The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1880-09-22
The Maine Election.

off the 18th Instant. The first tele-
graphic news reported that Plaisted,
the Fusion candidate for Governor,
had been elected over Davis, Re-
publican, by 5000 majority, and
that the Fusionists had elected
three out of the five Congressmen.
Alter that the reports began to
grow more uncertain and indefinite,
both sides claiming the victory.
The voters of Maine are the most
corrupt on the face of the earth {;
large proportion Of them make it a
ruie to sell their votes to the high.
est bidder, and each political party
has agents appointed to buy votes
just as corn and cotton are bought
in the markets. The following dis
patch to the Philadelphia Times
shows the methods adopted:
AUGUSTA, Me-, September H.
The extent to which money was 10
play part in the election was not
uaguiied in this correspondence of a
week ago. There is not county in
the State from which there are not
reports Of the bribery of voters by the
payment Of money in some foru, and
the Fusionists Of Augusta, Portland,
Bangor and other places have fortified
themselves with atiidavits, which will
be forthcoming if necessary, showing
how great deal was expended lu
some little towns it has become the
fashion for one man to agree to de-
liver 50 many votes for So much
money. This year these ballot brokers
did a thriving business, and either sold
themselves to both sides, with ne.
ccssary result of bctraying either one
purchaser or the other, Or boldly held
auction aud knocked themselves down
to the highest bidder. The way thcy
announce their being in the market
is to vote against their party at the
spring election. 1t is then question
OF whether they and their followers
which sometimes consist of as many
as hundred, but ottcucr of forty cr
! fifty votes, must then be placatcd by
one side or the other, on the most
a"ailable terms. Then there are in
every community those VIGOROUSLY
ready TO dispose Of their own votes,
although they may not be able to con-
troll others. 4 fellow in this town
Was taunted yesterday with selling his
vote for three barrels of -four. lie
SAID he did nothing Of the kind, but
he only got one barrel and one went
to his uncle and the other to his
brOther-iu-law. A country doctor told
NE that he had secured two votes for
his candidate for Governor by giving
two Of his debtors receiptcd bills for
the amount due him for medical at
tendance. Said the venerable ex.Sen-
ator Bradbury, the last Of Maine 5
Democratic senators "Ccrtain things
have grown appallingly in late years.
Men who ten years ago would have
knocked you down for suggesting that
they could be bought will now stand
and dicker about the price" [ men
tion these little things to show the
venality of a large class Of voters in
this State, and to sustain the broad
charge could quote the testimony that
I had within week from & dozen
leading men in both parties. AL
agree, moreover, that there has been
more vote-buying this time than ever
before. 1t sounds queer to hear the
Republicans bringing the charge that
Democratic money carried the State,
for the Fusionists have been noto-
riously poverty-stricken: and hereto
fore it has been the Republicans who
did nearly all the buying, and they
expected to do it this time.
It is not certain yet who has
been elected, as it will require an
official count, and there will proba,
bly, be contests that it will take
some time to settle. One thing is
certain, however, that the RepHbli-
cans have received severe shock
in the election. They claimed that
Davis majority would be at least
5000, and it turns out not more
than one or two hundred, if he has
a majority at al. Tie following
are some Of the latest dispatches:
PORTLAND, September Ill P.
M.-F'our hundred and seventy.two
towns give Davis plurality Of SIS
against a Fusion plurality last year OF
, l29.. Thirty-four towns not received
gave Fusion majority of 527 last
year. II they come in the same as
last year Davis will have left 3G3 plu'
rality. Adding the scattering to that
received we will have 4l6, so that
Davis will not get majority without
further gain Of III.
SENATOR BLAlNE's SECOND THOUGHT.
NEw 1'oaE, September l7.-The
Irtbuac publishes the following dis
patch dated Augusta, Me, September
| lG:
| 1o IFhUriuH, N"id, Tribune The
returns from the collntry towns show
steady aud uniform gains in the Re
publican vote, jus;ityi"g our canvass
in every respect. !u Portland, Ban
gor, Bath, Biadcfo-d, Belfast and
some fifteen or twenty other large