New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-12
1 SIGNLLIc4Nr CnNrp1vr

The action OF the Maine Republicans in re-
! fus:ng 10 k advantage OF tcchuIciIties for
! partisan gain is worthy something more than
! a passing remark. ! pom strict construction
! Of the sta.utns concerning elections they
could have declared the E.pnhlcan cam
! didate for Governor elected. # was only
/ necessary to count the yo es as returned 20
deprive Mr.. P.iistcd OF votes enough to leave
! lnm in a minority. Leaving ouf Of The qlc5-
ton the intent Of the voter, which the com
mittec werr uoi bound to consider, the Flu
SION candidate did not receive a majority Of
the votes and under tie letter Of the law
vas net legally elected The Committee
Of The Lccio!aiurc rovey"r. beloved it 10 be
tAoir duty to regard the spirit rather than The
letter Of the law, and FOREGOING the partisan
advantage which offered. have reported
in favor of the candidate for Gov
ernor for whom a mljorty-yey sn1,l,
indeed, but still majority -ot the
voters maEiicsty meant t. cast their votes.
it may be said tl.t they deserve no
SPECIAL credit for dong wat WIS 50 OBJ
ylousy right, ard that upon the whole
it was wise as a mere matter of party policy
to pursue the course they have, since to have
done otherwise would have exposed them to
adverse criticism. and IN the cud worked to
the injury of the party. This must be al
milted. The right thing was the polite thing :;
and for simply doing right party which
asks public confidence, and is trusted because
ii premises to regard Justice aud act honestly,
can cain no particular merit.
Let us sly then, that they have done no
more taan their plain dutv and this more rs
matter of policy than conscience. A. patriotic
citizens, we are glad 80 believe that political
honesty is not 50 phenomenal that the cxcr-
else Of it in a single instance entities the
party exhibiting it - special favor. Az Re-
publicans, we are not unwilling to admit
the possibility that the party in its Organized
action may be governed as mucL by policy as
by conscience; for the party that holds to a
belief in the ultimate honesty and good sense
of the people, and fears to off nd them, is
under such a salutaiy restraint that it can
always safely be trusted. But between parties
there is choice, and IN view of the action taken
by the Republicans the question naturally
arises. What would have been the course
of their opponents under similar circum-
stances Would they have refused TO
take advantage of tcchnicahtieS to secure
the Office of Governor Is there any rca-
son to believe that they would have been
governed in the matter By a conscientious
sense Of right and justice, or by the mo-
tives of common honesty that regulate
transactions between individuals 7 Would
they-to put the action on the lower plane
would they have had the prudent sagacity,
the wise fOrethought, to see that as a matter
of policy, il were better to resist the tcmpta-
ton TO sharp practice and do the square and
manly thiDg4 We are not left to suspicion
OF conjecture for the answer. The party has
a record in this same State OF Maine,
lust year old, that sets at rest all doubt as
70 what they would have done under similar
circumstances. There is no need to recte 1T.
1t is enough to say that just year ago the
Democrats of Maine and their allies, the
Greenbackers, were engaged not merely IN
taking advantage of every technicality and
informality that actually existed. but in max
ing technicalities and infOrmalities by fraud
and forgery by which to cheat the voters
of Maine of their fairly expressed preference
at the polls. That tells what they would do if
they had the opportunity. There can be no
question about il ia the mind or any intelli-
gent man.
Now, though no special merit may attach
TO this action of the Republicans, We submit that
it fairly illustrates the character OF the party
as eOntFasted with that of the Democracy.
Nomatter whether they acted from conscientious
purpose, or from an enlightened partisan SELL
fshness; whatever the motive, they have
done the fair and square thing Their
opponents made no attempt, from any
motive, to act honestly or even decently.
We out the action of the Republicans