Daily Kennebec journal., 1880-01-01


The city Of Portland chose Ave republican
representatives by an average majority of go
votes. In the return lig votes we're placed
opposite the word scattering" For this
reason the entire return vas rejected. and
Portland was deprived of representation. II
was urged before the Governor and Council.
that no evidence whatever va- before them
to show that ii3 ballots with simply the word
scattering" thereon were not cast as re-
turned. and furthermore that. granting the
irregularity. II was obyiou. on the face Of the
return thar the votes opposite the word ..srat-
tering' could not be 40 placed or assigned as 10
destroy or affect the plurality, or even the alb
solutc majority, Of any one Of the five repub-
lean candidates. Aficr depriying Portland
Of representation in this way, the Governor
and Council declined to authorize a new elcc-
tion. 40 that II appears To have been an inten-
tional design TO exclude Portland from all
voice vote in the organization Of the leg
islaturc. The destruction OF Portand's right
of representation is rendered all the more
significant from the fact, that the return of
last year as well ~ Of this year, contained
votes returned "a scattering" Last year the
fusion party carried Portland bv q majority
Of fifty, and Governor Connor and his rcpnb-
lican Council counted in every fusion repre-
sentative without hesitation. The eases in
this state are numerous where the word scat
tering has been used, from the count of the
guberna.oral vote by the Legislature. dow
10 the smallest town officer. and the exclusion
Of Portland by Gov. Garcclon and his
Council Is the first known instance.
in which return has been invAi-
dated thereby. In the very first cleo
tion of Maine ~ State, when William King
was chosen Governor in 1870 the ord ''.enf-
tcring" appeared In the returns of some towns.
The Capvassing Board was composed in
large part 1T men who had taken part in the
formation Of the constitution the same wear.
1t s q significant circumstance that Board
thus composed should decide that the word
SCATTERING did not inyatidatc a return. 49,
Thus giving Mt the outset a construction to the
constitution by the men who had assisted in
framing II. l.y the constitution il il made
the duty of the Governor and Council to issue
- n certificate to the person who appears by he
facc NJ thr return To bc elected. Bv the
Portland return. construed in anv possible
way, it unmstakably APPEARS that the five
L republican candidates received clear major
~ of all the votes cast But the Governor
Council refused to MI i've the certificate
constitution commands.
Form prurR DistHA>CHisEp CtrIEs.
iston. S,co. Bath and Rocklnnd were
rtland. denied representation, but for
nj reason. In the aggregate the four
entitled to seven representatives.
were all dsfrsnchistd for the same
tmelv, that the election return from
Fas signed by only three Aldermen
Ie Governor and Council decided
ttquirc,l four. Under thc understood
D(Rcficc of former Governors and Councils
this defect was easily supplied from the
record. but Governor Garcelnn and his Cuun-
ell refused ~ allow this correction The
wrong done these cities Is greatly aggravated
by the fact that the official blanks for election
seturns from cities. sent out from the Office
of the Secretary Of State Ia the city officers.
contained ruled space for the signatures uf
the ofiiccrs--first a dotted line with the word
Mavor at the end next and close up TO the
first line, came three dotted lines only en-
closed IN brace ut the end. with the word
Alderman against the brace. Closely follow
ing. came fth line with the words City
Clerk nj the end. II wonli be impossible
for any intelligent man. in looking at the
blank. to suppose that the signatures of more
than three aldermen could he expected The
Secretary of State could give no reason for
this extraordinary form of blank. never used
In prev ious wears, and for the first time seen
in Maine Its use is all the more remark
able from the fact that an abundant
supply Of blanks for city returns was already
in his office. This new blank with the mis-
leading lines was printed at the office of the
Maine Standard, edited hy Ehen + rillshury
The following diagram viii readily illus
tratc its character. and expose at glaIce the
snare laid for the cities dissrauchised by the
Governor and Council