Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-07-27
From the Bangor Wing and Courier.
Plaisted's Approval OF The state
Steal.

With almost incredible efrontery the Port.
land Advertiser recently denied that Harris
NJ. Plaisted was in sympathy with the Gar
celon Gang in the Counting Ont infamy,
and declared that
General Plaisted advised the Council OF
1879 not 10 allow the result of the election to
be changed by any technicalities."
Being pressed upon this point it Oh Satur-
day last repeated the assertion, and challeng-
ed the production Of evidence that he had
ever approved the Justification and forgery of
the returns. OF course the editor of the Adj
vertiser was well aware Of the faIsehood of
his statement in Plaisteds behalf. as the fact
Of the latter's active sympathy with the State
Stealers was a matter of public notoriety in
the winter of 1879 30. All newspaper read
ers remember the flourish with which the
special dispatches to the FusiOnist papers
proclaimed that .1ex-Attorney General" and
eek Congressman II. VI. PIaistel was in
Augusta and fully sustained the legality of
the action of Garcelon and his Council \
reference to contemporary newspaper files
will also show that the Portland Advertiser
itself was much more of an ally than oppo-
nent of the State Steaers throughout
every critical period of the struggle
WItu tHtH crime. us HIS siuFS anu
filings were devoted to the republicans who
were opposing the onsnmmation of the out
rage, while its excuses and pallations for
Garcelon and his confederates earned for it
the commentator of the Bangor Commercial
an INSCRIPTIONS champion of the great fraud,
which declared the Advertiser 1.-THE only re-
publican paper in Maine which had treated
the Governor and Council with anv sort OF
respect or even decency."
But it is astonishing that the Portland or
gan should have the hardihood to publicly
assert that Plaistcd opposed the Garcelon
count out, when the facts are so fresh in the
minds of the people. The truth is that
Plaisted not only svmpathizcd with the
frauds while they were being perpetrated.
but he emphatically and explicitly endorsed
the whole Infamous State Steal after IT had
been completed and officially proclaimed
II will be remembered that the issuing of
the fraudulent certificates by Gov. Garcelon
Dec. IL, 1879, whereby the righiful majority
Of the legislature was reversed and eight re-
publican senators and twentv-nine republ-
can representatives deliberately and criminal
ly counted out" caused spontaneous indig-
nation meetings in various parts of the State
to protest against the moustrous villainv
The conspirators became alarmed and deemed
II necessary to get up counter-demonstra-
tons and to that end a meeting was held
in Granite Hall. Augusta. Tuesday evening.
December 23d. to endorse and sustain Gov
ernor Garcelsp and his gang. At the meet
ing speeches approving the Steal were made
by Eben +. Pillsbury. George w Ladd and
other fusionist allies of Garcelon. who also
appeared in person and was received with
''tumultuous applause" Resolutions were
adopted thanking the Governor and Council
for counting the Republicans out: declaring
there was no power competent to reverse that
action; and threatening the people that any
assistance to the contamination of the out
rage upon their liberties would ''be summar-
lily dealt with as treason to the State"
Among the messages sent to that meeting ap-
proving the forgeries. alterations and talsiti
cations the returns. was the following. the
fourth signature to which was that of the
present Fusion Governor of Maine:
Bangor. Dec. 23. We. the nm
derstgWed. citizens Of Bangor.
believe that the Governor and
Council Of this State. in the in
specttOm oft. returns aud tab
uoattOn Of the same. which have
just been completed, have acted
In compliance with the COnSti-
tuition and laws. and we will
sustain them and the constituted
authorities Of the state. to amy
extent and at all hazards.
(Signed1 G. l.. BoYNroN. A. S,SBoRS,
X. s. PREscorr, II. NJ. Plaistcd, J. p.
BASS, and twenty three others.