Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-03-19

the committee on investigz into election ne
turns and expenditure and appropriation Of the
public nouey 70 inform ron that the commit
tee has investigated into and taken testimony
upon the subject matter committed to il BY
the Legislature, inclading the sets ofthe Gov
ernor and Council upon said election returni
and the appropriation OF public moneys uu-
der their control and that an opportunity will
be offered for you to appear before said COM
misfee on Monday the eighth day Of March,
At the Capitol in Augusta to testify and make
explanation upon the matter before said COM
miftee. Parties appearing before the COM
mitttee will be allowed the usual fees for
travel and attendance.
Very Respectfully Yours.
GEoRGs d. Blsskk,
Clerk of Committee.
No one of the ex-members Of the council
SO notified has seen fit to appear before your
committee in response to such notice. Mr..
Foster who is absent n a distant State has
responded in courteous letter, regretting
his inability to be present as he is 50 far
away. Mr.. Foge has replied in long letter
which goes into the testimony. and which
has already been published in some of the
State newspapers. Governor (iarcelon has
appeared and given extended testimony which
is herewith submitted.
The weight Of all the testimony rests so
heavily upon these members Of Gov. Garce-
Ions council who have refused to come for
ward as they have had ample opportunity of
doing, to explain or DENY the acts which the
testimony leaves at their doors, that your
committee hearing in mind the well known
rule that no witness, ii forced to appear, can
be compelled to testify to facts involving him
in a crime. have concluded to leave these
men where the testimony leaves them, exer-
cising the privilege. invoked by criminals for
ages past, ofrot testifying against themselves.
Their names and residences are as follows !:
Charles ii. Chase, Portland; Frank NJ. Fogg,
Auburn; Simon s. Brown, Fairfield; Hal
sey II. Monroe, Thomsston; Frederick G.
Parker, Pressure Isle.
Governor (;arcelOn.
Hon. Alonzo Garcelon whose term of of
fee rs Governor was made notorious by the
events into which your committee have been
came forward when called and
his testimony which we submit is long and
cannot fail to be read with deep interest. 1t
is but just to say that, while before
you committee. Governor Garcelon al
ways declared himself willing to disclose
everything that he knew relating to the in
vestigatiOn. His memory at times was infirm,
and when he was confronted with acts on his
part for which he had no warrant of law he
failed to give any satisfactory
reason for his course. He is shown clearly
to have become committed to a course beset
with infractions and bold violation of the law
and to have shrunk at nothing in pursuing
that course. and he had at many times the OPP
portunity given him, which he always per-
versely disregarded, to halt in his course, and
by following path plainly marked out to him
by the law to end all the troubles and give peace
to the State. He was in many cases besought
by Senator and representatives., who had been
legally elected to hear their cases, and to de-
eide upon them according to the law and the
In all the secases he turned
deaf ear, and persisted in issuing certificates
of election to persons who had been plainly
rejected by the people.
When an indignant, but vet law abiding
people, expressed their determination to see
that every legal and peaceful method known
in our government. should Ne resorted to in
order to prevent the violation of popular
rights, Governor Garcelon instead of respect
ing this firm attitude took such a course as
to all the more arouse and infame public
discomfort. He brought arms to the capitol
from a distant city, where they had been kept
safely for years he filled the the State CAPT
tol with force ofirresponsible men whom he
put under irresponsible leaders, and he so
exercised his authority. that these men were
allowed to arm themselves in readiness for an
assault upon the citizens of the State who are
wont to assemble in its capitol when the
time for the annual meeting of the legisla-
ture is at hand. lie claims that all this was
done under the apprehension that his posscs-
session of his Office and his custody of the
property and archives Of the State was threat
ened.
Your committee fail to see that any such
danger was imminent. or that there was anv
warrant or justification for such display Of
force as Governor Garcelon resorted to, or
for the large expenditure of the public mon
evs that resulted from his rash and ill-timed
act.
In accord with this spirit of perversity was
the refusal to accept the first opinion Of the
Justices of the Supreme Court as settlement
Of the grave questions which had arisen. So
far as we can judge from Governor GarcelOn's
testimony he looked upon the "opinion'' Of
the Justices as being of no moment whatever
except in any such part of it as might agree W it'll
and sustain his own preconceived notion
Certainly he so acted and he thereby ran
the awful risk of turning the State over to the
formless rule of anarchy.
1t is due, not to him in the least. but 10 the
forbearauce and self constraint Of the people
Of the State, that the peaceful processes Of
law were wal. ID for, and that these process
es were permitted to work out the peoples
relief.
To what extent Gov. Garcelon participated
in or sympathized with the wanton transgres-
sion Of law which the treatment of the cleo
ton returns shows in dozens of cases, it is not
easy for us to decide. His opportunities
were constant, and he fails to show q single
case where he successfully interposed to
prevent the wrong.
Taking his own story, as found in the tes-
timony, he accepted the results of the work
of his council without scrutiny, although the
most cursory examination of that work would
have brought him face to with the frauds
which had been committed.
As the responsibility rested finally with
him, and all the certificates of election were
issued by his direction. he cannot escape .
large share of the burden which rests and
must for years rest upon all the men who
were engaged in the attempt to overturn the
result of a popular election and to seize up
on the Government of the State.
But Governor Garcelon has in all
places, both public and private
where he has been found since the election
asseverated not only his own innocence,
but the legality and fairness of the work Of
his council. He has made that work a sub
ject of boastful comment up to time within