Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-12-22

There are. doubtless, plenty Of intelligent
people who do not know what to believe, -
to the result of the Presidential election.
They see both parties stoutlY claiming the
election and they hardly know which to
believe. We suggest to such some simple
processes, suggested by the perusal of the
Democratic and independent" papers.
Frst-Assume that if there has been any
cheating, or any is intended, it is On the
Republican side. You may have once
thought that the Republican party was q
.olerably high-minded one. Give up that de-
fusion and assume that the Republican
leaders are equal to any fraud, and the Re-
publican masses willing. consciously and
knowingly. to back them in 1t. Sherman, Ed
munds, Frelinghuysen. Anthony, George Will
liam Curtis. General Hawley, ETC., are scoun-
d,els in politics. Tilden, Morrissey, Hew-
lit, Ben. Hill, Fernando Wood & Co., are
the only honest politicians.
Second-Belieye that all the truth is told
by Democrats and their "independent"
allies. Ifa hundred white and black Re-
publicaus swear to violence, >hootings, and
persecution for politics sake, and single
Democratic piper or correspondent says
there was nothing of it all only negroes
killing each other,-belieye the latter as
sertion Take the word Of White-Lin
against the world IfGovernor Chamberlain
"a year ago praised by all as a high-mind-
ed and honest man-says one thing and
Wade Hampton says another. believe lamp
ton, every time.
TR,rd-If Republicans differ in their
opinions or statements, accept the statement
which will help Tilden and discard the other,
utterly. Thus, if a Congressman by the
name Of Foster says an election was full, fair
and peaceable and William A. Wheeler
and George F. Hoar say it was neither full,
fair nor free, believe Foster, and whistle the
other statement down the wind
Fovth-Assume that every Southern re-
turning board Is a simple engine Of fraud,
invented originally to cheat with ; and
necessarily and invariably run by scoun-
drels
FGh-It there are any such tri1es as
laws which stand in the way of Democratic
success, discard them altogether. Settle le-
gal questions in Oregon, not by the laws of
Oregon but by the common law of Eng
land. As for the laws Of South Carolina
and Louisiana and Florida, if enacted by
Republicans, and especially if they interfere
with Democratic plans, consider them of
no account.
Sirth-lusist that all the votes actually
cast, though cast by -epeaters voting forty
times a day, shall be counted-provided, of
course, that they are Democratic votes. Call
every scrutiny cf the legality Of a vote or
precinct, and every case Of a Republican ma
jority in any State which the Democrats
wanted or claimed, or now consider essential
to their success, 4 fraudulent counting in"
la these aud similar ways you will easily
reach the concl lsion that Tllden and Hen
bricks were elected. They wanted to be
elected The Democrats wanted to have
them elected They, and everybody, almost,
supposed, The day after election, that they
were elected, therefore they ,rre elected
Every questioning Of that result is an infa-
nous outrage and cheat. Assume all this
say it and stick to it through thick and thin.
and you viii find the peace of positive con-
clusioLs