Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-01-21
THE MAINE CASE.

d Statement accompanied by q Protest from
the Secretary Of state against the Repub-
Iican UsnrpatiOn.
Augusta Special, Jan. Is.
The following statement is made public,
coming from Secretary of State Sawyer:
STATE OF MAINE, AUGUSTA, Jan. ITO
the People of the State of Maine: Ac.uated
by sense of duty to all the people, ire
spective of party, am compelled to place
before them brief outline of the proceed
ings which have transpired in this State dur
ing the past two months, in order that none
may be deceived or led into q misunder-
standing of the present political condition.
In the first place, it is well known that
majority of more than a thousand of our
voting population cast their ballots at the
last September election in opposition to
the Republican party. Notwithstanding;
the fact, however. almost before the sun
went down on election day the repub-
lican press of the State and leading politi-
| clans herslded abroad that great Republic
can victory had been achieved. That this
claim was the result of preconcerted ar
| rangement cannot be doubted by any intelli-
gent political observer.
The returns of the election, being duly
received in the Office of the secretary of
state, were placed before the governor and
council and by them opened and compared, in
accordance with the provisions of the con-
sttution the supreme law of the State), and
which clearly defines the duty of the gov
ernor and council in tie premises. The in
fuences brought to bear upon them for the
purposes of intimidating them aud influ
encing their action in the exercise of
| the grave responsibility under which
| they were acting are we'll known to
all our people, and need no
repetition here. Suffice it to say that, con-
| fning themselves to the returns before them
and r. jecting such as were not made in con-
fornlity to the constitution, the impartiality
of their action necessitating the rejection of
| a larger number of towns which appeared to
have heen carried by the parties in opposi-
ton to the Republicans than of those who
were Republican, they found seventy-eight
members of the house of representatives and
twenty members of the senate elected in
opposition to the Republican party, and
sixty-one members of the house and eleven
senator's elected by the Republicans, while
no constitutional returns from
the cities of Portland, Lewiston,
Saco, Rockland and Bath hav-
ing being received, they declared their repre-
sentative districts vacant, and so reported.
The certificates of election provided for by
the constitution were accordingly issued to
those who appeared to be elected, sum-
moning them to appear and organize the
legislature on the first Wednesday in Janu-
airy. The rolls containing the list of those
certified as appearing to be elected were
made and signed by the secretary of state,
under the seal of the State, and delivered to
the secretary of the Senate and clerk of the
House, IS provided by chapter of revised
statutes.
The entire thirty-one members of the
senate and one hundred and thirty five mem
bers of the house who had been summoned,
and whose names were upon the respective
rolls, appeared and answered to the roll.
and all the members of the senate and
seventy eight members of the house, being
five majority of the whols number of which
the house is composed, we're duly qualified
| by the governor and council, the only mode
| ton, and a mode never departed from in a
single Instance during our entire existence
as State.
| VI thO AeORuoiiSoh A1OAAOCia
left the hall, refusing to qualify. The two
branches of the legislature thus qualified
organized and entered upon the discharge OF
their duties. By the constitution the house
and senate are made respectively the judges
of the election and qualification of their
members. Having organized in strict &C.
cordance with the constitution and law,
and determined who were members of the
respective branches, they, on the 18th day of
January, elected governor and councillors
and all other State officers whose election is
required at their hands. The governor and
a majority of the members of the council,
as also the adjutant general and secretary OF
state, were qualified and entered upon the
discharge of the respective Offices.
On the next day, Jan. II, certain persons
who claimed to have been elected, but large
number Of whom were not elected, accord
ing to the returns received, and only two of
whom in the house and eleven in the senate
had been duly qualified, met together, and,
having previously gone through the form of
organizing legislature, now enacted the
further farce of choosing a governor and
council and secretary of state. Immediately
the executive chamber was broken into and
possessed by the crowd. The governor and
council illegally chosen by an illegal and un-
constitutional body assembled in open re-
bellion to and in defiance of the constituted
authorities of the State. The state depart
ment was soon broken into and possession
taken in this manner.
The archives of the State are thus in pos
session of unauthorized persons, in violation
of law and order, and rebellion open and de-
| faint had been inaugurated, and the consti-
tuition of the State and rights and liberties
| of the people are trampled down and threat
ened with destruction.
AS secretary of state, and responsible for
the safe keeping of its archives, protested
against this outrage, and I now solemnly
protest, in the name of liberty, law and order,
and present the case to the people, in order
that they may in some degree understand the
true condition of affairs, and inaugurate
prompt measures for the vindication of their
rights and the support of the duly and legally
constituted authorities.
Let no one sleep while instruction or
treason triumphs. Let the issue be clearly
defined. The laws of the State have been
violated, the constitution has been trampled
upon, fraud and violence have been resorted
co. The partisan opinion of the members
of the court upon an assumed statement of
facts has been proclaimed as judicial de-
cision, and the government of the people is
threatened with destruction. It is another