Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-01-08
miscellaneous.
THE GREAT CRIME.
How The People Have Been Outraged
Ex-Governor Dingley's Lewiston
speech.

We present herewith the text OF the
speech OF ex-Gov. Dln:lry at the great iu-
diguAtion meeting In Lewiston. Friday
evening. Dec. 10Th. IL Is one OF the most
thorough aud scathing reviews OF the
great villaiuy that has been given 10 the
public:
We are here tonight for the purpose OF
expressing our conde IN nation OF the action
ui the Governor and Council OF Maine, In
their capacity as canvassers oil returns,
whereby the verdict OF the people At the
polls st the last annual election, has been
deliberately reversed. IL is important,
therefore. 10 have clear understanding
OF the law and facts.
FIrI.-lt is conceded BY all parties that
on the stb OF September, At n fair. Tree and
fully attended election. the Republicans
elected by not far from 1000 majority a
Legislature having seven Republican ma
lOrity in the Senate aud twenty nine In the
House. II 10 conceded that the vote AS de-
clsred. recorded and returned to the Office
OF the Secretary OF State. without dissent
from any quarter, showed this result.
Second, The Governor and Council. who
are All politically opposed to the Repub-
licans, have canvassed these returns. and
have issued certificates so AS 10 make =
Senate with nine, and House with seyen-
teen Democratic and G:eenback (betier
known as fusion) majority, and have issu-
ed no certificates to twelve Rep0biican
Representatives from the large cities OF
Lewiston, Portland. Saco, Bath and Rock
land. The excuse for this amazing result.
as officially announced over the signature
OF the Governor, Is that In strictly apply
ing the Constitution and Laws, regulating
the canvassing of legislative returns, they
have found SO large & number fatally
detective" that the counting only Of re-
turns legally made, has given this remark
able result. And il is added, that II it,
justice has been done In any direction, the
two Houses as constituted by the Cover
nor and Council Can apply remedy.
ask you TO lOox at this excuse 10 the
light OF the law aud the facts.
IL il beliered the fusion returns at vital
points soere surrepsufousiy corrected. Is IL
not incredible that fatal defects in original
municipal officers. should haye been so
nicely adjusted as to count out eight Repub-
licsns from the Senate and twenty nine
from the House and not a siagfe fHsiosist
from ether house? | have aided In can
vassing the legislative vote Of this State
twice. when occupied the executive chair,
aud We found more Of these defects which
are now styled fatal" in returns from the
towns which last fall gave Fusion ma
jorities, than in Republican towns. | no
tice il suggested as an explanation for this
remarkable state Of the returns, that previ
oos 10 election the Fusion managers warn.
ed their clerks to be careful In making re-
turns, aud that this warning saved them
from errors. But this explanation Is set
aside by the statement Of the Governor that
the usual percentage Of errors are found
even now In Fusion returns, but always At
points where they do not lose them Sem
stor or Representative. Even where Fu-
sion records are wrong. the returns At VI
tai points come out generally correct. As
no one could have known before election
what returns would be vital, how does il
happen that those which were esseDtialtO o
q particular result should turn out all right,
while scores Of others were fatally defec-
tive?
The Republicans universally believe that
the Fusion returns At vital points were sur
reptitiously put 10 order either during the
i've weeks in which Il 10 confessed the re
turns were opened, or previously and thai
1t wss for the psrposs OF bringing this
shout tAas the ssssrps wsrs illegally With