Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1880-02-24
FOR Ia. ONTosD DLNoCBAr.
"PERSlSTENT AND WHOLESALE
MISREPRESENTATION.


have just been looking over that high
toned and truthful journal called the Aoo
Religion, and was forcibly reminded by
perusing an article therein in relation TO the
duties OF the Governor and Council in can
wasting the returns, Of the preacher who
took for his text the following passage OF
scripture: "Hc that belieyeth and is bap-
TIED, shall be saved, and he that bellcveth
not shall The writer SAYS, There has
been persistent and wholesale mlsrepfc-
sentation OF their (thc Governor and
Councils action throughout the whole
discussion. The party appeared to them
TO have from the commencement OF the
count, charged upon them Il wiIiu! at
tempt 10 dctraud' Now with regard 10
this charge agius, the Republican party,
so far as charging the Governor aud toun-
ell with a wil.ul attempt to detraud, we
plead guilty; we have and do make the
charge; and the only question ~ Is It a
misrepresentation as the writer alleges, or
is it true. 1t has been proved by inves-
legations of committee Of the Legisla-
ture that the return from Somerylllc,
which was correct, true and properly
made out, and forwarded to the Secreta-
~ of State, was destroyed, and one that
was false and fraudulent substituted in
its place; that the tabulations that had
been made BY the Governor and Council
from the original return and which gave
the Senatorial seat to Andrew X. q.
Smith, the Republican candidate, were
erased and changed to correspond with
this false and fraudulent return, and that
this change in the tabulations gave the
said seat to Mr. Hobson, the Fusion can
didate, and he was certihcated according
ly. 1t has been proved by the testimony
of the town clerk and selectmen of said
town, that this false and fraudulent re-
turn was made out by said town clerk,
he knowing it to be false and fraudulent,
without the knowledge Of the selectmen,
he signing their names, and certifying to
its truth, upon blank sent him from
Augusta, and in accordance with written
instructions sent from the same source,
and upon paper bearing the official head
ing of that used in the Office of the Sec
rotary of State. Thus not only at
tempting to defraud, but fully consum-
mating ore of the most villainous frauds
ever concocted in this or any other State
in the Union, not excepting the frauds
attempted in the last Presidential election
by S. J. Tilden Il Co., as proved by the
cipher dispatches unearthed and deciph-
cred by the New York Tribune. When
the editor OF the Ne,o Religion gives an
unvarnished account of the result Of these
Investigations, we shall be willing to &C
cord him the need of sincerity in his eff
forts for the purity Of the ballot and the
rights of the people.
Again the writer says, "ln 1875 the
Governor and Council asked the opinion
of the Judges ON the following questions:
Can the Governor and Council include
in the number of votes for William II.
Smith, such other votes for the same Of
fee as are for w. II. Smith" ITO
this question the full bench gave mega
tive reply And then goes on to argue
that because the Court laid that down as
law in 1875, that the same rule must
govern the action of the Governor and
Council in 1879. Such would undoubt-
edly be true if the law was the same in
1879 as in 1875, but such is not the |
case. In the decision referred to, which |
may be found in the 81 Volume, Maine
Reports, page $50, and the following pag |
es, the Court say that the Governor and
Council in comparing and examining the |
returns Of votes, and in declaring who
are elected, act as CONTRASTING board.
They only know what the returns indi-
cate. In their Investigations they are
limited 70 the evidence derivable from re-
urns transmitted 10 them by the several