Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-03-19

- had passed a law in 1877 which made !
" ,rnne board of the Governor and Conn
81 and that his party meant to use it. He
~ W. named Waldo county town which he
"a vas to be counted out, and the result in
-, town answered to his prediction. He
W. said that he had seen the Governor
iu.ah.a labored with him, and had ssstiffened
a. hack" 50 that he was at the date Of the
,alk sail right
The testimony Of John Benson Jr., who
The DEPUTY Secretary of State. under
~ en.ion government is in point. He tells
u. .ne s,orv of meeting Frederick G. Parker.
w of the members Of Governor Garcelon's
auoc;l. at Bangor at an early date after the
s,aston. a date which he fixes as surely pre-
.;ous 10 Nov. 18th. Mr.. Parker told Mr..
nSnson of the defect which existed in the re-
~ Of the town Of Dixmont, and that Coun-
ILL, Brown of Fairfield had blank return,
high would be sent by him to the witness
:, be used in correcting the return. Mr..
p.,Ler told Mr.. Benson that the Dixmont
.mrn needed to be corrected in order to
- a precedent on which certain fusionist
n. could be saved which otherwise must
be counted out.
Tb;s testimony is very important in that it
..,ahIsbes corcusvely the fact that long
80 the time when the council committee
"a CONNECTED their first examinations the
.-o;act Of manipulating the returns had been
li;.o...ed in the council and methods had
taar devised to the end thst fusion major
~ should be secured in the Legislature.
Tbouoh not pertinent 20 this branch of the
case we call special attention to the further
testimony of Mr. Benson relating to the alb
Traction of certain original tabulations ami
,beir suppression by member of the coun-
d, in order TO conceal the evidences which
.hs,, furnish of the fraudulent proceedings
in the counting out.
ca,celon testifics that all the returns were
Won't closely. and that up to November 18th
M nerson outside of the Councils Commit
zoe IN Election Returns, or its messenger,
Marx Harden or the Secretary or his deputy,
who attended the session, had any opportu-
nitv TO inspect the returns or to know that
a.v defects existed in them.
put on November Sth, 1879. T.. X. Smart
If Pembroke. the fusion candidate for county
attorney in Washington county, was found,
"a he festiics travelling about his county,
armed with a blank return, such can only
he furnished from the office of the Secretary
Of State. for the purpose of correcting the
defective returns in Robbnston and other
towns. where the defects were against the
fusion candidates. And at the same time,
the date, agreeing exactly, George w.
Dri,ko. the editor of a fusion newspaper,
was visiting the towns of Addison and Jones'
boro as before stated, with blank returns
which had been sent 10 the fusion candidate
for Senator. Hon. James r. Talbot, with ac-
companving instructions as to the exact de-
tects in the returns from those towns. defects
which the town officers themselves had no
knowledge Of and these blank returns and
instructions came from member of the flu
sion State government whose Office was at
Augusta.
In both nf these cases it is plain that no
blanks could have been sent out. and no
knowledge of the defects in the returns which
were sought to be cured could be possessed
except from information furnished through or
by some member Of the Council or its clerk,
or messenger.
In both the Rohbinston ease and the Jones'
horo case. the affidavit, and the new return
received, were made the bases Of action on the
part of the Governor and Council, the tabula-
tons showing that the fusion candidates got
the benefit of the case Is established by
those papers.
The Chcrryiicll REPRESENTATIVES case
shows that some knowledge of the
necessity of procuring evidence To be used in
counting out republican previous to Novem-
Der 18th. For on November II, the Deputy
Clerk of the Courts of Ponnbscot county
furnished an attested copy Of the naturaliza-
ton papers of Samuel Raw. one of the Select
men of Cherryted, which paper, rs the
memorandum endorsed on it shows. was sent
by Charles \. llersey, of Bangor to i. +.
Pillsbury by whom it was filed with the Gov
"A 81 4. =
it threw out republican representative and
also a republican senator.
B. Emery Pratt is also found in Franklin
county taking atlidavits either to throw out
republican towns or to correct defects in dem
ocratc towns previous to November Eth
Still earlier. on the 18th day of October
Alfred $. Kimball, the Fusion candidate for
county attorney in Oxford county. is found
taking cyp3rte atfidavits. as in the case of the
town of Stoneham. upon which the Governor
and Council threw ont the vote of the town
and thereby counted in another fusion repre-
sentative.
The conclusion is irresistible that there was
adeiiberate plan to give time and to furnish
information from the returns to parties in
sympathy with the Governor and Council po-
litically. upon which defects in cases injuri-
ously affecting the fusion candidates could he
cured, and cases could be got up under which
republican candidates could be counted out.
In no case was a defect in a return which
operated against republican candidate al
lowed to be corrected, and in no case which
we nave found was there any denial of the
right claimed hy the fusonist to get up a case
on ex parte affdavits against republican can
aidates, upon facts touching the returns but
IN no wise appearing upon their face.
The conspiracy must have had its seat at