MAINE. 



489 



people at the election to be held in September of 



Hhe question, " Shall the Constitution be amend- 

 d so as to provide for the election of Gov- 

 rnor by a plurality instead of a majority?" 

 nd declared that "a plurality of the votes 

 ast and returned for Governor, at the annual 

 lection for the year 1880, shall determine the 

 lection of Governor for the years 1881-'82." 

 Lets were passed providing for the taxation 

 f express, telegraph, and railroad companies. 

 On express companies the tax is three fourths 

 of one per cent, of their gross receipts ; on tele- 

 graph companies 2 per cent, of the value of 

 their lines, to be determined by the Governor 

 and Council on report of corporations; and on 

 railroad companies one per cent, of the ap- 

 praised value of the property and franchises, 

 the appraisal to be made by the Governor and 

 Council. An act was passed providing at length 

 for the organization, equipment, and discipline 

 of the State militia. Other enactments of the 

 ssssion provide for the punishment of tramps, 

 prevent obstruction of business on railroads by 

 combination of employees or other persons, 

 and impose penalties for the abstraction of the 

 State seal, or public documents and records, 

 or the assumption and exercise of a public 

 office without legal authority. 



The Greenback and Democratic parties of 

 the State held their conventions simultaneously 

 at Bangor on the 1st of June. In the Green- 

 back gathering General Harris M. Plaisted, of 

 Bangor, was nominated by acclamation as the 

 candidate for Governor, and the following res- 

 olutions were adopted : 



Resolved, That till currency, whether metallic or 

 paper, necessary for the use and convenience of the 

 people, should be issued and its volume controlled by 

 the Government, and not by or through the banking 

 corporations of the country ; and, when so issued, 

 should by a full legal tender be payment of all debts, 

 public and private. 



Resolved, That that portion of the interest-bearing 

 debt of the United States which shall become re- 

 deemable in the year 1881, or prior thereto, being in 

 amount $782.000,000, should not be refunded beyond 

 the power of the Government to call in said obliga- 



mints of the United States should be operated to their 

 full capacity in the coinage of standard silver dollars, 

 and such other coinage as the business interests of 

 the country may require. 



Resolved, That imprisonment for debt be abolished. 



Resolved, That we favor such a change in the man- 

 ner of voting as shall secure every citizen the free and 

 full exercise of the true right of suffrage. 



The Democrats chose delegates to the Na- 

 tional Convention of the party, adopted no 

 platform, and ratified the nomination of the 

 Greenback Convention for Governor. 



The Republican Convention was held at Au- 

 gusta, on the 23d of June. Delegates to the 

 National Convention had been chosen, accord- 

 ing to custom, by the Republican members of 

 the Legislature, and had been instructed to 

 favor James G. Blaine as the candidate for 

 President. Daniel F. Davis was renominated 



for Governor, and the following platform was 

 adopted : 



Resolved, That the Republicans of Maine, by their 

 delegates assembled in convention, endorse the plat- 

 form adopted by the National Republican Convention 

 held at Chicago, and pledge their best endeavors to 

 the support and success of the principles therein laid 

 down principles breathing the spirit by which the Re- 

 publican party has alwavs been actuated, and through 

 the ascendancy of which the nation has been honored 

 and prospered. 



Resolved, That the nomination of James A. Gar- 

 field, of Ohio, as the candidate of the Republican party 

 for President, and Chester A. Arthur, of New York, 

 for Vice-President of the United States, meet with our 

 hearty approbation. Though we hoped for the nom- 

 ination of Maine's distinguished Senator, James G. 

 Blaine, as the candidate for President, we accept the 

 result of the National Convention in good faith, and 

 pledge ourselves to labor loyally for the noble candi- 

 dates selected at Chicago to lead the Republicans in 

 this campaign. 



Resolved^ "That the Fusion party of this State has 

 made for itself a record so infamous that every honest 

 man of every party should pray and work for its speedy 

 and complete overthrow. It came into power with loud 

 professions upon its lips of reform and superior honesty, 

 and it was driven out of power for giving to the State the 

 most dishonest and corrupt administration ever known 

 to our people. It robbed the State Treasury, and then 

 attempted to steal the State government. It was not 

 content with being voted out of power by the people 

 at the polls, but tried to continue itself in control of 

 the Government by most outrageous frauds and for- 

 geries upon the election returns, and other acts sub- 

 versive of the rights of the people and destructive of 

 popular government. It placed an armed mob in the 

 State-House and brought us to the brink of civil war. 

 Our most honored citizens were spurned with con- 

 tempt from the door of the Council Chamber when they 

 sought there redress of their grievances. Men who 

 were not elected were counted into scats in the Legis- 

 lature, and men who were elected were counted out. 

 Instead of endeavoring to give effect to the will of the 

 people as expressed by the oallot, a systematic, delib- 

 erate, wicked conspiracy was entered 'into to set aside 

 the result of the popular election and create a fraudu- 

 lent government. The Governor whom they elected 

 paid out thousands of dollars of the public money 

 while in office, without authority, and after his term 

 had expired he still kept thousands of dollars in his 



Eossession to distribute to the tools who aided him in 

 is disgraceful and nefarious operations. These in- 

 famous acts arc known to all our citizens. They con- 

 front and shame Maine men wherever they travel in 

 other States. Unless we desire to have them repeated 

 and the disgrace of them cling to us, the honest voters, 

 the '_' plain people" of Maine, must stand _up at this 

 election and stamp them with overwhelming defeat 

 and reprobation at the polls. 



Resolved, That experience has demonstrated the wis- 

 dom of the policy of prohibition as auxiliary to tem- 

 perance reform, and as contributing to the material 

 wealth, happiness, and prosperity of the State, and 

 that we refer with confidence and pride to our unde- 

 viating support of the same as one of the cardinal 

 principles of the Republican party of Maine. 



Resolved, That we are heartily in favor of the 

 amendment to the Constitution providing for the elec- 

 tion of Governor by a plurality vote, and recommend 

 its adoption. 



Resolved, That we hail with pleasure the second 

 nomination of Daniel F. Davis as the Republican can- 

 didate for Governor of Maine. He has proved him- 

 self honest, incorruptible, able, and popular, and we 

 again place the standard of the Republican party in 

 his hands, feeling assured that he will give Ms best 

 efforts to carry it to victory, and that it will be 

 successful by an old-fashioned Republican ma- 

 jority. 



