Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-01-02
SI1RAGUE & son.
Augusta. Nov. Goth, 1879.
Arms at the Capitol.

Arms at the Capitol.
For the first time in the history OF our
State the State House is converted into an
arsenal, and armed men guard its portals,
always before open to receive citizens who
visited it on business or for pleasure. Yes
terday morning our carrier boy, bearing
his customary papers to the State House,
was halted by sentinel with musket,
and refused admittance even to distribute
the copies Of the Kennebec Journal which
he carried
How remarkable it is that in the march
of events one wrong if not quickly cor
rected leads to another in support of the
first, and so continues until wrong upon
wrong becomes uncomfortable and brings
down certain destruction upon the heads
Of the guilty perpetrators. See how this
is illustrated in the acts Of George III in
relation to the American colonies. At
first he and his advisers stepped cautious
ly in depressing the liberties of the Amer
lean people. One day it was the stamp
act. again it was the duty on tea, then the
Boston Port bill, followed by the menace
of troops to break the spirit of the "reb
els" and bind them down with letters of
steel,-all leading up to the Declaration
of Independence and the complete over
throw of British tyranny throughout the
thirteen colonies.
Now look at the facts in regard to this
contingent conspiracy. Gov. GarcelOn
and his Council committed great wrong
against the people of this State when they
counted out thirty-seven men who We're
fairly elected to the legislature by the
votes of the people. and counted in twen-
ty-five men who were not elected. They
put under their feet the clearly expressed
will Of the voters. and substituted for it
their own arbitrary decree. They did
this under the pretended forms of law, but
there is not a man of intelligence, of any
party. who knows the facts, that does not
understand without any argument that the
count of the Governor and Council was a
gross wrong against the people Of this
State, and worthy subject for their deep
est indignation and loudest condemna-
ton.
This was the first wrong, now mark
how quickly another follows. The injured
people complain Of the outrage inflicted
upon them. They hold public meetings
and declare their opinions Of what has
been done, speak in severe terms OF the
men who have done it. and suggest and
discuss ways and means to obtain their
rights. The Governor and Council be-
come alarmed. They begin to collect
arms and ammunition at the State House.
They fancy large bodies Of men are arm
ing to capture the State House and seat
the rightly elected legislature. Their
consciences make towards of them; the
arming and organizing of men to seize
the Capitol is pure invention of their
guilty imaginations. Such thing may
have been mentioned here or there. but
nowhere throughout the broad limits OF
our State is there any thought of or prep
aration for making forcible resistance to
the fraudulent count of the Governor and
Council. The Mayor OF our city and
committee Of our most respectable citizens
have assured the Governor that the police
force of this city will be ample to pre-
serve the peace and protect the State
House if he will but keep troops and
arms away from the city; but. no. the
Governor dares not trust in the people
whom he has wronged. and now the State
House has its armed guard. so that even
the carrier boy of the Kennebec Journal
is brought to a halt at the door and turned
back as though there was danger in allow
ing the lad to step inside the door.
The second wrong has quickly followed
The first. The end of the conspiracy is
drawing near. But not by fo-cible resis-
lance. There is nc need of that. The
party which cheats the ballot-box, revers-
% the will of the people by a fraudulent
count. and then seeks to uphold the wrong
by bayonets. needs no prophet to declare
the fate which awaits it when the people
next speak at the polls.