The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-01-03
'0s III. morrill, Writes a Spicy Letter
to Governor Garcelon.

W NOfcIuUr UdrC6l0n.
Z. AUGUsTA Me-, December 24.-The
{olowing letter was sent to Governor
rceion to-day by Hon. Lot M.
Morrill,
~ 4is E.rcellency Homo Garcelon,
Goreraor of Maine:
nc cannot be mistaken in thinking
A'at, In common with all good citi-
'zehs, your excellency must deplore
sne existing condition of public senti
nient in this state to-day. Two great
p9lltlcal parties, embracing in their
fanks the entire population of the
slate, are brought into angry rela-
ions, producing bitter personal ami.
RpsItles, and possibly leading to
nes of violence. What is the origin
I this extraordinary condition of
I siFsseen for the first time in Maine?
~ ss--sssHiaar arpiiy for the first
time in Maine-a great political par
tv and all the members there )f feel
dissatisfied with the mode in which
the returns OF the recent election
have been counted and declared.
| Possibly they may be in error; but
/ 6S,000 citizens of Maine, who voted
against yonr eXcellency at the Sep.
tember election, do not feel that the
actual result of that election has been
proclaimed. Even granting that all
these men are in error, your excel
lency cannot but see that it is very
serious matter to leave a sense of
wrong ranking in the minds of so
many good citizens, who have at
heart, as sincerely as your excellency
can have, the peace, good order aid
happiness of society. Your excel
leney cannot fail to perceive more
over, that the counting out of 81 Re-
publican members of the legislature,
elected on the face of the returns, is
an event sure to provoke irritation,
excitement and anger. The Repub-
lican party claim to have elected by
the official returns, 100 out of 1S2
members that compose the senate
and house. The counting out Of one
third of the entire number that the
Republicans believe they have elect
ed, is certainly extraordinary, as
your eXcellency will admit. | am
not now asserting that your excellen-
cy may not have good reasons for
following this course. but / res ect-
fully submit that you can do a most
valuable and honorable service for
the state and for yourself, by adopts
ring measure that will satisfy every
citizen Of the state of the reasonable
ness and Justice of your excellency's
course. Your excelency is the only
individual in the world that, singly
and alone, can command the prompt
opinion of the Supreme Judicial
Court. The Constitution gives you
power to require that opinion on
"important questions of law" and
upon ''solemn occasions" There are
surely important question of law
pending, and certainly this is Il
"solemn OCCASION" So that if that
great provision of the Constitution
were ever needful, it would seem to
be at this moment of inestimable
va ue. | beg also to remind your
eXceilency that in questions of like
import which have arisen in times
past to perplex your predecessors in
the executive chair, the habit has
been Uniform and general toappeal
to the court for the true interpreta
ton of the law. AT no time, | be-
ileve, has if eyer been charged that
on a question of this character the
court has rendered a decision tlnged
with partisan feeling. The recent
decision of Mr.. Justice Virgin is a
fresh illustration of how little the
political bearings of question in
fiuence the dicision of our supreme
judicial tribunal. 1t is in the power
of your excellency to restore peace,
order, quiet and good feeling to the
state and all it's inhabitants, by asks
ing the opinion!of the judges on each
law point involved. On the varia-
ton of the count from the face of the
official returns there are precedents
for recalling the summons to sena-
tor or representative elect when
enormously issued and in the case
of the five disfranchised cities, no
summons has yet been sent to any.
one. Even if there were question
as to strict legal right to recall a GER
tificate of election, it is not doubted
that the decision of the courts would
at once cause the members not en-
titled to a seat to retire, and the
rightful member to be at once admit
ted. The judment of the court would
then settle By just umpirage, as it
was designed to settle the embarraSs-
/ -, r,,tacfinnG Inlnf.