The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-03-19
>;esz:' IN. Y. Times.l
6 DR.. Garcelon's Double.

When the conspiracy to buy the Elect oral
votes of Oregon, South Carolina and Florida
was traced to the house and home of that ex-
cellent man, Mr. Samuel J. Tilden, the evil
dence incriminating him was thought to be con-
elusive. 1t was not possible that showers of
kilograms and cipher dispatches should 60 to
and from No. Is Gramercy Park without the
knowledge of its illustrious occupant. And
there was a universal exclamation of surprise
when Mr.. Tilden calmly testified that he did
not know what was going on, and that he had
lately learned that his bad rephew, Mr.. w.
7. Pelton, had compromised himself and aged
uncle in this disreputable business The inno-
cent had only waited and watched for the YER
dict of the American people, profoundly igno-
rant of the fact that a near relative sheltered
by his own roof, was conspiring corruptly to
buy Electoral votes So outraged was the
uncle by the conduct of the nephew that he
put him out of his house. AT least he gave
the Congressional committee to understand
this, and he explicitly said that that bad young
man was no longer member of his family.
Then he wopt silently in his bandana hand
kerchief to think that he should be held re-
sponsible for the acts OF wicked young person
who had deceived him, and who had raised
storm which his hapless uncle was obliged to
face alone.
The illustrious example of the sage Of Gram
ercy Park has not been lost wherever fraud
is to be covered up or explained away. DIR.
Garcelon, late Governor of Maine, is the latest
to avail himself of ''the baby act" He, too,
was ignorant of what was going on in the Ex-
ecutive Office while the vote of the State was
being counted. He has been before Legisla-
tive committee, and his writings under the
fire of cross-examination should extort the
commiseration of humane people. Briefly, DIR.
Garcelon did not know how the State election
had gone, although everybody else knew that
the Republicans had a decided majority in
both branches of the Legislature. He paid no
attention to the tabulation of the returns, he
says, but ambled about the State Capital,
making anti-gum-chewing speeches, and look
ing after his patients, while the Governors
Council figured up the returns. He admits
that he was pleasantly surprised when he
was told that there was Fusionist majority in
each house, although it had been generally un-
derstood, previous to this that the majority
Woo ehO oehCA way OOuuulliS anu biiuplt-
minded man that he is, he never for an instant
supposed that his Council could do anything
wrong. And when he heard ugly whispers on
the street relative to the contrivances of the
Council, he went straightway to the Capitol
and asked with. great sternness, if any Of his
Councillors were engaged in doing such a
naughty thing as "doctOring" the election re-
turns. With one voice they asked the Cover
nor what sort of men he took them to be.
%vx.xv ~IA
count out Republicans and count in Demo-
Gratis? They would die first. Then the Gov
ernor, bursting into tears, embraced them all,
and asked them to forgive him for his unjust
suspicious. Heaven bless you, my children"
he said, ~ knew you were as innocent as l
am"
This is free version of the ex-Goverpr's
narrative; and he adds that he gaily affixed
his signature to whatever the Council laid be-
fore him, acting merely in ministerial capac-
ity. The official business of the Governor of
Maine, even when he has no crusade against
gum-chewing to attend to, is so enormous that
he cannot be expected to know who is elected,
when he signs certificates except on the word
Of some of his Council. "We have to do many
things on the testimony of Others" was the
bland remark of this delightful old simpleton.
Curiously enough, somebody was, at this very
time, engaged in writing letters to the New
York papers, and signing the Governors name
to the same, in which the course of the Gov
cases in dispute was defended. If the alleged
Garcelon, who wrote those letters, justifying
the course of the Governor and Council was
not the Garcelon who now says that he did not
know what was going on, there must be two
Garcelons, and both claim to be he who
was the sometime Governor of Maine. Tho
Governor who wrote the letters to the Sun
and Herald, signing himself "Alonzo
Garcelon," and explaining that every
thing that he was then doing was ac-
cording to the Constitution and the law, could
hardly be the same Governor who was s'pleas-
antly surprised" when he learned that his par
ty had majority in the Legislaturebig enough
to re-elect him. Evidently Garcelon has
double. Tilden has double, as we all know.
Why should not DIR. Garcelon have one? Does
Mr.. Tilden have a corner" on doubles? To
the candid mind it is apparent that DIR. Garce-
Ion is trying to have the responsibility Of the
Maine conspiracy divided up among a squad of
Democratic nobodies. Who knows or cares
who were the men of the Governors Council?
Garcelon was only an accident. to be sure, but
he was conspicuous in his position, while the
conspirators engaged with him, as members Of
his Council, have disappeared into the obscu-
rity from which they temporarily emerged.
Garcelon cannot shift upon the shoulders Of
these nameless men the responsibility for the
crime in which he was principal. Garcelon
signed the fraudulent certificates which gave
the Legislature to the Democrats; and he knew
what he was about when he did it.