Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1880-01-13
MAYOR.
ALDERMEN.
CITY CLERK.
Attest

Attest CITY CLERK.
In addition Ia this new form OF blank for election
returns, with its misleading lines for Signatures,
ID also known u be fact not denied inneeu tha'
warrants FOR elections were sent out 10 the various
cities by L. H. Cove Secretary OF State, directsdt 10
the city marshAls. The law requires them 10 &c ~
rected 10 the constsbles. and a. The city marshal i
a IN unicipal and not State officer, u might nave
been SAid that election for state officers hel I'M
der his warrant was not legal. The form OF this
warrant new, unprecedented and extraordinary,
throws upon the Secretary OF State, Mr. Cove, anu
the printer. Mr.. L. p. Pillsbury. the enus oil pro
yiding a. As II stands. taken IN connection win
The other misleading blank. IL affords strong pre
sumptiye proof tina; desperate plot was iofmed IN
advance OF the election OF disfranchising ihc rcpab
can Cites and that in the OF Tour oi them the
pot WAS successful
sKowHEGA>.
The town Of skow began gave II. ;. steward. re
publican candidate for representative, 80 Nptes'
and Daniel snow, democratic and grccnback eau
didAte. 80 votes The republican ballot bearing
M. stdwAris name had the names Of candidates
printed in two columns instead OF the more usu'i
iorm OF one column. The law In regard TO the
iorn OF ballot IL ss follows;
..N0 ballot shall lie received At any election OF
State or town officers unless IN writing or prlntns
on clean white paper, without any dislinguishmch'
mark OF figures thereon besiccs the names OF The
persons voted Tor and The Offices 10 be hled. but no
shall be rejected on this account AFTER II Is nc
ceiVed into the ballot box"
IL Is not denied that the republican ballot IN
SHOW began was on clean white paper and had no
distinguishing MARKS save The names oil .he persons
voted for and the ofhces % he filed But on the
day OF election william Philbrook, strongly par
tisan grecnback leader. induced The selecimen to
enclose with The return protest AGAINST the form
Of the ballot As being a distinguishing marx IN II
SELF and Governor Garcelon and his Council took
this protest the JUST ccaion of their decision
and threw out the entire republican vote OF skow
hegan and thus completely disfranchised $40 c!u
xens OF Maine " no possess the clear and undoubt
ed right OF suffrage. Gov. Sarcelon made TINS
extraordinary decision IN the face OF the provision
L. -. Il = Fk
rejected After II has been received into the ballot
box. even II 70 contains distinguishing marx
Under the statute prescribed nothing but writing
or printing clean white paper II Is Idle 10 aihrm
thrt the siowhegan ballot contained distinguish
ing mark. The law does bot undertake 10 pre-
scribe the size or form OF the ballot 10 be used.
Who shall say What the standard Is: That long
ballot snail be counted and wide one shall mott
That vote with two coium Is has distiug ulshIsg
mark. while . vote with ono column has none The
law itseh sets up no standard bui Wisely leaves he
whole 10 the selecImen who preside AZ the town
meeting. The question 10 decided then by them
and forever. TIE selectmen OF skowhegan decided
and wisely that the ballot IN question had 20 DIS
tnguis aing mark. II they had decided otherwise
AZ The BALLOT box the defect could have teen cured,
other ballots substituted anu the honest represen-
tation u The people have been saved IherSiore,
the law above quoted, scrupplops 10 guard the
right OF the voter says that The decision made can
never he reviewed by tho governor and council
The ballots were received into The box inclnded IN
the count and declaration OF the vote and relnrns-
by the legal officers as cast Tor the republican rep
resentstiye. The protest thai accompanied the II.
turn and gave a specimen Of the ballot could not
give The governor and council Jurisdiction and =
power which the law Of the lsnd bad ~ trims de
MED them. In the opinion Of the Justices In -
Maine, SEQ, ths supreme Court cay, speaking 81
certiecaie like this accompanying anu sealed up
With The retsrns: -
when the selecimen and t.wn CLERK auest fair
copies of the lists OF VOTES and seal up The same In
open town meeting and cause the sane % lie de
liyersd into the .SecretArys Office as required by
The constitution ard the statutes Their duty Is al an
emf. They are not certifying officers for the reason
thai the constitution has not made them such
Yet In defiance OF the Law and OF The express de
eision Of the court. against the published renion-
STRANGE OF their own counsel. Mr.. n T. 0ould' The
governor and council seized the representative seat
and ousied the incumbent
ASHLAND.
In the Ashland disiriet IN Aroosiook couhty, EN-
bracing severn. towns AMI plantations. John Burn
Alfred Cushman greenback candidate. by u major
ity OF 81. In the return for tue flown OF Ashland
the name OF the republican candidate was spellci
sburnAm," the silent letter N teinx onlthu'
The Governor and Council decided 10 call John
Durham q different msn IRON John Burnam. anu
by dividing the vote IN this manner they found n
plurality for Alfred Cuskman, and declared him
elected This question has already been complete
ly covered by the supreme Court OF the Slate In
the opinion Of the justices. "a Maize, So The court
explicitly held that "Whcn n name was misspelled,
mi Was recognizable By its sound on the face
OF the returns OF candidate" II was the ouiy OF
the Governor and Council u count fAe name mis-
yiously intended"
Moreover in the Harpswen and Searboro district
In Cumberland county the democratic vote OF scar
boro N returned for Melville L. Hunnewell and the
democratic vote OF Harpswell for Melville Z. Hun
niwell. and In the Newcastle district the demo
crAuc vote from two towns - returned for James
W. Clark. and in two others tor James W. Clarke.
vet the Governor and Council in orier 10 scat The
democratic Representative IRON these uisucts
have counted these names as IDENTICAL A Few days
AMER this remarkable decision in the Ashland case,
Hon. Llewellyn Powers being permitted 20 examine
the returns from the district found that IN Morrill,
plantation, giving a large democratic majority, Tue
Representative vote was returned for Afford Cush-
man. Mr.. Powers called the attention OF The Gov
crnor and Council To this fact which they apparent
" overlooked and he insisted that II Burnam could
NOT be taken for Durham tdeul sondns AIOru
couhi not lie taken for Alfred not ide sond.s. nor
indeed the same name. Gov. Garcelon expressed
his surprise at the revelation. said he had HeFer
before hezrl OF the facts and said that should Oe
corrected. Mr.. Powers pointed out ulat II BON
were counted or both rejected. Burnham would in
either event be elected. He urged prompt re-
versal Of the decision, recall OF the summons
nom Cuahman and the issuing OF new one 10
Burnnam. He left the Governor and oouncil Win
Inc full belief that the change would lie made and
iust,cs done, The council did not take up the mat
TAR ull Saturday last, and they then decided that
votes for Afford Cushman could not be counted ior
decision that votes for Burnam could not be count
ed for Burnham, and left Mr.. Burnbam elected ny
seyenteen majority. But the Council would not ac-
cept this conclusion and To avertit they resoredoa
very singular process- The town OF Jersey, oeions
ing 10 the district gave twenty votes for Burnham
And one for Cushman, and had been so counted,
tnbulsted ana declared by the Governor and Coun-
ell In their Official examinauon They now zoos u
I'D Afresh. and SEINE person skilled In the counting
OF Aroostook ayerred that the names OF the second
and third selectmen were written in the same hand,
namely that OF the third selectman But that would
net do alone for that len two genuine signatures