American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-01-31
The Maine Bribery.

In view of the evidence of bribery
developed at Augusta it il pertinent to
inquire which party stands properly
chargeable before the country with
fraud, swindling, conspiracy and rlsurp-
alton. Two members of the House
made solemn oath that they were paid
each one thousand dollars for absenting
themselves so as to prevent quorum,
exhibited the identical money received
from the agent, and one of them says
the latter informed him "they had got
three or four men to remain away from
the House of Representatives so we
could not have quorum present.
This is true or false. If true, is there
any language too severe with which to
characterize the transaction? Suppose
it to be true that certificates of election
were issued by the Executive wrong
fully, and that the Republicans were
thereby threatened with being tempo
rararily deprived of the control of the
Legislature, we submit to II candid
community the inquiry whose hands
are shown to be most foul in all these
Maine matters? If in any case the local
constituency was deprived of its rights
by the action of the Governor and Coun-
Gil, and certificates were issued to men
who were not in fact elected. let all the
facts and surrounding circumstances go
before the people for their Judgment.
If wrong has been done that is the
tribunal to right it. Hon. Nathan
Webb, late District Attorney, at Port
land meeting placed this matter on the
true ground by advising his party to
wait till the thing redressed itself, as
it surely must" To countervaii the
action of the Governor and Council, had
under the forms of law, and for which
the Republicans have furnished an
abundance of precedents by resorting
to crime of the most heinous and dan
gerous character, should startle every
good citizen to contemplate the dangers
which surround him and the Govern
ment of which he is a part.
The transactions to which attention
is called throw much light on the gen.
eral charge that has been made that
corruption and bribery were practiced
at the last election on an enormous
scale. Bear in mind the fact that with
all this to enable the Republicans to
show majority, the people in Septem-
Der declared that they would not have
Mr.. Davis to rule over them. This
shows Enthusiastically that the Repub-
lican party is in a minority in that
State. But it was needful for MIR.
Blaine that his candidate should be
elected by the Legislature. Hence the
claim that a majority of Senators and
Representatives were chosen Republic
cans. But if men chosen. about whose
right to seats there is no contest, at
least to some extent, are bought up like
sheep and merchandise, in order to
elect Mr.. Davis, it is not very violent
presumption to suppose that the half
has not been told as to the means re-
sorted to for carrying majority of the
districts at the polls in September. 1t
may be said these men, Swami and Har-
riman, resorted to improper means to
expose their opponents and to thwart
them. That is a matter every man can
decide for himself. The former is
lawyer, and seems to have resorted to
the ordinary method of detectives to
ferret out crime. But the main ques-
ton is, do he and Hartman tell the
truth? If they were wicked men and
subjects for bribery, they would have
pocketed the thousand dollars each and
then joined in the Republican cry of
fraud, conspiracy and all that sort of
thing. We wait with some curiosity to
see how the virtuous souls who have
been SO indignant over Governor Gar
celon's great outrage will treat this
method of securing legislative control.
-BOStO1 Post.