The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-01-01
THE MAINE INFAMY.
Her Stalwart Senator Exposes the
Great Crime.
The Entire Conspiracy Shown
UP by HKr. Blaine.

of this kind, to understand with pre-
cision the grievance of which the peo-
pie complain. Let me state it as briefly
as possible. On the 9th day of Septem-
Der last, the voters of Maine, in pursu-
ance Of their organic law, proceeded to
elect Governor and Senators and
Representatives in the Legislature. The
election was preceded by prolonged,
thorough and notwithstanding can
vass Of the State. Hon. Arson p. Nor
rill, who, | regret, is not able to be with
us this evening, told me that he had
voted for ffty-fve consecutive years in
Maine, and in many OF the campaigns
had taken, as we all know, an active
part, and that, in the whole of that
long period, he had never known
political contest in which the
issue before the people had been SO
ably, so deliberately and SO thoroughly
discussed, both on the stump and by
the press. He said he did not believe
there had ever been year in which
every citizen of the State knew SO well
just what he intended by his vote as in
the election Of 1879. I am sure that
would be the testimony Of every honest
and candid man in the State. The vote
was full, free and fair. The result of
that election, as shown by the official
returns, was to give the Republican
candidate for Governor q plurality of
$1,000 votes over the Greenback candi-
date, and of $4,000 over the Democratic
candidate. In the Legislature, by the
official returns, the Republicans chose
nineteen Senators, and the opposition
twelve Senators; and in. the House
the Republicans chose ninety mem
bers, and the opposition sixty-one.
On the Legislative ticket the Repub-
icans had an absolute majority of near
ly 5000 on the popular vote. This was
the result, as shown by the official re-
turns made by the City and Town
Clerks, and immediately made public
by the Secretary of State. When the
sealed returns were opened, some weeks
later, to be counted by the Governor
and Council, they disclosed the same re-
suit that had been published from the
Clerks returns, and common honesty
and common decency, to say nothing of
official integrity, required that the men
chosen by the people should be de-
clared elected, and receive their certif-
Gates; but the Governor and Council
had resolved otherwise, and. in
collision with other welIknown
men, they entered into a conspiracy
to change the result and deprive the
people of their choice, and then
began the remarkable count which has
just closed, to the lasting dishonor and
disgrace of all who had part or lot in
it. They began to discover fatal de-
fects," as Gov. Garcelon termed them,
in the returns from Republican towns.
Here and there an Il" was not dotted
or a 1T" crossed, or a man had {" IT,"
left off his name, or the initial letter of
his middle name was wrong, or the bal
lot that elected him had the names
printed at right angles to the narrow
side, when they should have been par
allel; or the signatures of all the town
officers, to the acute eye of single
Councillor, without any other evidence,
were written in the same hand; or the
total number of votes was not filled out
in the right part of the election blank
or one of the town officers was an alien;
or two Selectmen were permitted to
swear away their own return by an ex-
parte affidavit that, although they had
once sworn the return was sealed
in open town meeting, they now
swore it was not; or the return
of cities was signed by only three
Aldermen, just according to the blank
sent out from the Office of the Secre-
tary of State after being prepared as q
trap or pitfall. These and numerous
other minor points of like value were
freely used to destroy the popular vote
and maintain in power the party and
the men whom the people rejected. The
result of the whole of this pitiful and
wicked pettifogging was to change a
Republican majority of seven in the
Senate and twenty-nine in the House
TO Fusion majority of nine in the Sem
ate and seventeen in the House, with
five Republican cities completely
disfranchised and denied, by the Gov
ernor and Council, the poor boon of a
new election, so that Portland, Lewis
ton, Bath, Rockland and Saco are rem
dered absolutely incapable of taking
any part in the organization of the
Legislature, or in the choice of Gov
ernor, or in the election of State officers,
or in the original composition of the
House committees, which shape and
practically control legislation Perhaps,
if the Representatives chosen by these
five important cities will humbly petition
theHouseand cool their heels In the ante
chamber of Fusion greatness for three
or four weeks, they may be permitted
to be sworn in when they can no longer
embarrass the progress of the consplra-
tors programme and no longer be able
to serve their constituents. These five
cities have valuation of more than
$5l, 100000, and pay nearly one-quarter
o. the entire taxes of the State; to be
accurate, they paw % per cent. of the