New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-08-01
From the Rochester Democrat
HOHman's Pledge.

John T. Hoffman pledged the Baltimore
bushwhackers that g New York will give a
larger majority for Horace Greeley than all
the votes which Missouri shall cast" Why?
Because, he says, it is a Democratic State.
How came it to be Democratic State? Let
Horace Greeley answer:
"The vote of our State was stolen from
General Grant, by the foulest, most audacious
conspiracy and gigantic fraud. She is far
more decidedly Republican than Pennsylva-
mia is, or ever was she was carried for Sey-
mour and Hoffman by crimes that ought to
fill fifty State prisons to overlooking. At
least 10000 illegal naturalization certificates
were fabricated for the occasion; while fully
10000 fraudulent votes were pOlled in this
city alone by less than 1000 thieves and ruff
fans, most of whom had no right to vote at
all. These villains were suborned to COM
NIT felonies by greater villains who live on
the plumber of our taxpayers, and call them
selves judges, supervisors, county and mu-
nicipal officers. The thieves who haunt the
city hall had cords around the necks of the
thieves who fear the penitentiary and State
prison, and made them commit new crimes in
order to escape punishment for those they
had already perpetrated. Right we'll they
knew that their employers could and would
shield them from punishment for the per-
juries and other felOnies whereby they robbed
the State of her vote for President, and inn
posed on her Governor who would know
who made him, and govern himself accord
Ingly. This great State is now ruled by men
who achieved power by acts which should
long since have consigned them to cells in
our State prisons. Tribune, October 1G. 1872.
That is the way New York was carried in
1868; and Greeley has time and again shown
how truly Hoffman knew "who made him."
and how obediently he governed himself
accordingly" The outrage was repeated
again in 1869, as witness the following evil
dence from the one honest man the Democ-
article entitled "After the Battle" published
in the Tribune of November 6, 1869:
"Our gain here was made in defiance of
frauds as mOnstrOus and shameless as those
which the editor of the World saw practiccd
at our polls last year, and which Che testifies1
was the work of William M. Tweed and
Oakley Hall. Not one vote short of 25 900
were traudulently cast, at our late election,
mainly by organized and well paid gangs of
repeaters, some of which were so audacious
as to vote several times at the same poll"
In 1870 (Nov. 81 Greeley said:
Hoffman is elected Governor by about
his returned majority of two years ago-say
$4,000. We have gained nearly the whole of
it in this city and Brooklyn, and lost it again
by apathy in the rural districts. Our gain
here is entirely due to the action of Congress
and the President, whereby the fraudulent
vote cast by repeaters and non-citizens has
been cut down about 25,O00."
Here we have the reason why the Tribune
has changed from defender of Federal pro-
lection of a free ballot to an opponent of
wholesome supervision. 1t is because its
editor desires to profit by the villainous
frauds he exposed in so mastery manner.
Away with such selfish disregard of right, of
honor, of consistency, and of truth. He NAV
characterize Greeley as "honest" who will
his change of front on this question alone,
so manitestly impelled by considerations of
self-interest, brands the claim as the most
arrant hypocrisy.
Republicans! We have been cheated these
many years. Democracy will not dare tell
their leader he lies, when he charges these
frauds home upon them. Now, Greeley has
abandoned us, and opposes the security he
once demanded approximately for our pro-
lection. Shall we desert ourselves, because
we have been betrayed? We lost in 1870,
he says, because of our "apathy." And he
is mainly correct. Shall we lose again in the
same way? We were defrauded twice, and
discouraged once. Now we have been de-
serted, and he who once stood dauntless in
his Republicanism now carries the standard
OF Democracy. Strike down the traitor!
You can do it. Let nothing dishearten or
intimidate you. With the evidence of his
treachery and deceit before you, his exposure
OF your danger, and his desperate resort to
the same device to defraud you, the plot is
evident and can be thwarted. Be up and
doing!