The daily gazette., 1876-12-06
summing mp The Fraud
MR. GEORGE w. BIDDLE'S ARGU-
MENT.

The argument against the Stearn,
frauds in Florida was made before the r.,
turn Board at Tallahassee OH Monday b,
Mr.. George W. Biddle, of this city, ane
it was signed by all his Tilden colleague.
After calmly and unanswerably review
ing the frauds attempted or perpetratet
by the Republ leans, the address conclude
with this pointed
SUMMARY OF THE CASE,
In the discussion of this entire subject
it must be kept constantly in mind, as q
prominent and cardinal feature in the
history of this election, that the party now
in possession Of the political power in this
State and having control of the whole
election machinery is the Republican par
ty. 1t has had for several years absolute
control ofthe appointment of the county
judges, OF the county clerks, of the coun-
ty commissioners, and consequently ofall
the election officers. II has exercised
this power to advance and secure its par
ty interests, and those opposed to it have
been powerless, except by the mere cast
ing OF their votes, to influence or affect
the mighty power THUS arrayed against
them. Common fairness, common hon
esty requires, therefore, a widely discrim-
mating treatment of errors of form, and
we might add, of substance, too, commit
ted by the respective parties to this con-
troyersy. Justice demands imperitiyely
that errors Of form. committed on the
side of those who have been denied a
fair, or even any share in creating and
setting in motion the machinery by
which an election is conducted and con-
tTolled, should be treateu with the ut
most leniency, and that the true wishes of
the body of the people should be extract
ed from the ballots cast by them, in disre-
gard Of all irregularities, where the
means Of such ascertainment really exist
Keep steadily before you and apply these
rules to the cases which have been pre-
sented.
We, therefore, confidently conclude
and assert to your honorable body, that
your sole duty, under the Constitution
and laws of the State of Florida, is to de-
termine, from the returns transmitted to
you, what persons have received the high
est number of votes for the office of elect
ors for the President and Vice President.
and to file certificate thereof in the of
nee OF the Secretary of State. This in
quiry, in the words of the law, authorizes
you to exclude from your determination
and declaration any return which shall
be shown or appear to be SO irregular,
false or fraudulent as to be of no value i'm
asceitaining the true vote. In accord
ance with this argument it is submitted
that the vote for electors should be tabu-
leta by striking from the Alachua return
the false and fraudulent return of votes
from Archer precinct No. 2.
THE RESULT.
In adding to that of Clay county the re
turn OF the votes cast in precinct No. s.
including in the enumeration the return
OF Baker county, to which the signature
OF the clerk is attached and which is a
duplicate of that recorded, and in exclud-
ing the alleged return from Duval county
the result is a majority for the Tilden
electors of ,267. If the return in Jeffer
son county is purged as suggested, there
will be deducted from the Hayes vote 952
which would leave the majority for the
Tilden electors in the State 2,2i9, all of
which is respectfully submitted by
| GEORGE W. BIDDLE, Penna.
LEyERETT SALToNsTALL, Mass.