The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-13

| land. We should have practically aclSnow-
lodged that our case was fabricated TO suit
the purposes of the hour Fortunately we
, are in no such position to-day. We have acted
with perfect impartiality towards all parties.
Upon q complaint of the Peruvian Minister,
the gunboats we're detained until the circum-
stances in connection with them could be
judicially inquired into. 1t has now been
found that the complaint on the part of Peru
cannot be sustained, and Judge Blatchford
has ordered the immediate release of the
boats
We do not call the attention of our foreign
contemporaries to this incident as an exam
pie of generosity on our part, or as anything
to boast loudly about. We have simply been
guided by strict regard for justice-but in
so doing we have made precedent very diff
ferent from that which was set up by Eng
land in the Alabama case. If England should
say to. us now, "You have done nothing to be
particularly proud Of" we should rejoin,
perhaps not-but it is much to be desired
that you had exhibited a little more of our
spirit between 1861 and 1864. We have
only administered the laws faithfully
but in doing that we deviated as
widely as possible from your example,"
Although our course now cannot undo
the mischief done to us by pirate cruisers, it
will have its effect in future history. We have
proved that, if we will not allow other nations
to aggrieve us, we, on our part, will do no
wrong to them. Some hundreds of vessels
and vast amount of property, would have
been saved from wanton destruction, if Lord
Palmerston and Lord Russell had acted as
President Grant and Secretary Fish have Just
done. We have at least strengthened our
claims for Indemnifcation. If these gunboats
should be used against Cuba, it would be a
source of much regret to us. But there was
only one course which we could pursue with
out dlshonor, and we have taken it, leaving
every secondary consideration out of sight.
ELECTION REPEATERS-W WHAT is THE
REMEDY?
From the NJ Y. Herald.
The extent to which repeating was car
ried on in the late charter election is bearing
its fruit in quarter hitherto considered mac
cesslble to influences of this sort. Not only
was repeating resorted to, but the ''stufing"
and counting out processes were largely in
dulged in, to the serious detriment, not of
Republican adversaries, but of erst Demo
cratic friends and colaborers in the old game
This in fact makes what would be under other
circumstances trihing matter and of little
consideration one of great consequence 1t
was a game of Democratic bluff; and the idea
of being bluffed and sold, when each party
thought they had the game in their own
hands, was too bad. There was evidently
screw loose somewhere. Either the one side
had miscalculated its opponents resources, or
had not given il credit for being prepared to
go in for repeaters to the extent of securing a
victory. The fact is that political strategy
was never more deftly or successfully prac-
tised than as between the rival candidates of
the same organization. Shoeng troop of
horse with felt, after King Lear's idea, was
blundering strategy compared with that pur-
sued In some of the wards on Tuesday last
by the rival Democratic opponents.
In one district, the most interesting of all
the field of conflict, the repeaters held in
reserve for one candidate were by ruse
brought up to the polls and recorded their
votes for their employers opponent Here
was the bitter bitten with a vengeance, and
bitter feud is consequence.
In the uptown districts the confidence game
| was very successfully practised. In one of the
| districts the defeated candidate asks that his
opponent will be magnanimous enough to in
| form him of the number of votes cast for him
| that were counted in the interest of his oppo-
nent, pledging himself to take no action in
| the matter. In another Ca new district) the
defeated candidate for police justice protests
against the action of the inspectors and can
vassers, confident that not only has he suf-
fered a defeat through fraud, but that his
supporters, the ma jority of the voters of the
district, have been grossly cheated of their
right of suffrage.
And so it is throughout all the districts and
wards of the city. Now, what is the remedy
for this most outrageous state of affairs? In
what way can the purity of the ballot-box be
restored, and the electors of the city assured
that their votes are honestly counted and ap-
propriately recorded for the candidates of
their choice? Only through legislation, not
confined merely to measures passed at Albany,
but to legislation in Congress-a broad and
comprehensive scheme of legislation, em-
bracing the national points in the question,
and the local ones with regard to the politi-
cal machinery in the city and State.
This system of fraudulent voting is in
creasing in our midst. The result, as seen in
the late election, is pregnant with warning
to the dominant party itself and to its parti-
sans, and the remedy, to be effectual, must
strike at the very root of the evil Legisla-
ton is the first thing necessary, and the citi
zens, if they value the franchise-the right
aud prerogative Of freemen-will see to il
that when their representatives meet al
Albany this question will be taken up anC
effectually disposed of.
TRIUMPH OF SPANISH TYRANNY ON
AMERICAN SOIL.
From the NJ Y. Sun
: The triumph of Spanish influence in the
administration, nominally of General Grant,
| but really of Hamilton Fish, is consummated
, The thirty Spanish gunboats built here ant