.
Mr.. Harris letter is precisely the same in
effect. Mr.. Locke and Mr.. Harris then served
similar request on the Secretary of State,