Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-01-02

The situation in Maine remains the same
as a week ago. That is to say, the Republi-
can majority in the Legislature has been
counted out, Democratic or Fusionist, ma
iority has been counted in, and it is the evil
dent intention of Gov. Garcelon to seat and
sustain the majority thus constituted, by
force of arms if necessary On Thursday
last an incident occurred which is thus de-
scrbed:
The citizens of this city Bangor were
much surprised on the afternoon of Christ
mas Day to learn that arms and ammunition
were being removed from the State arsenal
located here to the railroad depot. The first
actual knowledge of the fact was upon seeing
the teams loaded and passing through the
principal streets of the city. Immediately
there was a spontaneous uprising of our best
citizens so filling the streets as to prevent the
passing of teams. The mayor, who had been
sent for having no knowledge of the author
ity under which the arms were being moved,
first demanded who assumed the responsible
ity of it and was answered by a Mr.. French,
representing himself to be clerk in the adju-
tant generals office, that he was acting un-
der verbal instructions from Gov. Garcelon
to remove the arms and ammunition by rail
road to Augusta. Mr.. French, seeing the
difficulties in the way and being Informed by
the mayor that he might be unable to re-
strain the people with the force at his COM
mand, decided to return the arms to the
arsenal. and tho citizens quietly dispersed.
On Tuesday of this week, however, the
arms were peacesbly removed from Bangor
to Augusta but the people expressed their
disapprobation of the Governors action by
tolling the bells of the churches while the
arms were en- route to the station. Contrary
to his promise, said to have been made to the
leading citizens of Augusta, Gov. Garcelon
has ordered the First Regiment of State mill
tia to Augusta to be present at the converting
of the Legislature on Wednesday of next
week. All these actions of preparing for
war in a peaceable, law-abiding State like
Maine, are very much like those of guilty
man whose conscience is his own worst ac-
cuser. Does any one suppose that. whichever
the party in power, our State troops could be
ordered out, arms transported to Montpelier,
and the capitol be put in state of siege un-
der any mere political pretext whatever, and
our Vermont blood not grow hot under the
indignity?
adopted by the Governor and Council in the
contingent business, nothing can be added
to what has already appeared in our columns,
supplemented by the summary of facts cop
led elsewhere. The worst and blacklist fea-
ture of the whole matter is that which indi-
Gates Enthusiastically that imperfect and mis-
leading blanks for returns were sent out from
H. q GHafato "a tn oarfoir pifiau
and towns, with the deliberate purpose to
catch the officials making the returns in just
| such a trap of technical errors as the Gov
ernor and Council claim to have found. Such
tactics are beneath the practice of any repu.
\ table man, and they become positive crime
when adopted by the highest officials in q
State government for the express purpose Of
overturning the expressed will of the people.
An eminGhtly wise and fair proposition fol
| the settlement of the difficulty was made tc
| Gov. Garcelon by the venerable ex-senator
Lot NJ. Morrill,, it being in brief that the
points at issue be submitted to the judges O
the Supreme Court, their decision to be final
At first the Governor professed to receive tn,
proposition favorably, but he finally declined
| Ou lLo NplJ iShlhAhhIAS BiphhN Nhhe wv NAo
puted points had already been adjudicated b.
that tribunal. Here the matter rests, SO ia
as the facts in regard to it are concerned, tn
excitement being at white heat, and indigna
ton mass meetings being held nightly in al
the larger cities and towns. What the fna
outcome will be it is not easy to imagine
President Hayes is said to be decidedly o
opinion that, at the last, the Fusionists vii
back down and submit to compromise. o
this, however, we are not at present sanguine
The Democratic party has a long-establishe,
reputation for committing the worst possibl
blunders on every possible occasion, and thi
Maine affair gives the party leaders too goo
an opportunity TO follow their inevitable ben
for them to neglect it. We are very far froI
rejoicing in these revolutionary proceeding
on partisan grounds on the contrary W
deprecate them as blot on our national rec
ord but it is nevertheless an undeniabl
fact that, in any case, this Maine job mean
thousands of votes turned from the Demo
cratic candidates to the Republican in tn
years election.