The Portland daily press., 1880-01-01
HOW 1T WAS DONE.
The Details Of the Counting
Out Process.
THE LAW VIOLATED BOTH
IN IT'S LETTER AND
SPIRIT
All Sorts of Devices to Over
throw a Republican
Majority.


etatament made To the Renublican Advisory
-
committee by OfVllle IL. BAKER, Esq, VINO mas
haen acting as COUNSEL.
~ =, -. -, /..,..t
10 He feP"o'eco" 11u0tSo'9 'o"'"''eeee'
Acting as counsel for the committee, it has been
nv dity TO examine the grounds on which twenty
=. D,,.. r,uo,o,.o+;,o, ,o;n, o,,o,a,, ~
lille hepuoic'n nopioaen'''i'e'' i'iiS ouo'oi a'
the September election, have been counted out by
tbe Governor and Council and [ proceed to give
-, 49,. -, -, ,4;, &c o,4rio+o, .,.s 4
each case WIFE SUCH oe'''s 'S ies'iic'ou access u
the returns and meagre abstracts from official re-
ports given to the public will permit. An error in
III, -, o ~, o. ,,o,..;sto,,t NV
Tue sioun'o s.''ou WIZ oo "ue w o"i pei'i'.e' ca
cusion from the facts and official records. Many OF
these eases have been partalv or fv stated before
- 49,, =. ~; - - -,
ou' give 'nen' ooioo'ouiy III 'ni' iepoi III oi"'
to present the entire transaction at one view.
HOIJSE
The city of Portland chose five Republican Rep
resentatives by an average majority of 629 votes.
In the return 143 votes were placed opposite the
word scattering" For this reason the entire re
turn was rejected and Portland was deprived of
representation. 1t was urged before the Governor
and Council that no evidence whatever was before
scattering thereon were not cast as returned and
Furthermore, that granting the irregularity it was
obvious the face of the return that the votes OPP
posite the word scattering could not De so placed
or arranged as to destroy or a1ect the piuraty OF
Even .no eooo,Io a. isri,inp pnr+1anS
of REPRESENTATION in this Way the Governor and
Connect declined TO authorize new election; so
that if appears to have been an intentional design
exclude Portland from all voice or vote in the or
oanization of the Lepislature The destruction of
PortIand's right of Representation is rendered all
the more significant from the fact that the return
the last wear as well as this year contained votes
returned as scattering Last year the fusion party
carried Portland by majority of fifty and Governor
Conner and his Republican Council counted in every
fusion Representative without hesitation The
cases in this State are numerous where the word
ssscatteriug' has been used from the count of the
gubernatorial vote by the Legislature down to the
smallest town officer and the exclusion of Portland
NV Governor Garcelon and his council is the first
known instance in which return has been invalid
ated thereby
In the verv first election of Maine as a Stat G
when William King was chosen governor in 1920
The word s.scatterig'' appeared in the returns of
some towns. The canyassing board was composed
in large part of men who had taken part in the
Formation of the constitution the same year 1t is
sionificant circumstance that board Thus composed
should order that the word scattering did not in
yaldate a return thus giving at the outset a con-
struction To the constitution by the men who had
assisted in framing IT,
Ry the constitution IT Is made the duty of the
c,oyernor and Council TO issue certificate to The
arson Who annears nv the face of the return to he
aeIactad Rv the Portland return construed in any
nassible roy If nnn;stakably annears that the five
RenuhI;can candidates received = clear majority of