New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-11-15
The Fraud Confessed.

our QeuOSIdtc luuRultllt III |lCh VI ioSto "Ai4SH
no person has had the hardihood to deny, that
the Electoral Votes of the State of Pennsy lvania
were secured for Polk and Dallas by the grossest
frauds in relation to the Tariff. That State, as
every body knows, by the force Of interest if not
of patriotism, is friendly to the Protective poll
ey; and no Presidential candidate could receive
the SURFACES of majority Of her citizens who
should openly and unequivocally avow hostility
to that policy. The managers of the Loco Foco
party in that State appear to have had an In
stinctive perception that their only hope of car
rying the State depended upon their ability to
deceive the People in regard to this vital ques-
ton; and verify they addressed themselves to
the work Of falsehood and swindling with zeal
which has proved but TOO successful The Loco
Foco journals instead of meeting the issue of
Protection versus Free Trade, and advocating
msnfuly and honestly the doctrines of the party
to which they belong, did their worst to blur the
true line of demarcaton between them and the
Wings and thus to bewilder and cheat their read
srs. Again and again did they reiterate the base
Ge (why should we hesitate to characterize the
deed by its appropriate word y that Polk was as
good Tariff man as Mr.. Clay. On banners
carried in Loco-Foco PROFESSIONS and exhibited
in mass meetings were inscribed "Polk and the
Tariff" The Tariff of lS42, the Wings can
not Repeal it"-and other equally bold and
shameless devices, intended to swinde those
who had not the means, in the midst Of heated
political contest, OF ascertaining the true position
of the two parties.
But while we we'll knew that by such dis
graceful means as these the Wings had been de.
feated in the late canvass, and while in no quar-.
Ger had we met denial of The facts above stated,
we did not expect to find confession Of The
fraud in Loco. Foco journal. Now that the
election is over however, and an admission of
the truth cannot alter the disastrous result, we
End the Plebsan acknowledging that " in
parts Of Pennsylvania the friends Of Coz. Polk
Pracficcd dishonesty, and represented him as
friendly to the Tariff Of 1872" The Editor
attempts to break the force of this confession by
alleging that similar fraud was perpctrated By
the friends of Mr.. Clay at the South, who it is
pretended urged his claims On the ground that
he was friend of Free Trade This falsehood
Ii too silly to require reutation, for who does 10,
know that the Wings OF the South have every
where avowed themselves friends OF the present
Tariff and fought the battle openly and manfully
on this ground No, Mr.. Plsbeian, you must
not expect TO Offset the fragrant wickcdness Of
your party by the ridiculous prctence that the
guilt OF similar fraud attaches to the Wings OF
the South. Toyou own party alone belongs the
disgrace of attempting to carry the election BY
falsifying the issues involved in the contest.
However vulnerable the Wings may be on other
grounds, 1t cannot with truth be denied that On
the question of the Tariff they have proclaimed
the same doctrines and held the same language
in all parts Of the country. At the South, where
the sophistries OF Fee Trade have long deludcd
the people, they have boldly vndicatcd the Pro-
tec,ive policy essential to the Prosperity of the
Country, and the facts and arguments they have
circulated have not only alarmed their opponents
but laid the foundation of glorious revolution
In Southern opinion.
The Plebeian, while it admits that its party
has been guilty of the fraud of representing Mr.
Polk to be the friend of the present Tariff, tells
us that the deception diminished his vote, and
that if the Democratic press OF Pennsylvania had
come out boldly in favor of equal Protection, and
in opposition to the present Tariff, the Loco oco
majority in that State would have been doubled
1t tells us moreover that it looks upon all these
attempts to deceive the People as beneath the
dignity of an honest politician" Why then did
not that paper protest against the fraud before
the Election, when, if there is any sincerity in its
b0, OLE that
working injury to It's par,y2 1t certainly did
not feel confident enough of the triumph Of lts
party in that State to be willing to hazard the
loss of the votes which it now pre,cnds were
withheld from Polk on this account. Those who
remember the shutting Of the Plebeian at the
time of the Spring Election in Connecticut, in
respect to certain Tracts on the Tariff issued
from that Office, will Judge how much credit for
sincerity ought to be given to that journal when
1t processes to regret the dishonesty of its friends
In Pennsylvania. Ii it really believes that the
fraud in questionsdspTived Polk of several thou
eand votes which he would otherwise have OBJ
tanned, then Its sorrow may be unfegned: but
no one acquainted with the character of that pa
per would expect to find it expressing regret for
any fraud of its party however atrocious, which
had worked to its advantage. The Pennsylvania
swindle undoubtedly secured the vote of that
State for Polk, thereby ensu.ing his election
but whether it did so or not. it is well to put on
record the confession of the Plsbeidn that the
fraud was perpetrated.
p The Morning Neus denies all knowledge of
any advices from the Western Counties, received
here on Thursday of last week in advance
of the mail. We can easily pardon the
Nsps for masking the most of returns ia
vorsble to it's party, but we shall not 80
readily forgive the gross frauds which IN
tor many instances gave those returns CON-