Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-10-11


The GreeIeyites try TO break the force of their
crushing defeat in Pennsylvania by vocifcratng
that the election was carried by fraud and cor
ruption. They know to cent just how much
money it cost and where it came from; they
know who sold their votes, who repeated, and
how many times, and what rascals engineered
the vile business. Their authority for all this,
and much more, is that cheerful and virtuous
patriot, Colonel John W. Forney. He told all
about it before the election. If he had been
Cameron's chief counsellor he could not have
disclosed that venerable politicians plans more
fully. This Colonel Forney, we have been as
sured by the New York Tribune and other OIL
gans, is Grant politician, who has preserved
his integrity, and probably the only individual
of that rare variety who can be GER
tainly identified. He was deceived about Gen.
Grant, Of course, but he was honest in his error,
and he knew Cameron too well to see anything
but villainy in him. So, like high minded
and disinterested patriot, he dared to tell the
truth about the candidate OIL his own party, and
expose the nefarious means used 10 secure his
election and deprive the will of the people of
all the emphasis he could command that the
people of Pennsylvania never would elect Hart
ranft, and if the state should appear to be car
ried for him it would only be accomplished by
"the frightful dishenor of transaction which
in fits infamy will have no parallel in the his
tory of the nation-not even in the black
chapter that records the crimes of Tweed
and Connolly" This is strong language,
and the Greeley organs could not be Sc
riously blamed for accepting it as pretty salts
factory evidence of corrupt practice. Up to the
morning of the election Forney acclaimed in this
strain; but on the next day when, if he had
been telling the truth, he ought to have been
appalled, at the avalanche of corruption under
which the state was buried, he was, on the con-
trary, as cheerful and unabashed as ever in his
life. Tits all right, " he says; "Hartranft's ma
| jority is perfectly legitimate. hope you have
not been such fools as to believe what have
been telling you every day for some weeks past.
That was tor political effect; there was not
word OF truth in it. 1t is absurd to talk about
fraud, for there was no need of any. The
people wanted to elect Hartranft and they
did it, because by voting against him they
would seem to oppose General Grant"
After this, who is foolish enough to quote For
ney as authority for anything2 Yet the Greeley
organs have no other evidence to offer for their
assertions that the Pennsylvania elections were
carried by fraud. The Springfield Republican,
after calling attention to Fofney's little incon-
sistencies, says: "After the exposure he has
thus made lof himself, it would be waste of
words to characterize Mr.. John w. Forney, 1t
is almost a waste of honest emotion to despise
him."
For once we quite agree with the Republican,
and we have no occasion to change our opinion
of Colonel Forney's character or the extent of
his influence upon the politics of his state, He
threatens to vote for and Support" General
Grant Very well; his enmity has given Hart
rant much greater majority thau was ex-
pected; but Grant is strong enough not to fear
his friendship.