Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1880-07-27
THE. ISSUE.

are made up in duplicate-one copy be-
ing placed on file with the Secretary OF
State. and the second copy, remaining
upopeped. is the ''ofhcial return, which
is counted by the Governor and Council.
From the copy on file at the Secretary $
Office information is obtained IN regard to
10 the result of each election IN advance
of the official count. There can be no
change in the result, as declared by tins
copy, except it occurs by clerical error
in the so called official returns. The
two are intended to be duplicates. The
official count therefore only verifeS, or
should only verify the count as made by
the press and minor State officials.
By this means it was ascertalned that
the Legislature elected in September,
1879. was composed of 10 Republican
and II Fusion Senators, and 90 Republ-
can and 81 Fusion Representatives.
This gave the Republicans majority OF
80 on Joint ballot, and secured the cleo
tion Of Danl F. Davis as Governor by
the Legislature. and gave control OF all
the state offices to Republicans.
shortly after this result was declared
it was whispered in Fusion secret circles
and from them leaked out, that this re
suit might be changed by the official
count. +. VI. Fogg openly offered to bet
that 10 Smith would be the next Governor
OF Maine. The Boston Globe began to
publish a series of articles declaring that
Maine was carried for the Republicans by
intimidation and fraud, evidently for the
purpose of preparing the public mind tor
what was TO follow. The Boston Gtote
also. some time before the count was
made, published the following significant
thcreat:
Congressman FRYE sought to relieve
his accrated soul by rcmarkng 20 news
napcr man. We will bury them out OF
sight the next time we get At EN-. But
William forgot that the Governor AMI
Council VIII >tiu bc with EN- when the
next time comes.
After such matter had been circulated
Tor some time, i: became evident 20 Re
publicans that some work was on hand
70 overthrow the result of the oanvasS,and
they began to make preparations to meet
anv attempt at such fraud. All the llv-
inr ex-GoveruorS of Maine met with the
State Committee at Augusta on the day
designated by Gov Garcelon as the one
upon which the official returns were 10 be
opened. The law declares that these re-
turns shall be opened in public, but
delegation of leading citizens, headed by
Ex-Gov. Dngley were refused access to
the chamber where this work was beng
carried on, and until the last moment no
one was allowedsto see the returns. Al
ter employing seven or eight weeks IN
examining returns, the Governor and
Council declared the result OF their deIb-
erations. We say after seven or eight
weeks. but BY this 1t Is meant that they
were known 10 have been engaged for
that length of time in this work. Fur
Their developments proved concluAvely
that the returns had.contrary TO Law, been
opened for a long time; and that they
had been surrep,itiously corrected and al
tered: and that new or bogus returns had
been substituted for original documents.
If an honest count had been made,
,hose who haze been engaged in the work
assure us. seven or eight days only would
have been required TO ascertain the result.
But the object these men had IN view
was no, to get an honest count. They
were figuring and planning TO secure a
Fusion majority in both branches OF the
Legislature.
As a result of their long labor, they
issued certificates to 20 Fusion and IL
Republican senators, and to IS Fusion
and 81 Republican Representatives, while
they declared - seats in the House
vacant. This completely reversed the
election. and gave the Fusionists ma
iority Of 20 on joint ballot.
This declaration and issue of certih-
Gates astonished not only the people OF
Maine, but of the whole country. It
was the first time in our history that an
election by the people had been set aside
or oyerthrown in a Northern State. Men
could hardly believe that such a gross
outrage had been perpetrated in Maine,
whose boast was her school houses and
churches.
As the uproar increased, Gov. Garcelon
and Council felt called upon to make an
explanation concerning their action which
had made 50 marked change in the APP
pearanee of things.
The first and most noted case was that
of Portland, which with population OF
over 81 900 and a valuation of S29, 49,
257.0O was disfranchised. The city was
carried by the Republicans, who elected
FIVE Representatives TO the Legislature
by good majorities. These Representa-
tives were denied seats because in the re-
turns for one ward, and that Democratic
ward. too. 40 votes were returned as
scattering. By this technical error, the
city was to be deprived of its representa-
ton, and that, too, in year when the
State valuation was TO be fixed. The
error was declared to be ''fatal, and the
Governor refused to allow the error TO be
corrected, notwithstanding there was a
law providing for the making of just such
corrections. He consulted with certain
lawyers. and they decided that this law
was unconstitutional. and therefore they
would not obey it. This cut down the
Republican majority by five votes.