The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-01-29
THE MAINE MUDDLE.
The Issue Fatally Stated.
sECRErARY sAWYER's rRorEsT

SECRETARY sAwYER's PROTEST.
AUGUSTA, Me-, Jan. Is The fol-
lowing statement is made public, COM
ing from Secretary of State Sawyer :
STATE OF MAINE, !
AUGUSTA, Jan. II, 1880. {
To the People Of the State Of Name:
Actuated by a sense of duty to all
people irrespective OF party, am com
PEELED to place before them q brief
outline of the proceedings which have
transpired in this State during the
past two months, in order that none
may be deceived or led into q misun-
derstsnding of the present political
condition. In the first place it is
known that a majority of more than q
thousand of our voting population
cast their ballots at the last September
election in opposition to the Repub-
lican party. Notwithstanding this
fact. however, almost before the sun
went down on election day the Re-
publican press of the State and lead
ing politicians heralded abroad that q
great Republican victory had been
achieyed. That this claim was the re-
suit of preconcerted arrangement
cannot be doubted by any intelligent
political observer. The returns of the
election, being duly received into the
office of Secretary of State, were placed
before the Governor and Council and
by them oponed and compared In ac-
cordance with provisions of the Con-
stitution, the Supreme law of the
State, and which clearly defines the
duty of the Governor and Council in
the premises. The influences brought
to bear upon them for the purpose Of
intimidating them and Influencing
their action in the exercise of the
grave responsibility under which they
were acting are well known to our
people and need no repetition here.
Suffice it to say, that confining them-
selves to the returns before them, and
rejecting such as were not made in
conformity with the Constitution, the
impartiality of their action necessitated
the rejection of q larger number of
towns which appeared to have been
carried by the parties in opposition to
the Republicans than of those which
were Republican. They found 7S
members of the House of Represent
atives and 20 members Of the Senate
elected, in opposition to the Republi-
can party, and 81 members of the
House and II Senators elected by the
Republicans, while no Constitutional
returns from the cities of Portland,
Lewiston, Saco, Rockland and Bath
having been received, they declared
those representative districts vacant
and SO reported.
The certificates of election provided
! for by the Constitution were accord
ingly issued to those who appeared to
be elected, summoning them to appear
and organize the Legislature on the
first Wednesday in January. The
rolls containing the list of those cer-
tilted as those appearing to be elected
were made and signed by the Secreta-
ry of State under seal of the State and
ate and Clerk of the House of Repre-
the Revised Statutes. The entire 81
| bers of the House who had been sum-
moned and whose names were upon
the respective rolls, appeared and an
swered to the call of the roll, and all
| the members of the Senate and seven.
ty-six members Of the House, being a
majority of the whole number OF
which the House is composed, were
duly qualified by the Governor and
Council, the only mode of qualifica-
ton provided for by the Constitution
single instance during our entire ex-
istence as State. Fifty.nine of the
Republican members left the hall, re-.
fusing to qualify. The two branches of
the Legislature thus qualified, organ
izn6 nd nnfApo6 6icnh q
of the duties of their respective Offices.
On the next day, January II, certain
persons who claimed to have been
elected, but large number of whom
were not elected according to the re-
turns received, and only two of whom
of the House, and eleven of the Senate
had been duly qualified, met together,
and having previously gone through
now enacted the farce of choosing q
Governor aud Council, and Secretary
of State.
Immediately the Executive Cham
Der was broken into and possessed by
this so called Governor and Council
illegally chosen by an illegal and un-
constitutional body, assembled in open
rebellion to and defiance of the con-
otAeutOo ouSuOl4tlOS Va thO Ss0tOs hS
State Department was soon broken
into and possession taken in the same
manner. The archives of the State
persons, in violation of law and order,
and rebellion open and defiant, has
been inaugurated, and the COnstitu-
ticn of the State and rights and liber-
ties of the people are trampled down
nd 9TH 1notrvcfiA,,
AS Secretary of State and responsi-
BILE tor the safe keeping of it's archives,
protested against the outrage, and l
union and liberty, law and order, and
that they may in some degree under
inaugurate prompt measures for the
port of the duly and legally cOnsti-
tuted authorities. Let no one sleep
while insurreetion and treason trl-
umph. Let the issue be clearly de-.
fined. The laws of the State have
been trampled upon; fraud and vio-
lence have been resOrted to; the par
tisan opinion of members of the court,
upOu du 6oSuuOu ototOiASht Va AoSSS,
has been proclaimed as u judicial de-
cision and the Government of the peo-
pie is threatened with destruction. 1t
is another leaf In the history of the
warfare of wealth against labor, and
unless sternly resisted and defeated
will seal the doom of liberty loving
people, until, ceasing to forbear longer
they will be compelled to purify and
regenerate their free institutions by
baptism of blood.
p. A. SAWYER,
Secretary of State.
A Great COmKlagratkon In Japan
$4,000 Homes Destroyed.
TOXIC, Dec. 26.-The third disastrous
cOnfiagratiOn within seven years oc
i