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The Muddle In Maine

The Muddle In Maine image
Parent Issue
Day
2
Month
January
Year
1880
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

TIip littor olüilice administprerl by Grmit'p lust rlministrHon tn Hip citi7-. rrf Louiemna aiifl ciilmiimHpg by ,, itnllatiun of a preridont who wns li.il ilcci.il, is hearing fruit in tli state of Mnjne, tp whioh the ey of the peoj, . ttin proppntly dirpctcd. This tate fnilcd lMst si-nscin or xw. ñrst time in a qunrtor of a oeBtary, to continue ita nlli'pimicc tn thp Bepablfön prty. A dcraoorait vrns plaopd in tho exeputive c!:iv ly n fusión of the oitpoaition. lüüine's nspiration for tbe presidpntial tinminntion impplled him to mnke an niipxniplpd campaign to wrcst the HWte from Hiosp in control, not only to ;n the lcoal spoila, bnt to hulp him on thp road to the white hoose. FailIng to obtftiil arusjorityof all the voters ii the stite as reqnired by law to elect, thp lower house willexercise theprerogBtive of choosing two of the late candi.fitps for governor, eend thpir naroet to the ppimte, which body must desígnate whioh they will have for executive for two years. The legialature will meeton Wednesday next. Rpturnf published immedintely aftor olpc.tion gnve both brancheR of the lefCïslatnre to the republicana, tanding the fact that Davis, tlio repubücan candidato was defeated by the popular vote, laolring nbout one thouFnd of a majority, whioh provea Maine íb not a Kepublican state. In canvassing the returns the council with Gov. Garcelon at its head discovered a large number of violations of the election law from cities and countiea. An exnmination revealed great carelessness by offlcifiU in preparing for election and eertifioation of votes by inspectora. Bepublicans heretofore in full posse?sion of poweí pavo no attention to the loose methods of conduoting e'iootion and reporting returns, for majorities were large and thero was no need of anything like a strict complianoe with tlie letter of the law. Gov. Garoelon and his friends made np their minds that it was about time the eleotion lawa were lived up to, and they thereupon threw out county after eounty, city after city, eeating the next higher or contesting candidate about ■whoae vote there is no qneBtion of illegality, referring the whole matter to the house to which conteetantsbelong, each body baving control over the adtnisaion of its membprs. The proceas of the oouncil seats a majority of the oppossition. Henee the cry of "fraud" "stealing a state," &c. There is no analogy between the Bmall, alleged frnnd in Maine and the gigantic frnud wbieh affectod forty-five millions of peopl'e. Gov. Oarcelon lms so far as we are able to pprceive moved in strict oonipliance with law, bssing hi? action upon doci'iona of the (uiprerne court in nearly every caso. He has exercised pimply the power vested in him, and we haveyct to see a contrary charge in the press now pretending to suffer from the example it so recently set before us. Tho crime in Lonisiana was a downright, palpable fraud. Under the law creating the returning board provisin was made for a democrat to sit as „nTnücr, but this was aenipr). Not ono supervisor of election in the state chaxged fraud on the day of electionthe most peaceabie and orderly. But whon it was asc?rtained it wasnecessary to have the vote of the state to succeed in the electoral college, and under the advipB of visiting statesraon charges of intimidation upon colored voters were especially manufactured to meet the emergenoy. Gor. Garcelon acts in accordance with precedents established by republicana in singl cases running over a great rnany years, and in pursuunce of court decisions. In the few cases which have net been arKudicated by tliecourts he has consented in a letter to Senator Morrill to submit to the decisión of the Bupreme court. Tho cry of fraud upon the part of republicans will avail nothing. Gov. Gareelon, üiough a man of seventy and elear-hended, declares in public that he has done nothing that he would not do again in pimilar circunistances. Above guspicion during a long lifespent in the state of whtob he is the chief execut.ive, ho niaintains his position with oomaenfla'ole firmness, and will receive aa he deserves, the admiration of all poople ■who believe election laws as well as all other laws were enacted, not for the purpose of oboying when it pleased tho republicans, but to be obeyed at all titnes. Bolter as he ia, and tor whioh he ought to be compellod to takea back soat until he has done ponance for his political gins, John Kelly has, until lately. inaintained an unoxceptionable characterfor fiscal oporations. Ex-Sheriff Conner has pprsistently pmssed a bilí amounting to $28,414 for payment. Comptroller Green refused to honor it on the ground of illegality. The cnstom of talïing illogal fees prevailed when Kelly was sheriff, nd Gonnolly when comptroller, paid them. Under Kelly's advice the corporation conneel allowod ajudgment tobe given by defanlt, in order to save John Kelly, eomptroller, from stultifying John Kelly, Bhuriff. A ílro broke out in a paper warehouse in Boston Runday night, and consumed property eetitnated at $6,000,000. This s the ílrst fire of iinportance niñee the great eonüagration of 1873. Why the Hub, the center of so mueh supposed goodnes should be thus visited by the fire íieud, is past finding out. It is unneeessary to cali the attrntion of our readers to the merits of the Detroit Frce Press, known over the wide, ■wideworld. After subseribing for his county paper no democrat can afford to be without a stato paper, and that paper is, of course the Free, Press. It needs no further coramendation. Kince Mr. Tilden threatened to expose the impecunious newspapers that atfcacked him bccause he wouldn't givo them moncy, there has been a wonderful cessation of hostility in mony aacctums. It i i sad pxperii nee thfit hpfalis sucüosaful enndidntes to parecí out patronee. Men who dare Tint expuse thuir name to the poll, ot whn, having heen heaten, t'.irn (o thos(j wlio win, tor fnvors. Guv. Cornell of New York is RorioUKly PinlmrrHssr-d witli tilo aspivations of tvvo men. Smytbe wants to ratuin the insurance superinteudpney. No man did moro in liis wy to elect Cornell. Yct, hardly in office, theincoming exsoutive.appreciating t!ie blaokinailing charges made against Sinythe by U-ov. Robinson, and epcaping impoachment only by an allïanoe with Tnmraany Renators, knov.-s r.ot whnt to do. ïo appoint Siuytfao would ba a Tery bad bapinning for n adtniaistratioo. Worpo still, there come down frora SyracuRe the hpad nnd front of tho old oanf! ring to demand tho selooüon of Hownrr! 8oilo, recontly buriod under 20,000 nmjority for the snpprintotidpnriy of the canals. The very men roportcd to hav; tolen hundreds of thovisunds of dollars from the state treasury are unblushingiy pushing their favorito apon the Govornor's attention. Baten tion of Binythe and Bppointment of Sonle would damn any adiuiniatration, and give our political friends strong woapons for the nationalcontest. It would look consistent, if tlioso people in Maine who howl so loudiy over alleged frand wonld turn their ittentiun backward for a moment to Louisiana and Florida in 1870. "But," said Blaino, "should Maine be offered up s a vioarious sacrifice for thefts in other states'r"' That plea will not down. Blaine's fricnds havo been orowding the custom house?, post offices and intern;vl revenno collectorships, enjoying the fruita of the natioual steal, by the sidu of which the theft of one state pales into insignificance. Ex-Gov. Palmer of Illinois, ascertaining that a candidate for poütical preferment is seriously handicapped by owning and editing a ncwspaper, has dispoBed of thy Springfield Heyiater.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Argus