Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-03-19

that he delivered them up in the same conoi-
ton as he received them.
The Secretary of State At once took pos
session of them and had them safely stored
In lower room in his Office. and specially
placed in custody of ]. r Milliken. who Is
we'll known as an old and responsible CLERK
in the Office. Mr. Nilliken mas
sworn that he took charge Of them ana al
lowed no changes or alterations in them ana
that when your committee was creafed ne
turned them all over to George D. Bisbee,
the sworn clerk of your committee. by whom
thew have been carefully kept in steel safe,
and who has never allowed any Of them to
leave his custody. and has permitted no ex-
animation or inspection except in his pres
ence. -
The returns for county officers we're found
by the Superintendent of Public Buildings,
General Harris. and Major Frank f. Nye on
the 18th day Of February. 1850, concealed IN
the governors room. and BY them at once
delivered TO your committee.
Your committee have been scrupulousiy
and jealousy careful that no tampering with
or changing of the returns shall have taken
place since they came into their possession.
They are sure that nothing of the kind has
been done or attempted during their control
of the returns.
Method Of InveStlSaunes
The general course pursued by your COM
mittee on the examination of these returns.
has been as follows:
Where irregularities have appeared on IN
specticn the committee have at once sum
moned the officers of the towns and cities
and plantations whose returns have been III
question, and especially the officers who
made up the returns and the records
a. Thna haV hos
for without regard to their politics and have
always been directed TO bring with them all
books and papers relatingto their returns. An
examination of the list of Witnesses ummoned
and examined by the committee shows that
about one-half of them are ..Fusionist" in pol
itics.
Your committee have examined faithfully
and have tried to 60 to the bottom of each
case and whatever may be the political views
of the members, all have worked cordially
and earnestly together to common end
The sessions, which have been public, with
two exceptions, have been frequent and pro-
tracted, and SO far as the limited time given
to them since their work began has allowed
your committee have endeavorcd to go into
all branches of the case.
They have searched for all kinds
of irregularities in the election returns,
or in the II eatment of the same by the Cover
nor and Council or by other parties, in order
that full presentation might be made to the
public, which demanded an explanation of
the process by which 81 Senators and Repre-
sentatives of one political party had been
counted out, while no candidate of the other
party had been molested.
The Action Of the Governor and COun.
ell.
In order to fully understand the extent of
the control which the Governor and Council
assumed over the election returns. brief
statement of the facts may fittingly be made.
The sessions of the Governor and Council,
are holden at the Capitol in the Council
Chamber, with which the Governors room
communicates. The Governor attends most
of the sessions and all important acts Of the
Council are subject to his approval or disap-
prevail.
The Secretary Of State is a part of the ex-
ecutive branch, and either he or his deputy
acts as the clerk of the council at its meet
ing.
All the election returns are sent to the
Secretary of State and they are by
him. with the exception of the
returns for Governor, which 60 direct to the
legislature, turned over to the Governor and
Council for examination and counting. The
Council Blotter" as it is called, is the rec
ord of the meetings and doings of the Cover
nor and Council at each session.
| Your committee has received this record
| for the wear 1879, and it has been made part
of the testimony.
| The record shows that at the meeting of
the Council on September 10, 1879. which
continued until September Is. no action was
taken upon the election returns. This applies
also to the meeting of October 9Th.
At the session which commenced October
2Sth, the election returns were taken up, and
on October 30th the following order was
passed. on motion of Councillor Chase
"Councillors Foster and Brown were added
to the committee on Elections, and said COM
mittee was instructed to receive the returns
on file in the office of the Secretary of State
, and proceed to open and tabulate the same a.
soon as convenient" The committee az
first made consisted of three members, the usu-
al nrmber, Messrs. Moody. Fogg, and Chase
being chosen. No reason has been found why
this unusual addition was made, and your
committee can see none, unless it was that
al, uncommon burden was to be laid on the
committee.
Governor Garcelon in his testimony, says
that he 'wanted men who were better known
than the young men who first composed the
committee. MT Moody. the chairman, was
discontinued at the change, and gave up the
custody of the returns and the KEYS to their
place of keeping shortly afterwards to Mr.
Fogg.
The Election Returns Committee as newly
constituted, took possession of the returns and
proceeded to open and tabulate them and from
October 31st to November 18th, this commit
tee had entire possession and control over
them, permitting, as Governor Garcelon
claims no one to seem them, although persons
who were interested in the returns as candi-
dates made application for an inspection On
November Eth, another full session of the
Council was holden. and on that dav the
"Blotter" shows that the Committee on
Election Returns reported that ION
the 3lst day Of October they received from
the Secretary of State the election returns
for Senators, Representatives and county
officers, and they proceeded to open the same
and tabulate them, and now submit the tabu-
latons of said returns"
This record shows that on the 18th dav of
November the returns had all been opened
and tabulated. and were ready for the final
action of the Governor and Council.
Up to this date Governor Garcelon testi-
fies that no person outside of the Committee
on Election Returns of the Council. had seen
the returns or knew what was in them. On
that day a committee of three gentlemen.
Governor Dingley. Hon. S. d. Lindsey. and