Ellsworth American., 1880-03-25
Prom Lewiston Journal.T
The State Steal.
Report Of the Hale omuu,,sc..
Conci"sire Proofs Of Comnsju1-ows
Frauds.


ministrstion. presented on Friday evening the
clear and able report of the majority OF Tho
committee, which we give in fun. emitting
sNhpl> 'hs Introductory paragraphs referring
10 IN. admitted republican triumph last sep
teinbcr. aud summing-up Of the provisions Of
the constitution and law for cluvassin- re-
turns.
THF ELECTION RETURNS
THESE embrace th. return. from the several
cities. towns and plantations for Sep.lor-
representatives. aud county officers Under
the law all Of these sent To aud keIt Ia the
office of the Secretary Of state.
These ret1rns remained IL the CUSTODY Of f.
" Gore. the Secretary Of state 70, M. Yesr
is7a. and passed into the hands OF Prince ,
SAWYER. his Deputy, who was cho.c,I by what
j. known a. the Fusion Legislature a. Mr.
Gove's successor. When that so-callei l..gi-la-
turc broke up. Mr.. Sawyer retained the p,,~-
session Of the returns and at first refused io
deliver them up Ia the regular Secretary Of
State. sumner j. Chatibourne. bu, on reflection
he changed hi. ground and on the thirty-6r.l
day OF January, lss0, appeared at the >crr,,ia a.
ry'- Office aud In person delivered up ~. .la,,-
ton returns for Senators aud Kcprrs.utatt,rs
stating that he delivered them up in the .alne
condition a. - received them.
The Secretary of State 81 once took pos.c--
sion u them aud had them safety STORED Ia a
lower room of his office. and specially placed
in custody Of ]. Il. Milikcn. who l. well
known y an old snd responsible CLERK in the
office. Mr.. Milikcn has sworn he took charr.
Of them and allowed no changes or alterations
in them, and that when Your committee VA.
created he turned them all over 20 ,.corge u
Bisbee. the sworn clerk Of your committee bv
whom they have been carefully Kept In a steel
safe. and who has never allowed any of them
10 leave his custody. and has permitted no cx-
animation or Inspection except IN hls presence.
The returns for county of'icrrS were found
by the supcrintenden,s Of Public buildings.
General EarTi. and Major Frank +. Nye. on
the tiftecnth day Of February. is>n. Generated
IN the ooVcrnor's room, aud by them at once
delivered 10 youT committee.
Your committee have been scrupulnuslv and
Jealously CAREFUL that no tAmperiug with or
changing of the returns shall have taken place
since they came into their possession They
are surv that nothing of the Kind ha. been doua
or attempted during their control of The re-
turns.
METHOD oF tNNFsTGC NTtSG.
The general cour.c: pur,uei by YOUR coa,.
miit"c on the examination of these returns ia.
b,cn ~ follows -
Where irregularities have appeared ou IN
-pcciion, the committee have at ono, sum
moued the ofiicer. Of The town. anI ciiis. ami
plantations whose return. have lic~n in gu...
iion. and especially the ofiecr- " ba ms,ir up
the returns aud the records of the same. Tho.r
have hosp sent for without r,gapi 10 their
Vuiiilc-, aGd have AWAY. becn dire. tri 10
bring with them al books and paper. relating
I" their returns. An examination II th. li~t
ot witnesses summoned and examined hy the
committee show. that about onc-haif oT them
arr "fus.oni,," in poIiiic..
our committee have examined faithfully
and have tried to 20 TO ihs bottom of each ca.r
and ~haiey"r NAV H. IA" political view. u the
HIcIabcTs. al nAFo worked cordially ani car.
. neatly t"gFih"r 10 \ common "BI, Ih~ sg>-
sions. which have been public. tssiih two ,N-
c"ptansl have been frequent and protrartr,l
sui fAr the limited time given tn them
since their work bog n has al"Nc, YOUR sotf.-
miitrc have rntsa'orrd to gu into all bFau,hr.
of the yasc.
They have searched l,r al Kind. uC ifrrgti-
lATiti., lu the election returns ur IN the trrat-
meui ot the same hy the Governor ami toun-
cii or ~ otter parties. ia orir5 that 4 iul
presentation msght " made 10 The public.
which demanded al explanation of the prpcrss
bY which 8 senators sud representative u
one political p5fiy had been counted nut while
." candid1'" of ih" other pa'ty had istu mo
lcsied.
THR ACTION 90 tnE uuN hi,suH .Np ,ot NCIi.
la order to fully understand the extent of
'hs control which the GoysTnor and Council
a-sumcd over the election returns. a brief
statement oi The f.ciS may htginsly b. made.
The sessions ot the Gosvrnor aud {, uuCtI.
ar holden At the Capitol ia the Council ham.
bcr. with which ih- GoSeruor's ruotu cua ~
mnnlrA'c-. The Governor attend. most y! The
sessions aAd al ,BIurtaLt sLt- u TIE t.uaucl
ar subject to hi- approval ar disapprotai,
The Secretary of state i = part VI the rX.rtl-
tive branch. and either h. or hl, deputy Act-
S- clerk ot the council AZ it, meeting
All the election returns arv sent L. the Sec
rciary Of state and they are by him. with the
exception Of the RETURN. for Governor, which
20 direct 10 the legislature. turned over 10 the
; Go.cgnoC md touncil fur examination and
counting. The Council Blogier" ~ Il - aallcl.
( !, the record Of the meetings and doing, of IN,
! Governor and Council 81 each session,
Your committee IA, received tht. record mr.
the year is,', and It has been made art " the
7 tc-imony.
/ The rvcord shows that at the meeting or the
] Council on sept. 10. lSis, which continued
uEiil sep. II. no action was taken upon the
! election returns. This applies also 70 the meet
! ing Of October 6th.
! At the session which cqmm,u,cd October
( .sih. The election rrturns were Iakcn up, aud
I on October 3Jth the following order vas pass
/ ed. on motion OF Councillor Chasct Council
/ lors Foster and Brown we're addc'! 20 the ON
/ uIittee on Elections, aud said committee Wa.
instructed TO rcrsiy" the returns on iiie In the
Office Of the Secretary uf state and proceed to
/ open aud tabu.sIs ia. -.tl- - -ysn a. con-
/ Ncnicnt-" The committee ur,t made con-
I sisted II three member. the usual number.
| MessEs MOODY. Ecgg and Chase beng chosen.
/ NJ reason has been found ~hy Ihls unusual
! addition was made, and your committee can
-se none. unless it wa- that an uncommon
! burden wa, to b. laid ON the committee.
/ Governor GATcclun in his testimony, saws
that he wanted men ho were better know II
than the youn9 men who first composed the
| committee" Mr. Moody, tue chairman y :.
di,coniented a, the change, and gave up the
| custody Of the returns, and the key- 10 their
place uf keeping shortly afterwards 70 Mr..
fogg.
The Election Returns Commiie. as newly
constituted, took possession of the returns Aad
proceeded 10 open and tAbulsie them, and from
October 3lsi 10 November 18th, th, committee
/ had entire Possession and control over them.
| permitting, a. Governor Garcelon claims no
one to s.e iheI., although persons who were
! Interested H. the returns a. candidate, made
application for an Inspection. ON November
! l1ih, another full session Of the Council was
, holden. ani On that day the "BlotterN shows
I that the Committee on Election Hcturnsh re-
| ported that on the 3ist day OF October they IT,
eeiSei from the SECRETARY Of state the election
! returns for ,enatoFs, Representatives and
! county officers, and they proceeded 10 open the
! same and tabulate them. and nov submit the
tabulations of said returns"
| This record shows that on the 18th day OF
| November the returns had all been opened and
I tAbulaied, and .ege ready for the final action
OF the Governor and Council,
| Up TO this date Governor Garceon teslihe.
! that no person outside of the Committee on
Election Returns Of the Council, had seen the
| returns or knew what WAS in them. On that
| day committee Of three gentlemen, ex-Goy-
| ernor Dilgley. Hon. :. ID. Lindsey, and Hon.
| l.. A. Emory, representing the republican can
didates, waited upon Go.eruor GaEceion, and
| requested permission to look at the returns, to
see il any errors existed In them, that might
| be legal, corrected BY the town records under
| the provisions Of the statutes. Governor Gar
| celon says that he thought the request reason
able, but on submitting the matter TO his
| Council it was laid over with no action until
! November I'D, when the following order was
1 passed, As found on the 'blotter":
| Ordered, tina. the secretafy give parties no.
| tice that the Governor and Council will be in
| session from Dec. lst TO 18th for the purpose
of examining the official returns of votes for
| candidates for senators, representatives and
| county officers. Candidates oisiming irTegu-
| larities other causes presumed TO yitiate
| their election, will have reasonable opportuni-
ty to be heard, either personally or by duly
authorized counsel"
The opportunity for examination by parties
| interested was then restricted 10 the time be-
| tween Dee. ist and 18th. aud for all the rest Of
the time the Governor and Council were solely
accountable for the returns, and for their being
| kept free from tamperng or alteration. The
/ tabulaton and the lists Of senators aud repre-
| sentstiyes made up from them BY the Commit
| tee on Election Returns show that the final
| lists were made up on December Isth, SO that
any peryersion Of the returns, or wrong ap-
| pIieation of the law TO them. or tampering
| with or altering them, on the part OF the Gov
1