The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-01-30
MaENE MEEHNESS.


TO the daily papers have kept them
selves posted in regard to the situa
tion of matters political in the Pine
Tree State. However, many of our
readers living remote from mail facil
tiles have not yet learned the extent
to which the Fusionists carried mat
ters in Maine. For such we propose
to give a brief statement of which
has up to this time been done. Of
course all know that an election was
held in Maine late in the fall of '79,
for the purpose of electing full set
of State officers and Legislature.
Three tickets were in the field, Re-
publican headed by Davis for Govern
or; Fusionist with Smith for Gov
ernor; Democratic with Garcelon for
Governor. A thorough canvass of
the State was made, and when the
result was made known, it was found
that the Republicans had swept the
entire State, by larger majority
than had been secured for years. 1t
will be remembered that Garcelon
was elected Governor in 1878 by the
Fusionis.s, and judging him by the
light OF passing events during the
last two months he aided by his conn-
Gil had been doing all in their power
to recompense that party by
attempting to deprive the State of
the offices squarely elected by
counting them all out on mere tech
ncialities, and seating those OF the
Fasionist party. The Republicans
polled at the last election nearly three
times as many votes as the Fusionists
and notwithstanding that fact which
no one disputes, not even the Flu
sionists themselves, we have seen the
sorry spectacle of the entire State be.
ing turned over TO those whom the
people never elected and those whom
the people did elect refused admit
tance to the Governors council to
examine the returns, or to make OBJ
jections to that summary manner of
depriving them of their election GER
tifcates. Thus Garcelon and his
council in secret handled the election
returns. and accomplished their foul
purpose of ignoring the peoples
rights and organizing State Gov
ernment in Maine that was never
elected. After the Fusionist Gov
ernment was counted in, Garcelon
consented to submit a list of ques-
tions to the Supreme Judicial Court.
Involving every point in the contro-
.versy etaeen thesRepublicans and
Fusionists,' and intimated that he
would be goSE1ad BY the decision
of the CoufE he matter of issuing
election cesShcates. 4 The Court
promptly decids# &ery question
against the F1ssssiisdaststs, and in favor of
the Republicans yet he refused to be
governed by nit decision and sum-
mond the Lslature that he had
counted in ppear at Augusta, the
capital a1hs State With great
Bnanimits fhe Fusionists obeyed the
summons, and one lone Republican,
Eugene Hale, the only one of the
Republicans that was counted in.
, The House and Senate organized by
electing Speaker and president, and
then proceeded TO elect Governor
and other State officers. Before re-
tiriBg from Gubernatorial duties,
GosernorrGarcelon appointed Major
Gen. Joshua Chamberlain to protect
the State House and preserve peace.
lie was ably assisted by Mayor Nash
Of Augusta, 2ad the Sheriff of the
county Shortly after the Fusionist
rsenate was organized Precedent Lam
som sent an order to Gen. Chamber
lain that be had been elected Presi-
dent of the. Senate, and was ex-
gficio Governor ofthe Stasdof Maine
u that his services could be dis
"a with. Gen. t;a.. amberlain re.
bat he doubte1 is authority