Year: 1879

may well be supposed to know and understand what
was intended to convey to the power of the Gov
ernor and Council that they should establish prece
dents in counting the votes, which were all wrong,
and that every Governor and Council has been
wrong ever since until this year.


saw in the Argus this morning statement that
had been guilty of an act similar to that which
Governor Garcelon has committed i'll numerous
cases, viz, in rejecting the majority candidates
for the Senate in Washington County upon purely
technical grounds and giving the certificates to MI
norty candidates of our own party. The Argus has
b0en strangely deceived There is precedent of
that kind. There was no question ever raised in
respect to Senators, but there question raised
at that time in respect to two county officers Sheriff
and Judge of Probate. The returns were not hid,
den or concealed. Parties interested examined
them and appeared by counsel, Bradbury and
Meserve but upon the precedents pursued by all
my predecessors, the certificates were issued TO the
men who were elected, and that decision whatever
1t was was readily acqueseed in from that moment.


There is another case which the Argus did not
state and that was in that same year before the
same council and a result of the same election,
the question presented whether the Democratic
candidate for Congress from tho district Of York
and Cumberland had been elected or whether John
NJ. Goodwin had been elected. IL was very close
election. the majority wasn't more than one hun
dred, and it would have been an easy matter 70
have counted out Col. sweat the democratic
candidate. There We're half dozen different posi-
lions taken, either one OF which nOuld have been
stronger for counting Sweat out Of Office then any
one of the grounds taken by Governor Garcelon for
turning out Republican members of the legislature
this year. And yet purely and simply matter





the certificate to the man who appeared to be the
choice of the people.


stitutionalty of the law of 1877, allowing amend
ments to the returns, the inconsistencies in Gov.
Garcelons letter of defense and some of the legal
remedies which in his opinion open to the par
ties who have been wrongfuly deprived OF their GER
tifcates


The chairman then introduced Hon. Thomas
B. Reed. who was received with long and con-
tinUed applause:


CONGRESSMAN REEDS REMARKS.


Ny Friends The citizens of Portland have often
met here since these walls were raised IN
ming Of great commercial enterprises, has echoed
with the strife and exultation OF all political par
ties and has throbbed with the anxities and sue
of great civil war, and yet, although feel
my duty is plain to say nothing tonight in the ma
ture of exaggeration / know that should do in
justice to you well to my own feelings if did
not declare that in my judgment this occasion on
which we meet together here is more serious than
any meeting we have ever held before. The very
principle upon which our institutions rest are to-day
upon trial They as seriously and as etectually
on trial the battle day of Gettysburg il was ON
trial whether there should perish out of this land a
government of the people and by the people.


1t is fundamental principle OF our system OF
government that every man is the equal of every
other and hence that we should be controlled only
by majorities. 1t does not matter how large or how
small the majority may be- if 1t be but majority
of one it is sacred in the eyes of the true patriot
as if it was majority of millions. lApplausel
Whenever things have come to such pass that any
set OF men can SeV dSluo u uSCSlOu VI
the people and be tolerated therein then the end OF
system of government has come. Therefore L
say that institutions are to-day upon trial. ana
for one believe in their ultimate victory lap
plause.]


/ come here tonight in partisan spirit. charge
this thing upon no party tonight. The only men
who are guilty now are the misguided men who have
committed the crime If any party is to e covered
with guilt account OF it it must be by the acts Of
that party itself (applause by their undertaking 10
stand up for them or 10 stand behind them and
say it is the credit of our fellow citizens to their
intelligence and TO their honeor that thus far no
man even of the political parties which these men
are supposed to represent, and which think they
really misrepresent, has stood up to sustain them
wish we could go further and say that they had
come openly and publicly, as they do privately and
denounced it,


Now, my friends, 1 come hero with no epithets up
on this subject. / come here with no defamation.
Adiectives are cheap If the deeds of these men do
not damn them our words never can do 1t. There
fore is duty, here and now to discuss facts,
and have come here for that purpose. During the
last year we have had great campaign, unsuppass-
ed and unequalled in the history OF the State OF
Maine. We met the enemy upon their own ground;
we discussed their subjects, and / appeal 10
every man here If we did not have fair, as hon
est as pure an election as was ever known in the
history of the State of Maine (Applause) When
got through that electi ON every organ OF pubhc
opinion, every newspaper of every shade OF politics
declared that the opinion of the people of the State
of Maine was upon our side to the extent of nine
teen Senators out of thrt y-one and ninety Repre-
Tbis vetorv Gas thus universally Conceded
thus admitted ON all hands, has been overturned
OF course you have had spectacle utterly unlike
ANYTHING in the history of this State This is not
the first great test this is not the first close and Bit
ter fight that have had, but never until to-day
has any Governor-Whig or Federal Republican
or Democrat been summoned to the bar of public
opinion for crime like this. lGreat appauseI That
our Governor realizes that he has been summoned
witness his defense, first published, am told, in
the New York Sum- four hundred miles away. He
found it necessary to justify himself even 10 the
constituency of Tweed [Laughter.l Now it is nat
ural that there should be an excuse; there never
was a crime committed against liberty i'll the his
tory of the world except by men who are yolubie
in reasons for doing it.


Now nv friends let you and consider the matter.
The Governor has come forward with his defense
and you will notice that out OF some thirty-seven
cases where the will of the people has been reversed
he 9iUas the particulars of but one The HhaIe I'm
tysx outside of that we depend tor our Information
not upon the official statement of the Governor and
Council but upon the enterprise of newspaper men
and individual examination. The Governors de-
fense is only broad generality-that he acted ac-
cording to the forms Of law" Whenever you hear
that expression you win always notice that the man
unconscously puts the emphasis on the 'J9r7ms."
to consider two three cases with me.
Law is no mystery. Law is the guide OF the conduct
both of the individual and of the government Law
is founded upon common sense. Law is the perfec-
tion of human reason, and II 1t was not administered
by fallible men should realize the cream OF the
old English divine and law would indeed be the har
mony Of the universe Laws made for the govern
ment of men like you and me-therefore If you and
l will give our attention TO them we can uhoerstahu
them, especially laws relating to our own govern
ment.


Now the object of every provision for the counting
of votes to ascertain the will of the people as they
have declared it at the ballot box There is no pro-
vision of the law which is made Tor the purpose OF


tripping anybody up I'm There IS ne of re- ie
the opinion of the people as delivered at the ballot
box. Its whole scope and tendency is to express
that opinion and for ftynine years under our con-
stintion it has without a single exception, always
expressed that opinion. Is it not singular that for
frsnd I Charles FL Chase became member of the
Council. [Laughter Was the pain OIL salvation
closed to men until John b. Foster LETT the insur %
ance business long enough 10 ornament anu auorh
the Council. Laughter:


will not emu umerate the names Of all OF these
great 1t might possibly be too mueh tor you you
l ask you to take home to yourself as men OF sense
and wisdom this question: Was there never any any
honesty? Was there never any knowledge OF the
law to be found in Augusta until these gentlemen
kindly consented TO serve u.s. .--.......-..,


NV friends the provisions of the constitution with
regard to elections are few and plain ani simple;
Governor Washburn has read them to you, ana
need not repeat them. In single word, where the
return is fairly made, humanity speaking the Ooun-
ell are bound to count it and bound to give the GER
tifcate to the man who appears to be elected. Now
let see how they have performed that woIh. lney
have nothing to do With matters which are not IN
the return. l had intended to go over number OF
cases. but do not propose TO keep you from gentle


In tbe first place there is the of the city of
Portland which you know. Here Is CITY Wnlcn
pays oneeighth of the taxes OF the State OF Mane,
was to declare the will OF its cltizens there We're
found return of scattering votes instead OF giving
the name of John Jones John Smith, or who
ever was voted for. We had majority OF GOO, and
if that scattering vote was added TO the hlghest
Democratic candidates vote it would not have made
a perceptble ripple in our majority. Do you be-
Heye for an instant that constitution and the
people who framed it intended to shut out such re-
turns as that? =,


Mr. Reed then reviewed the cases of Cherryheld,
Gouldsboro, Skowhegan and Pennington, and clos
ed as follows:


Now my friends have no advice to offer as to de-
tails of how we shall meet this thing in particular,
but a committee has been selected of distinguished
and honorable citizens of wide experience, to take
this matter into consideration, and to do the right
and best thing, to sustain by every appearance OF
public sentiment these Representatives VINO
have been nefariously counted out IN thelr
honest honorable and legal attempt to obtain
restitution of the rightsof which they have
been deprived and of which you as well as
they have been robbed. Don't let this be mat
ter of a day. Let your feelings dwell upon it, Let
YOU minds be thoroughly imbued with the nature
and character of this transaction and take 1t home
to yourselves and aequit yourselves like men and
like citizens of the State of Maine.


The Hon. George f. Talbot, the next
speaker announced was heartily received, and
went on TO say:


MIR. rALBoTs SPEECH.


Mr. President:-I think have not been known to
this assemblage as an habitue of the platform. 1