The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-01-12
BY TELEGRAPH.
THE GOVERNORSHIP.
Thirteen of the Committee De.
clare that Plaisted is Elected.
THREE WANT TO APPEAL TO
THE COURT.
The Majority Report Certain to be
Adopted
AND PLAIsTED yINAUGURATED GOV
ERNOR.
AUGUSTA, Jan. IL.

AUGUSTA JAM IL.
The committee ON gubernatorial vote finally
reached decision to-day, and tomorrow their
report will be submitted to the Legislature.
They accepted the certified copy of the records
of the vote of Vassalboro, and it was counted
and tabulated, notwithstanding Senator Mort
land, of Knox, objected on the ground that
there was no law nor precedent to justify the
committee to accept secondary evidence in the
canvass of returns, the duty of the committee
being simply ministerial. Dickey, the Fusion
member from Fort Kent, went in for counting
Vassalboro; whereupon Mortland accused him
of changing his position since Saturday, and
said that he now voted from expediency. To
this Dickey responded by saying that Mortland
labored under an hallucination of m nd, which
evoked laugh. Verrill' of Portland, differed
with Mortland in reference to precedent and
decision, and commended that he believed the
matter came witkin the scope of the decision
OF the Court last winter. But Mortland was
not satisfied, and declared that if the commit
tee followed the doctrine set up by Verrill we
shall adopt dangerous precedent He did
not believe the Legislature could adjudcate
and decide precedents of law, and if we did
we were assuming responsibility that could
not be sustained. When the vote was on re.
ceiving and tabulating the return of Vassal-
boro Mortland was the only one of the COM
mttee who voted in opposition, while fifteen
voted in favor and seven were absent.
The committee accepted the certified copy of
the vote of Morrill,. but rejected the sworn
statement of the selectmen accompanying it
setting forth that no votes were thrown for
Harrison M. Plaisted. This affidavit was not
considered admissible.
The committee refused to accept the certi-
fed copy of the vote of Ellsworth, which
showed that the 81 votes for Harrison M.
Plaisted were returned by mistake, and they
were counted for Harrison NJ Plaisted
Mr.. Dickey moved that Harris M Plaisted
having plurality of all the votes returned is
duly elected Governor for the present DO
ltical term of 1892.
Mr.. Mortland opposed this motion and ar
gued that the power was not conferred by the
constitution to daelare that any mani was
elected who had plurality of votes This
WIS matuor rvr-sa-----.-vv-u cCIue, and
neither political considerations nor political
exDediency should govern in reaching con-
clusion.
Mr.. Verrill maintained that the constitution
was amended at the September election and
cited precedents to justify his position.
MIR. Mortland thought otherwise and uttered
few words of warning in burst of elo-
quence.
The question being taken by yeas and nays
resulted in Dickey's motion being carried by a
vote of 10 to-
Those who voted in the affirmative were
Senators Walker of Oxford, Pattangall of
Washington, Clarke of Lincoln, and Repesen-
tatives Morrill, of Augusta, Verrill of Port
land, Dickey of Fort Kent, Linscott of Farm
ington, Hall of Rockland, White of Levant,
Goss of Bath, Goodale of Rartland,
Harding of Waldo, and Emery of
Saco. = Those who voted in the neg
alive were Senator Mortland of Knox, and
Representatives Flint of Dover and McKusick
of Calais The absentees were Senators Berry
of Kennebec, Dingley of Androscoggin, Hill
Of Penobscot, and Representatives Parker of
Lewiston, McAlister of Bucksport, Fisher of
Boothbay and Marble of Paris. An analysis
OF the vote shows that the Fusion members
voted in the affirmative.
After the vote was taken the majority repert
was then read and the vote for Governor was
ranor tod fo1Iouc.