Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1880-02-11
From Maine.

]
A correspondent of the Detroit
Free Press, who has recently been
on a little excursion to Maine,
writes from Boston as follows:
The detectives now believe that
the Groton villain has gone to
Maine, his native State, and, if so,
he is on as straight a road as any
to perdition. That and ice are the
two staple "raisings" of the Pine
Tree State with q balance in favor
of the former this winter. / drift
ed down through the seat of war
the other day and learned a great
deal of useful knowledge of the
kind that your politics-adjuring
reader don't care anything about.
They will only be interested in
business matters which, / am hap
Ply to say, are booming. Votes, a
valuable crop in that section, never
commanding better price than in
the election just past. The price
ranged from one drink for the
tolerable-certain grade up to twen-
ty dollars for a prime, independent,
unpledged article. A good deal
of this staple changed hands sever
al times, being sold for future de-
livery, whereby the middlemen and
spectators are presumed to have
done well. / heard of one lot in
possession of a half-witted fellow
which was sold three different times
to as many parties and finally picked
up by an operator,a deputy collector
Of customs, whom / shall call Sibley.
When it was finally delivered
somebody asked the young man for
whom he voted, and he answered
promptly, "for Mr.. Sibley," but
that he'd vote for anyone else now
if they paid him the same. / heard
of a Universalist minister whose
congregation deserted him because
he didn't vote to suit them where
upon he Immediately received a
"call' from another congregation
whose pastor had offended them on
the same question by voting the
other way. The congregation
were of different denomination,
but apparently preferred their
politics to their religion and con-
sidered the clergyman sound
enough on the more important
question. Other clergymen / heard
of who were coerced in the most
cowardly manner by their focks,
who, in some cases went so far
as to threaten donation parties and
church fairs if their political preju-
dice were opposed. OF course the
intimidation was not all on one side.
Where pastor and flock were in
accord upon the vital question Of
politics, they made it hot for any
sheep in the fold who had heretical
opinions, by Offering up prayers
at him, putting him on committees
and by other methods of theologi-
cal bulldozing. 1t was very graft
flying to me, as a firm believer in
the purity Of our civil service, to
learn that there was no coer-
cion in that branch. Nobody has
been turned out of Office for voting
contrary to the wishes of bis superb
or. This excellent result may be
in some measure attributed to the
fact that nobody did so vote.
Incidentally other branches OF
business were identified by the
election. A great many industrious
poor men found employment Of q
remunerative kind for some day:
before election. They were cur
iously enough, men whose political
opinions were either uncertain OF
opposite to those OF their employ
ers; sufficiently satisfactory proof
to my mind, that there Is no politi.
cal ostracism in the State. i
further proof be needed il is found
in the fact that in nearly every
case the men so employed wer'
moved by pure gratitude TO cbang'
their politics and vote the SAM
ticket as their generous benefac
tors. have also heard Of severa
|, more noble instances OF shipmas
tiers and owners who. in order Il
give employment to deserving mel
Of the opposite party, and did &C
tually engage crews Of such an