The Portland daily press., 1880-09-20
The Proof.
The Great Conspiracy in Maine.
IN Y. Tribune.]

IN. Y Tribune.]
The Evening Express published in an extra
yesterday one Of the most thrilling tales of con-
spiracy and crime that it has been our fortune
to read since the disclosure of the great Letter
of Manton Marble on The Electoral Commits
sion. On the day after the Maine election the
Express had exclusive intelligence of the re-
turn of no fewer than four Fusion Congressman,
a clear Fusion majority in the Legislature, and
the success of Plaisted by ority of at least
1000 Day by day the trophies Of victory have
disappeared. The Legislature has turned out
to be Republican; two of the four Congress
men have slipped away; Plaisted's majority
dropped from 1000 to 1000 in single night,
and then vanished entirely. The Express
seems to have assigned its most excitable re-
porters to the investigation of the problems of
the Why, the When, and the Whence; and
this is their hair-raising story:
The amateur detectives Immediately began
to shadow the Hon. ]. G. Blaine. This was
scheme of remarkable astuteness and original
ity, but it involved great personal danger.
Blaine controls everything in Maine; the
telegraph wires, the newspapers, the police,
the fire department and insurance pat:ol, the
prosecuting officers and grand iuries, and all
the post offices, besides which he keeps large
force of Ague-smtten Pariahs in his back
kitchen to count out Democratic votes, and has
twenty or thirty Thugs for out-of-door work.
The Express expedition, however, learned the
damning fact that "Blaine, Hale and Frye"
had met and "talked the matter over" The
particulars of this hellish meeting are not Civ
en- in full; but it has been ascertained that the
three conspirators reasoned that if Maine
went Democratic now it would do so in No
vember." They also reasoned" that the Re-
publicans were doing all in their power to
carry Indiana for Garfield" and that the re-
suit of Mondays election in Maine would have
an effect in Indiana Having conducted these
remarkable intellectual processes to conclu-
sion, "Blaine, Hale and Frye resolved, after
| three DAYS of secret deliberation, that some
| thing must be done.
| It was next observed, as most suspicious
circumstance, that Mr.. Blaine sent 'telegrams
| to the faithful ones" in various parts OF the
State, instructing them TO "stem the tide Of
popular feeling" To confirm the worst fears
of The Express reporters, prominent Repub.
lican politicians all over the country" began to
| send dispatches to Mr.. Blaine. II these mes
sages could be obtained and printed, they
would no doubt disclose most dreadful peril
to the country; but in not single instance
would telegraph operator divulge their con-
tents to the representatives of The Express
What further proof can be desired of Blaine's
criminal control of the telegraph? The sub
| iect, however, of this mysterious correspon-
| dence is we'll enough understood, even If the
| terms are vilanously kept secret Barrels of
money are rolling into the State" The Ken
| nebec River is crowded with the Gaileons of
! sineway ruffians are rolling the barrels from
the landing to Mr.. Blaine's house; The easu-
| al passer who regards the pile of kegs in front
of Mr.. Blaine's door, and imagines that the
ness, would be very much surprised If he knew