Wilmington journal., 1874-01-16
IL ES OBSTRUCTION IN Trx.x
ANofHER STATE GOV ERIN.
NENT SET ASIDE Rx YunxC,
DECISION

1exea, says the New York Hercld. has
Just set aside the recent election in
that State, apparently because the
right party did not win. There is 10
doubt whatever that the people Of
Texas are orerwkelmingIx 's ccnserva-
tive'tliat is to say. 1e,nocratic-apa
with q Tree ard .air election &c conid
| expect only what has har,,eaGa in the
return OF Democrats - oyCrv Office by
large Elalorit;Cs: '.ut Il * ons of the
! important features oi Southern pc.litics
that the very fact that communities
give Democratic naioritie= IS accepted
a. an evidence against the validity of
elsetione. In fact. the reconstruction
machinery js organized solely to give
republican yietoyies at The polls, and
II there is any failure in this particular
1t is clear from the standpoint assumed
that somebody has prevented the
proper operation nf the machinery and
thus ;nyaiidated the election. There
is very pretty little piece u: rhiloso-
ply III the Chinese religion. II ,nan
L; about - enter nItou amy important
enterprise tu n!ay consult the gods TO
know ii his undertaking ha. their rs
sent and favor; they viii pronounce
detiniseiy for l,iIn or asein4t hin!. If
they ,so1iounc:; against him lac 1lav
repeat tic ceremony b. which he en-
Il l...f.f.
answer il still adverse ho may repeat
the ceremony again and s;.ain, and go
Oh Indefinitely. But if the gods have
pronounced IN his favor once It is
forbidden 10 repeat the inquiry; all
doubt must stop there. Republican
authority il the South applies the
same principle to the cerernon: OF in
quiring the popular will at the polls.
If the popular voice decides in favor
OF the Republican candidate the result
is accepted as thoroughly and COM
plctely satisfactory; but if the popular
voice is the other way, then a repeti-
ton Of the ceremony is in order, and
the only limit to repetition is favora
bic vote. It is pretty simple princi-
pie, enormously encouraging to the
people who are on the right side Ii
the Others do not like it. so much the
worse for the others.
The Legislature OF Texas i: called
the thirteenth Legislature. It is
Democratic. The Governor, E,imun
J. Davis, is Republican. He was
recently Il candidate for reelection
AMI there Was 4 MA aiority of
forty thousand votes against him.
Another Legislature was elected at
the same time, which also vas most
decidedly Democratic. Texas. there
fore. w.,z evidently drea,i1nliy nnre-
constructed. and the case called for Il
repetition OF the political ceremony.
It was said that Governor DAVIS would
take 10 notice Of the election and treat
it az not having occurred; bnt this
was, perhaps, deemed unwise. judi
cial decisions have the form OF law,
and, when an election il set aside by
their assistance it is possible always to
make some thousands OF people believe
! it right. Besides, this WIS the plan
| that worked well IN Louisiana. There
! is no knowing st any time bat that the
! people may resist, end force eau a.
| ways he fairly called IN 70 sr5ta:n the
| Judgment Of q Court So i was thous Int
| better 70 put the case III recoEstrlc
! tion law mill and grind ont q decision.
! This was done. It seems 4 man had
! beer arrested as repeater, and ho
v-as brought mp on habeaa corpus and
! his ,tcciarGe Demanded. Aa nearly as
! now appears, or the ground that lac
! had committed 10 oiiencc, inasmucf
! :,s Tie statrte lie WAS charged with vio-
! latinc (tht election law svas nnt Il law
| OF tie Stat., because it had l's,cn made
! IN defiance Of the requirements Of the
...,f?-tit,ation ; and, II the Election law
| was Noil for unconstitr;ionuhty, the
: election which had been held Under J:
was without legal effect.
Thus the Thirteenth Legieleturo ana
| til. radical Governor remain III au.
thority until another election can be
held, which, it is said, wi!lnotho before
the 2Sth OF April. The Thirteenth
Legislature had repealed, i'll the words
OF tie Democratic State platform, "a
number Of the oppressive, odious ana
unconstitutional acts passed by the
Twelfth Legislature III pursuance o1
th. Radical policy to overthrow the
| government OF the people. 1t appears
that among the laws OF the Twelfth
Legislature thus described was ar
election law which the same Demo
cratic platform says was FRAMED foi
the purpose OF preventing free and
fair elections. end openly encouraged
the perretration Of frauds to defeat the
will of the people and to perpetuate
Radical rnisrule." That law tho Thir
teenth Legislature repealed and made
another in it's place. which, in turn, il
now put aside by the Supreme Court
Of tho State. Although there i.
some excitement, we hear Of no di9or
der, and scarcely believe it will come
to that. AS the Democratic have 6
sweeping majority, and can win legiti
,nateIy as many elections IS are or
dered. they will scarcely be so foolisl
as to commit acts that would afford the
pretezt and the opportunity for putting
them down by armed force. But If the
use of armed force ba part of the pro
gramme that has been agreed upon tc
| ararontaa the State a Republican form