The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-01-13
EgS' TELEGRAPH.
AUGUSTA.
REPUBLICANS TAKE POSSES
SION OF THE STATE
HOUSE,
And Organize a New LGgiS|a-
THE PENDING QUESTIONS
TO BE SENT TO THE
COURTS.
Gen. Chamberlain Refuses to
Recognize Lamson.
A Fusion Official Undertakes to
BuIIdose Gen. Chamberlain,
BUT MEETS WITH POOR sue
CESS.
Gen. Chamberlain Refuses to
Recognize Lamson.
A Fusion Official Undertakes to
BuIIdose Gen. Chamberlain,
BUT MEETS WITH POOR sue
CESS.
Especial Despatch to the Press

| Especial Despatch to the Press.l
AUGUSTA. Jan. 12.-At an early hour this
morning Gen. Chamberlain issued an order
cautioning all military organizations to be
careful how they obeyed any but legal au-
thority and for the present to obey such orders
only as come from him. 1t was issued by Gen.
Chamberlain with view to prevent inexpe-
rienced commanders from getting themselves
into trouble In case the Fusion policy should
be to order out the militia over his head the
risk to them would be very great in obeying
orders from usurpers authority. Gen. Cham
berlain chose to take the entire responsibility
on himself by giving all military organizations
imperative orders to obey nobody but him,
thus holding his subordinates exmept from the
dangerous consequences of making mistake
In any emergency it is pretty safe to say that
our militia would obey nobody else but Gen.
| Chamberlain.
| Cove Fails to Get the Election Returns.
Secretary of State Cove called at General
| Chamberlaiu's headquarters about 8 o'clock
this morning and demanded that the election
returns in the Executive Chamber should be
! given to him as they were properly in his
| custody. The Generals reply was that his
| view oft all along has been that he should
| hold everything in that chamber just as Gov.
| Garcelon left it; that he might turn it over to
| his successor exactly in the condition in which
| he found it. The General would not say how
ever that he would refuse to deliver the
| returns to any authority he was satifed he had
| the right to demand them. He told Cove
that he should decline to place them in his
hands, and if he would make his request in
writing he would give the answer in writing.
Cove has not reduced his request to writing.
Hypocritical Fusionists.
The Fusionsts affect to be jubilant over
their doings Of to-day. They say we now have
regularly constituted legislature and
governor, and this has been accomplished in
perfectly lawful manner and in accordan ce
with the forms of law. Now if the Republi-
cans continue to keep away and thereby con-
tinue to obstruct the progress of legis-
lation then we can go before the country
and show that the responsibility and its con-
sequences are with them. Lanlson is lawful
governor and as such he must be respected and
obeyed accordingly, and the opinion OF Chief
Justice Mellen in the case of Nathan Cutter
in 1929 when as President of the Senate he
became governor in consequence of the de-
cease of Lincoln is cited as precedent which
they have followed The Fusionists say that
Lamson is now ready to swear in the sixty
Republicans; and it is also reported that the
twelve Representatives from the cities will
now be allowed to come and take their Seats
If the Fuslonists cannot get quorum how
they will then proceed is question. Some
think they will confine themselves to the al
legged bribery investigation, while others be-
lieve they will go at once to laws and legisla-
ton generally.
Lamson and Chamberlain.
One Of the most important questions asked |
after Lamson was qualified as Governor has |
been whether he will recognize Gen. Cham
berlain. There were various reports about the |
matter, some to the effect that Gen. Chamber
lain would be placed under arrest if he refus- |
ed to obey Lamsons mandates, and others that |
he would be unmolested, but would be allowed |
to continue to act under Garcelon's order. |
He never asked for the keys of that |
chamber of Gen. Chamberlain who has them |
in his possession. He has taken up his quar- |
tiers in the Council climber.
The Republicans Organize Legislature |
Late this afternoon the Republicans brought |
the crisis to a head by organizing Legislature |
of their own in the State House. Between |
and o'clock they commenced entering the |
State House by twos and threes until there |
was large crowd in the rotunda At that |
time it was period of unusual quiet at Gen. |
Chamberlains headquarters. Two OF the Re |
publican members-elect had dropped in there |
and in quiet way asked him if the members |
elect who had not been qualified could have |
the use of the legislative chambers for the
purpose of holding meeting. He told them
he saw no reason why they should not, and as |
he likes to have everything in writing, he sat
down and began writing an order which they |
might have as their protection against inter-
ference. The Generals theory as to the use of |
the halls has been from the first that all who
claim seats there should be entitled to enter
the halls at proper times and that he would |
protect members against all outside interior
ence, but would not protect one political party
as against another. AS he anticipated some
protest from the Fusionsts against the occu-
patton of the halls by the Republicans, he
deemed itprudent to give them the identical
assurance he gave Speaker Talbot of the Fus-
ion House few days since, the following be-
ing copy
STATE HOUSE, AUGUSTA, Jan. II, 1880.
To S. j. Young and Geo. E. Weeks, Esqs.
Gentlemen,-I have received your request
for my permission to occupy the legislative
halls for use of members elect of the Senate
and House, and have to say in reply that L
consider those halls are subject to their uses
for all proper purposes. expressed the same
view to the Hon. j. G. Talbot on the 9th inst,
in the following language
81 shall not interfere in the occupancy of the hall
of the House of Representatives by those who are
claim to be elected by the people to seats there
in, nor shall permit !, others to interfere. l will
cy and peaceful possession when they shall DESIRE.
The same privilege will of course be extend
ed to you as others. Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
JOSHUA l.. CHAMBERLAIN,
Major-General.
While Gen. Chamberlain was writing this
order, DIR. Lancaster, Superintendent of Public
Buildings, came into his presence in a frenzied
hurry and shouted, "Gen Chamberlain, there
is mob pushing upon the staircase and are
going to break into the Representatives Hail."
"Are you sue it's mob asked Gen. Cham
berlain Lancaster replied that it wasn't the
legal House, and any other men were a mob.
The General quietly told him that every man
who was elected by his constituents should be
permitted to enter that hall whether he had a
certificate or not. Gen. Chamberlain then
sent Gen. Brown of his staff to see who the
men were and also to ask Mayor Nash to step
in. Gen. Brown reported that the men were
all members elect. Lancaster then yelled
"That is mob and I forbid them going into
the Hall!'' "Then," says the General, "these
gentlemen will go into the Hall if they de-
SIRE "They shant!" exclaimed Lancaster,
81 am superintendent of public buildings and
1 forbid it. Irepudiate your authority, Gen.