The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-01-08
THE MAINE MATTER.

II appears from the records Of Maine,
Of Republican Governors and Councils,
that Gov. Garcelon and his Council have
plenty of precedents for their course OF
action. Over these Blaine, Hamlin q
Co., sounded no warwhoop, for 1t was to
benefit the Republican party. The
boot was then on the other leg.
The records Of the past show the Re-
publcans resorted to the merest tech.
nicalities to count out Democrats who
had been fairly elected, adopting one
rule for Republicans and another for
Democrats. For instance, they would
nullify the election of a Democrat, be.
cause of errors in the initials of his
name, and in the case of Republican
hold such error as not affecting the re.
turn. A dispatch from Augusta says a
full statement Of the reasons determin-
ing every case acted on by Gov. Garce.
lon and his Council, with plenty of Re.
publican precedents and strong legal rea-
sons behind every act, will be laid be-
fore the proper authorities at the proper
time.
One fact stated by the New York Sun
correspondent is very important. Blaine
and lis bulldozers alleged at the outset
that defective Democratic returns were
not thrown out, but counted. The Sun
correspondent states Coy. GarCelon ap-
piled the same rule rigidly to all returns,
regardless of politics, and declares fur.
ther:
Not only have some Democratic and
GreeDback towns been counted out, but
absolutely a greater number of these
have been counted out than Of Republi-
can towns. All told, more opposition
votes than Republican have been thrown
out. Why, then, were several Republi.
can Senators and Representatives count
ed out, while the opposition lost no
members of the Legislature2 A clear
headed member Of the Governors Coun-
Gil said to me tonight:
"Thst issimply because the opposition
majorities we're larger, as a rule, than
the Republican majorities. You will
remember that the Republicans are in q
minority of the popular vote of the en-.
tire State. By the gerrymander OF 1870
they arranged the classes of towns in the
representative districts so that they
might be in minority on the popular
vote, and still by small majorities in a
good many close districts, secure ma.
jority Representatives. Therefore the
defective return of single small town
sometimes lost the Republican that dis
triCt. Opposition having larger msjori.
ties, where they had the maiorities at
ali, could afford to lose several towns,
perhaps, without losing the district. To
illustrates: The Opposition carried Pc.
nobscot county by 1900 majority. We
counted out eight Democratic towns and
plantations in that district without af-
fecting the general result. On the other
hand, the Republicans, who claimed to
have carried Franklin county by ma
jority of only seven, could not lose one
town without losing the county,"
That is the philosophy OF fact that
has puzzled great many Democrats, be.
sides exasperating great many Repub.
licans. 1t must be borne in mind that
the Republicans are very much in mi.
nority in the total vote of Maine.
1t appears from this that not only have
Republican precedents come home to
roost, but the iniquities of their legisla-
tive gerrymander have also borne fruit
of a kind they did not expect.