The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-01-27
AN OHIO IDEA OF THE MAINE CASE.
Some knOtty and Peculiar Points Decid.
eel in al EARLY Election Dispute.
cincinnati Enquirer.

The opinion of the Supreme Judicial Court
of Maine, in answer to the questions submit
ted to Governor Garcelon, was under discus
sion, and Grandfather Llckshingle narrated
the following reminlscence:
"Along in the early part of 100, the year
| cast my first vote, W. had jes' sech another
squabble over the coun;in' NV the ballots at a
town election. The Jedges of Ele ,tion count
ed the votes accordin' to the dictates NV their
consciences an the requirements of the Con-
s%titution NV the Z. S. The defeated party,
however, s~quealed like stuck pigs, cried fer
Blood. Yearoo, blood" am run aroun' with
pistols in their hans an butcher knives in
their teeth.
1.-THE disputed questions WIZ. finerly sub
mitted to a Beard of Justices NV the Peace
fer settlement. The questions NV the Jedges
an the answers given by the Board wuz viz,
to-wit:
"'Question /. When it is foun' that a
double han'tul NV tickets have been deposited
in a lump in the ballot-boX, is it not the duty
Nv the Jedges Nv Election to throw out the
tickets SO deposited, and if 50, how many.'
"'Answei. The Jedgcs Nv Election air 70
count the votes as they fin them (Jones vs..
MuIligrub, 1866 an asst no questions. That is
what they air paid fer. The returns air no.
to be strangled by idle technicalities nor is
their meaning to be distorted by carpin's and
captious criticism. Dye hear that p
"'Question =. If a Jedge Of Election is
detected in the act of clewin' up all the bal
lots offered for certain candidates and is oc-
casionally observed to cram into the box a
han1tl! of tickets which he takes from his
~coat-tail pocket, shOilld the remainin' .Jednes
and Inspectors NV Election count the votes so
deposited as if all WIZ squar' an proper, am
make no estimate NV the number chawed up?'
"'AnSWer. 1t IS the unanimous ODluiOn
ny the Board NV justices of the Peace that
JedgPs heV no color Nv right to retlfse to
count an make return NV all tickets found in
the ballot-boN. If any person or persons
want to jropaldize their health by chewin' up
great wads nv paper (tlle very beasts Nv the
field knows that paper contains arsenic an
prtlssic aCid). that's Their W affair. This is
a government Of the people, by the people an
for the people, an if administered in the
spirit OF its founders it shall not perish from
the earth. Put that in yeur pipe am smoke it,
"'Qucstion ,. If a ma livin' in another
State, an not a citizen Of the Mnited States.
attempts to vote an is refused. an he then re-
tire, loads a doubla-barrel shotgun with tick
cts and, takin deadly aim, fires them into the
ba!lot-bOX. is it the duty uv the Jedges to
count said votes, an if SO, how many?'
".Answer. This question is fully an
swered i'll reply to QUESTION: No. ,. The
Jedges NV Election have no right under heav-
Ell to inquire how or by whom certain ballots
lev been deposited in the box. Their duty,
as laid down in the statute, is to count the
votes (23 Kalamazoo. II 3-lO), an foyeved after
hold their peace. You might as well attempt
to dam up the waters Nv the Nile with bull
PUSHES as to fetter the step NV freedom, more
proud an glorious than the tlead Nv IA war
horse at a county fair"
Then the action of the Judges was not
sustained by the Board: p suggested one.
y 10 an extent to create enthusiasm in
their ranks" replied grandfather. "On the
contrary, they clothed their brows with thun-
der, an sWorc that the next time they sub
mitted Il political dispute to a commission NV
the opposite party they hoped to be diddledy
dog-nabbed to thunder an lightnin'."
"What happened to the Board of Justices
Of the Peace":'
"Thcy moved with their families up into
Maine,' said grantathcr, with a sigh, al the
null caboodle Nv them WIZ placed on the Su-
nremc bench uy the State