The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-07

tangled the whole matter "from the meshes
of newspaper controversy and discussion,
and set it before the world exactly as it is.
Was any civilized community ever presented
with SO singular a rule of conduct
Now we can say, for our part, that nothing
would delight us more than to leave the cor
rection of legal abuses to the bench and the
bar. We are as conscious as any lawyer
be of the disadvantages under which news
papers must always discuss such abuses. We
have called the attention of the bar again and
again to the incompetency of editors for any
such work. Between the fitness Of the press
and that of the bar, for the criticism of what
judges and advocates do or soy, there can
be no room for doubt in the mind of any
sensible men; but as between the criticism
of the press, and none at all, there can
be just as little doubt. The news
papers have taken this matter up, and pub
lie opinion is sitting in judgment on it, be-
cause If they do not, nobody else will. The
protests we hear against the meddling of the
press in the matter is therefore impudent
common. 1t is not private individuals
duty to watch burglars as long as there are
police; but if the police go to sleep, or enter
into league with the criminals, police duty
becomes every mans duty. As long as the
courts sit, and do justice, it is every good
citizens duty to leave to them the punish
ment of crime; but if the judges
leave the bench, and set up faro-banks,
it is every good citizens business to
see that crime is punished somehow.
Lynch law is bad law, but it is better
than no law. We declare solemnly and posi-
lively that if the Bar Association, or any
other organization of honest lawyers, will take
up the charges made against the administra-
tion of justice in this city, at the bar and on
the bench, sift them thoroughly without fear
nj nd MI lxa OF nd fio
effort to bring the wrong-doers to justice of
some kind, and to have inflicted on them
legal penalties, or else mark them ont as fit
objects for popular reprobation, we shall
gladly refrain from all meddling in the mat
ter henceforth. We shall constitute our
selves simply clerks of their court, to record
and make proclamation of their decisions,
and shall give them as steadfast and hearty
support as is in our power. But until some
such tribunal declares itself ready and will
ing to act God forbid that the press should
accommodate knaves-w whether they be
judges, lawyers, or clients-who wrest the
law to the destruction of property and the
confusion of the State, with tame and timid
silence 1t is better to commit fifty blunders
a day, than that great crime should be per-
petrated without protest from any quarter.
THE TESTIMONY OF THE CENSUS.
from the ~. 4. H0Ttd.
A comparison of the census of 1870 with
the vote in that year of some of the States
reveals certain curious secrets. In Nevada
West Virginia, Missouri, and Rhode Island
the population, vote, and ratio of voters to
population in 1870 stand thus:-
Nevada f@ps,a5I"' - sSl Issis Egisi in Rq"I sio
VEST Virginia. 44s,6i6 6i Sof 5SSo1 in in sol sol
Missouri. 1,7l5,OOO 16771O / ia 1922
Rhode Island. ...... 217,356 16,7SS in 1924
1t will be here seen that rotten-borough
Nevada claims every third person within her
ing-a claim that bears the stamp of fraud
and dishonesty upon its face. Taking into
consideration the number of women, children,
and sick or non-voting men found in every
community, one voter to five inhabitants is a
liberal estimate; and very few States in an
''of year." as 1870 was, reach even that
ratio. And yet here comes rotten borough
Nevada in an "otf-year" with q vote much
heavier than any other State is known to poll
in the most exciting contests There must be
repeating" here, and it would be we'll for
those extremely unsavory Senators, Messrs.
Nye and Stewart, representing this fraudulent
State, to look at home before urging on SO
much electoral legislation for the genuine
States of the Union. Fact two concerning
Nevada, as shown by the census of 1870, is
this; either that rotten borough has
decreased very materially in population since
1864, or else its admission in that year was a
very dirty job between Mr.. Lincoln and the
local politicians. On the 31st of October,
1864, Mr.. Lincoln issued his proclamation
declaring Nevada State, and three days
afterwards, or on the Sd of November,
the new State reciprocated the martyrs
civility by giving him majority of some
thousands in total vote of 16,420. If in
1864 the population of Nevada was twice as
large as it is now, this vote would be a fair
electoral ratio; but taking it for granted
that there has been no such tremendous
decrease, and that the population now is
about what it was then, it appears that in
the Presidential election of 1864 this rotten
borough cast one vote to every 2'52 of popu-
lation At the last Presidential election it cast
one vote to every 3'O2 inhabitants, and now
claims one voter in every $40. These figure:
sufficiently demonstrate that this rotten-bo
rough State, founded in trick and device, is
conducted on the vilest system of frauds upon
the ballot-box-by repeating" by ballot boz
stuffing, and by false counts. Such COM
munity-rotten and corrupt continuously and
db SnSti0-has no right to have an equality Of
voice in the Government with the genuine
States. 1t is mere close corporation OF
political desperadoes, aptly typi6ed by
Senators Nye and Stewart, who have done
more to debauch public life even than
Ben Butler; and there is every reason
to suppose that, could the genuine
sentiment of the people of the State bt
consulted, it would be all but unanimously il
favor of receding into territorial condition
| In that, the Federal Treasury would bear the
expenses of maintaining civil government
and these forty odd thousand people be nt
longer compelled, for the use and behoof Of
Nye, Stewart, et pals, to keep up such al
establishment as is here imperfectly Sc