The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-03-16
The Impenitent Mu]a.


DIR. Garcelon is minded to save his reputa-
ton for integrity at the expense of his COM
mon sense. That is right. 1t is better to be
fool than knave, and if the Doctor and
Ex-Governor can persuade mankind to ac-
cept him at his own valuation his honesty
will remain unquestioned. He says he was
unaware of the tricks with the returns the
members of his Council were practicing,
that he did not know the political complex
ion of the counted-in Legislature until he
saw it mentioned in the newspapers; and he
appears to have striven as hard to avoid see
ing and hearing as most men do to see and
hear All this bears a suspicious resemblance
to wilful perversity, and would be so regard
ed except in the case of phenomenal fool.
Being confronted with the returns the ex-
Governor was forced to acknowledge that
they have been changed in many ways; that
the rules applied to returns from Republi-
can towns were disregarded when defective
returns from Fusion towns were found; that
the ditto marks were used to count out Re-
publicans and to count in Fusionists; that
when initials only were used it was fatal
defect in a Republican name, remedial
defect in Fusion name; that the who'll
number of ballots must be given where a
Republican was concerned, and might be
disregarded where a Fusionist was con-
cerned; that mistake in spelling in the
name of Republican candidate must de-
prive him of the votes cast for him, but that
similar error in the name of Fusion can
didate is of no consequence and need not be
noticed. Thus Burnam and Burnham were
counted as two names because the candidate
from Sherman was Republican, but votes
for Alfred Cushman and for Afford Cush-
man were counted for one man, because
Cushman was a Fusionist; for the same rea-
son Redlon and Redlond were regarded as
two names, Rankin and Rankins as one,
Quimby and Quinby as one, Clark and
Clarke as one, Standley and Stanley as one.
In East Machias the whole number of votes
did not agree with the ballots, but East Ma
chias was Fusion and tabulated. In Hamp-
den the same defect was found, but Hamp-
den was thrown out. The New Sharon re-
turn was rejected because two of the names
of the selectmen appeared to be written by
one hand, and the return from Somerville
counted though all the signatures to it were
written by one hand. Because ditto marks
were used under the names of Republican
candidates in Westbrook the Republicans
were counted out, but the Andover return
with the ditto marks was permitted to pass.
In East Livermore the return was for Hiram
Briggs, and the record for Hiram W. Briggs,
and the votes were tabulated for Hiram
Briggs, and the Republican candidate thrown
out In Wells the evidently amended return
was for Josiah A. Stover, and the record for
Josiah Stover, and the Fusionist Stover was
counted in.
With these facts DIR. Garcelon processes
to have just become acquainted. Of the
Republican defects he knew. OF the Fu-,
sion defects his Council did not tell
him. lie insisted upon examining Republi-
can returns He was content to leave the
examination of Fusion returns to the Coun-
cilors and to accept their statements. All
the time that amendment and substitution
of returns were going on, that forgery and
other forms of fraud were being practiced
he was entirely unconscious of any wrong
doing and believed he was dealing out even
justice to Republican and Fusionist. Yet
this man, so easily bamboozlsd, so neglect
full of his duty, so determined not to see
things apparent to everyone else, delights to
be called the "second Jackson" by the men
who made him their tool and used him for
the basest purposes. Imagine Andrew
Jackson thus misled by his Cabinet!
The stuff of which our Ex-Governor
is made is not hickory but poor piece
of Eastwood, and the Fusionists fash
ioned him into spool on which to wind
the threads of their intrigue.
Even now, DR.. Garcelon, though admit
ting the manipulation of the returns, ex-
presses no regret at the great wrong he suf-
fered to be done and which it was his duty
to prevent. For all that appears to the con-
trary he is still proud of the count-out. He
admits that he may have been misled by his
Council, but has no ords of apology to Of
fer for his own carelessness, and neglect of
duty, and blindness He seems desirous of
going into history not as playing the role of
a "second Jackson" but as enacting the
part of the Impenitent Mule.