The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-12-04
The DUTY Of ItcpubIicnu Electors.

The Nation discusses with calmness ana
much force the prescott political situation, and
proposes IN the following language the means OF
escaping from the danger whion threatens the
country:
In the late election no candidate did, In fact,
secure proper, legitimate. iudisputaDie major
ity OF the electoral vote. In three states, az
least. the result was so tainted with fraud,
manipulation, and chicanery tnat, under any
ordinary circumstances, their votes would by
common consent be thrown out as tending sim
Wy to vitae the final count II SO happens,
however, that upon the votes of those states
the result IN the Electoral Colleges may be made
to turn. Accordingly Nue electors OF Mas.achu-
setts repre- seutinR IN part the votes OF quarter
Of million Of freemen, are called upon to act in
unison with the electors OF Louisiana, who
re present only the political procliyities Of two
neg Oes aud two white men who happen to c n
stitute a partisan aud long since discredited Re
turning Board. II this Is not apohtica outraee.it
would be hard to say what ~. surely. under any
circumsl ances, except those which now exist II
would universally be resented as such. IL Gov.
Tilden should hnally be elected through the
votes Of any one OF these ~ ties, he and his sup
porters can at least claim that he received those
votes simply because II was impossible to with
hold them from bi1. The, were extorted from
his opponents. On the other hand, the choice
Of Gov. Hayes oy the solid votes OF those states
could not, under the NOTORIOUS circumstances OF
The case. Tut place hin In the Presidential char
In way which he and his party would Ind II
hard TO explain, and harder yet To defend.
Tbis being so-and under any circumstances
except just those which now exist no human
being would dispute II. no matter now the cleo
toral votes of the disputed states may be cast
this being So there T. but one way out OF the
dilemma IL IL necessary to look &C Things IA
they hre-to call them by their right names. A
failure To elect must not be treated As an election;
a ref ut tainted by fraud must DO rejected as no
result at all. No matter what II done or At
tempted to be done In Louisiana or IN Florida,
nothing can take u out Of the power OF any single
member OF any one of the Republican electoral
| colleges to cut tue knot Of fatal circumstan 'es
when the ugly passions Of interested men are
so rapidly Tightening aDout us. disputed
| election IL imminent; he can convert It into a
failure to elect. he hrst II chaos; tho last Is
| law. We do not hesitate to say-and in saying
| ~ We speak adviseuly-that the elector VINO
would In TINS emergency thus assert the original
indepeDdence OF his othce might safely count
! on the support of a vast number OF the most
| thinking and influential meulhoIs OF either
party. IL would by them be accounted as a
blessed deliverduce from dreaded pablo ca
| lamitv.
But now let us go a step further. Let us sur
| pose hat In certain CONTINGENCIES, which now
occupy the mines OF all, the vote OF some one
| hepuDli AL elec'of 49, ON the 6th OF the coming
| month. oast, not for Gov. HAYES aud Mr. Vine l.
| er. uut for Instance, for MIR. bristow aud Gov.
| Jewell what would sucn vote mean! II
would mean SIMPLY that the colleges had once
more, a. has r. peatedly hap .eneu before failed
To elect, and that the constitutional course pro-
nded IA such c9niin9.nc'es must TO taken
p election Of pIesiden. and Vice
| From among the three c nudates VINO
received the hishest numher of cleo
| tor | votes-in the case supposed, Messrs.
| Iiden, Hayes, and Bristow-tne House Of Hep
resentAtives, voting by States. would elect a
| President. In tue present case tho choice would
| undoubtedly fall on Gov tildeu. On the o her
! hand, the members OF the senate. voting ildi-
vidually, would proceed to elect as Vice Presl.
| dent one OF tue two candidates VINO, Ia the
| Electoral Colleges, received the ,iehe7t numo,T
| Of votes for that ohice. Ibs choice would lie
| between Nessrs. " ueeler AID Hendrlcks, and
| would unquestunably fali to the iurncr.
| through constr utional process lair cOmpro-
| mise would nave been forced on wrancng pol
| itic,ans aud secured 10 an ger country.
The method recommended by our contem-
| por ~ would certainty bring us slteiy through
| but We fear the Nation undertakes the power of
party discipline and the fear OF party ostracisnl
even NJ the most judicial ana indepen deni
minds. IL would certainly he gratifying to hnd
among those who have been chosen as RepuDli
can electors Of President ami Vice-Pres,dent N
any of the Northern States ten men, Ave men
or even two men, with courage and patriotism
enough to settle tins dangerous question 10y
votiug for any other names than those Of Hayes
ana Wheeler; but as yet no evidence has beer
presented 10 indicate that such men exist.