Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-01-30
Collapse of the Maine Infamy.

The conspiracy of the Fusionists i'm
Maine to seize the Government, in vio-
lation of law and of the popular will as
expressed at the last election, has been
crushed, and the only regret now is
that its authors cannot be severely pun
ished for their audacity and monstrous
dishonesty. Their failure, however, is
disastrous and complete, and they have
branded themselves with dishonor and
the Democratic party with shame. The
Legislature elected by the people is in
rightful possession of the Government,
a lawful Governor has been lawfully
elected, and the functions of State will
now be exercised by those whom the
people have clothed with them.
The desperate position in which the
Garcelon.Smith-Pil Pillsbury clique and
their followers found themselves is
shown by their persistent effort, even to
the verge of bloOdshed an anarchy, to
subvert the will of the majority of the
people. They foughtagainstlaw justice,
and the will of the people to the very
last, but the Republican position was
as impregnable as the rock of Gibral-
tar, against which these dishonest and
disrePutable demagogues dashed them
selves in vain. They might even have
pleaded some extenuation for their in
fanny had they withdrawn when their
Governor voluntarily submitted the case
to the Supreme Court for its opinion,
but they hung on to their infamous
conspiracy to the last, evidently hoping
to intimidate and scare away the Re-
publicans from their position. Then
was the time to have gracefully surrenD
dered and covered their retreat. Fail
ing in this, they are now compelled to
stink and crawl away, branded with
the scorn and contempt and pursued
with the indignation of ali honest men.
The Maine conspiracy was the first
step in plot to steal the Presidency
next year. Had it been successful they
would have stolen other States, no
matter how they had voted, wherever
they could have had sufficient legisla-
tive control to have given them the po-
litical forms and processes. Having
the majority in both Houses of Con-
gress, they would have counted out the
sufficient number of States necessary to
seat usurper in the Presidential chair,
and would have pointed to the success
of the larceny in Maine as an indorse-
ment of their villainy, as well as to
show how safe thing it is to steal q
Government away from the majority of
the people. The Republicans would
have been kicked out, the elections
would have been nullifed, and repub-
lican institutions would have been a
farce. 1t was the last despairing effort
of the desperate Democracy to subvert
the will of the people and to destroy
the decisions of the majority as ex-
pressed at the ballot box. All good
men will rejoice at its failure. All
lovers of honest government will re-
joice that the people of Maine have not
been swindled out of their lawful
rights, and that the men elected by
them not only have taken their right
full places, but also have the law, the
courts, the Sheriffs and the military
power on their side to maintain their
rights; but the lesson is none the less a
salutary one, and should teach the
people to be on the alert against any
other conspiracy which the desperate
leaders of the democracy may lIsiUUh "
thwart their will. We do not look for
any further trouble in Maine, but,
should the baffled demagogues attempt
to assert themselves, it is to be hoped
that they will be apprehended and
thrown into Jail without delay, and
that they will suffer the extreme penal
ty of the law. The Republicans of that
State have already been too lenient and
forbearing, and the Republicans of
other States will look to them now to
hold their fort and crush out any fur
tner trouble before it reaches any head
Way. CHICAGO Tribune.