The Portland daily press., 1880-08-21
Names Duty.
A View from an Independent Stand.
point.
boston Herald

The thing that needs to be done first of all
and most OF all in Maine this year is to put the
seal of public condemnation upon the outrage
GUS attempt made to reverse the result of the
last election by chicanery and fraud, and to re-
buke, as it deserves to be rebuked, the shame
less political alliance that is now Haunted In
the face of the honest people Of that state un-
der the name of Fusion" The facts in tn a
case are of so recent occurrence, and were so
indisputable in their nature, that no rehearsal
OF them is necessary. 1t was made perfectly
plain that job was put up, with the conniv-
ance of high State officials deliberately to
steal the State government. 1t involved all
the crimes against the elective franchise
which the rapid evolution of political rascality
has developed in this country, from fraud to
force. The conspirators lacked nothing except
the courage to accomplish the overthrow of
popular rights in this steady-going down-east
community. Their plan was the meanest
form of Mexicanization applied to elections
the spirit of revolution without its bravery. the
lust for office without its final daring. They
pursued their Office UP to the very point Of
throwing the State into anarchy, kept up the
farce of. pretended government until they
had succeeded in making themselves as ridicu-
lous as they were proven to be guilty, and then
sneaked home in the "don't-want-'e -'er-fighto
fashion characteristic of their kidney And
now they have the effrontery to renew tfsir
unprincipled union, and to ask the voters OF
the State to hand over to their custody the
stolen goods that were rescued from their pos
session. 1t is the most e-hardened exhibit
wi in Ax,,ax
politics. Tweed's return to run for Governor
OF New York, after his escape from Jail, would
have been piece of blushing modesty COM
pared with this; for he only robbed city OF
its money, while the Maine Fuslonists at
tempted to ROB State of its rights. We main
tain,. therefore, that the condemnation Of
fraud and conspiracy is the first duty of the
Maine voters The Republicans could scarce
ly avoid making capital out of the affair-or
rather OF appropriating the capital already
majority in September will undoubtedly ac-
crue to their advantage in the November cleo
ton. No matter. The coming election is the
opportunity, and the only one, which the citi-
s zens o. Maine will have to place on record
their opinion of such transactions as disgraced
their State last year. If it shall turn out that
a high-handed attempt at revolution, con-
celyed in fraud and tempered only by coward
lce-characterized by f1agrant disregard alike
OF judicial decisions and of popular rights-is
a thing to be forgotten because it failed, we
shall hope to hear no more down-east homilies
on public virtue, nor any further expressions
OF simulated horror over the election outrages
at the South. If Maine, with its 100 years of
freedom, schools and churches, can SO easily
condone the proven rascalities of its high Off
cials, her people should view with ienient
eye the pretty crookedness of the benighted
crossroads in Alabama and the dark ways of
the southern returning boards in 1876 The
Pine Tree State: If she neglects her plain duty
this year, will become a veritable lighthouse
among the glass ediices from which the adage
warns us it is unsafe to to throw stones.