Daily Republican., 1879-12-24
The Maine Usurpation.

The Ifauu ny "hiCh '
Maine have been cheated out Oh the
LEGISLATURE and State officers OF their
own choosing and honestly elected At inc
pills. looks as II it was the beginning
Of greater frauds to follow, and If it is
not checked speedily there will be no
use holding elections any more. IT is
rather a serious business to disfranohise
an entire State and seat majority OF
a Legislature that was never elected,
and to elect Governor by it OF one po-
litical oreed when the people have voted
that candidate Of the opposite party
shall be elected. The most discouraging
thing about the whole matter is the
c0mposure Of a great m any Democrats
who occupy about the same position on
that question that they did upon the
question OF secession just before the
war broke out. While not admitting
that they approve of it they do not
condemn it, aud are willing to profit by
it. one excuse Of tho Democrats is that
Governor Garcelon and his Council have
merely complied with the strict letter
OF the law, and the Republicans having
made that law, they should not COM
pain il its enforcement bears little
hard upon them. This is en- excuse
without either sense or reason. The
Law instead Of having been complied
with has been grossly defed, and the
Governor and his Council have AFRO.
gated to themselves tho power Of the
Supreme Court which alone could de-
eide such questions, 1t il an a5sump-
ton to pretend that law comforting
certain discretionary powers can justify
the preparations of the very wrongs
the law was intended to prevent.
Another insincere and dishonest
device CT the Democracy is to justify
the Maine fraud by saying that it was
no worse than the fraud by which
Louisiana was stolen from the Demo
eats in 1876, and by which Hayes was
made President. II this We're true il
would not be a respectable defence, but
there il not a word of truth in it. THIS
Maine and Louisiana cases are entirely
dissiuiiar. In Maine there vas no
question as TO the majOrities the ode
fees" were trivial infOrma.itiss in tran
seribing and forwarding the returLs,
IL Louisiana the dispute was as 70 the
int gritty of the election itself In
Maiue the Law provided a way of reel.
fyirg technical mistakes, and the can.
yasse.s refused to follow the law. II
Louisiana the law commanded can
vassers to throw out the returns frOu
all districts in Which there was evidence
of bulldozing or terrorism, to treat those
districts as if no elections at all had
been held ia them, and tina. is just
what the cauyassers did.
In Maine there was not single per
son so tar as we have head of that va
kept from voting through violence anc
whole counties were not dr-nChed il
blood az we're several Parishes in Lou
isiana. However granting all the Demo
Gratis claim, and that there was fail
and free election in Louisiana what arr
We to think Of the moral sense Of par
ty which deliberately pleads wrong Is
one person as justification for the CON
mission of tie same crime by an0:ne
person. There has been nothing E,
bad in politics since Tweed net TIE
charge OF being thief with the in
soleut question, "What are you goiDl
to do about itT'
Senator Blaine in his terrible anC
scatuiug denunc.eton Of the WHOLESALE
theft IN making few comparison
shows how great the theft is. He say
thai in the litty-nine years during
which annual elections have been helc
in Maine, Just sixteen Legislatures have
been refused certificates Of election OF
the ground of Irregularities, while il
this one year Governor Garc'IOn ant
his Council fud tnirty-seven such cases
Til, conduct tells it's own story, ex
ce Ut that it does not state that neve
before was a hearing refused in sucl
cases 10 party in interest, and neve
before had an oppotuAity been deniet
to correct defective returns. 1t Is no
much wonder that resistance is TALKED
of in Maine and the organization O
another Legislature suggested, composed
of the Republican members that hav
been granted certificates and those tina
have been refused, and this Legislator
electing Davis the Republican candidat
for Governor, and call upon the Uni
ted States for recognition. Tbs circum
stances Of the case would justify sucl
action, hit we hope the republicans @
Maine will make haste slowly. W
have no doubt whatever that Senate
Blaine and his friends will bSequal t
the emergency and will settle their di1
R.ul4.r LII = mt anu nufsida infarfAI