The Portland daily press., 1876-11-21
Our New York Letter.
The souih Carolina victory-Ths Tw.
Contested dsiates-Democraiie Tricks Il.
Florida-The Administration.


score of intimidation or fraud, there is clear
majority for Hayes aid Wheeler, of less than
a thousand. If the people of the State had
voted freely aud fully, according to their con.
vlctlons the majority would have been 25,00O
or 10000
So many contradictory reports continue TO
come from Louisiana, that both parties still
claim it, though there has been perceptible
weakening in the tone of confidence of the
Democrats within few days. The action of
the Returning Board in inviting witnesses of
both parties to watch the count is conclusive
answer to the many gratuitous intimations
that uniairness was intended, which have been
bruited in Democratic circles The Republi-
cans alone can suffer by interferences with the
freedom of the ballot in Louisiana. The State
is theirs every time they are not cheated out of
it by having their voters literally driven from
the polls in parishes where they are most nu-
merous. If all the votes are rejected in locali-
ties where these outrages are proved to have
been perpetrated, the wrong is only partially
redressed. Great injustice will still be in
tiicted on the Republicans, for they will lose
the majority to which they are entitled in the
disfranchised parishes. If there are any vic
tins of foul play, they must necessarily be the
peaceable and inoffensive blacks whom nei.her
nature nor habit have qualified to repel the ag-
gressions upon their rights of citizenship
through which the white minority seek to rule
the State. IL isu't at all question of whether
the Republicans will practice fraud, but simply
how much fraud they will submit to? The
eighteen electoral votes of Mississippi and Ala
hama hava al
lence, and they have acquiesced with a pa
tieIce indicative of a far greater love of peace
than of power. During these last ten days of
nervous anxiety and patriotic solicltlde not q
whisper of turbulence has found voice from Re-
publican lips. The party is unit in its calm
resolution to abide the issue with composure.
Every threatening utteranee and infammatory
appeal that has been heard thus far, has been
of Democratic origin. In this respect the con
trast between the two parties is noticeable, and
will be remembered to the honor of the one
and the discredit of the other long after the re-
suit, whatever it may be, has been arrived at
The mystery in which the Florida election
continues to be enveloped furnishes ground for
surprise and suspicion. The pretended conf
dence of the Democrats in their chances of se-
curing the four electoral votes of that State when
so many concurrent dispatches Of well informed
parties give them to the Republicans, is unac-
countable, on any other theory than that
project is on foot to tamper with the returns.
But there are so many watchful eyes directed
to that quarter, that there is good reason for
hoping that any such nefaraious scheme will
miscarry. If the Democrats are keeping back
ha in furt har nF u
is evident they are afraid to put it in execution.
The general impression here is that they will
pursue the policy of procrastination until
Louisiana is definitely heard from, and
if that state goes against them, they will then
venture upon the desperate expedient of en-
deavorng to avert defeat, by an effort to set
aside the judgment which the people of Flori-
da have rendered against them. 1 am 10th to
believe that any considerable number of politi-
clans. whatever party they belong to, would re-
sort to methods so shocking even for so great
stake as an empire. And yet it Is only eight
years ago that the thirty-five electoral votes OF
the state of New York were thrown in the Dem.
ocratic scale by precisely such means There
is something magical in the name of reform
which absolves its advocates from the ordin-
ary moral restraints which happen to lie in the
way of its triumphal progress. To save great
Republic from the evils of corruption" is 80
grand an object that it probably seems to these
sanity crusaders worth cheating little to ac-
complish it. They would be willing to win by
a technicality, to take advantage of the possi-
BILE ineligiblity Of an elector of a state where
the Republicans outnumber them two to one
for tho Salxa of ha If hoaa haax,
franticaly suggested by some of the craziest of
them, that peradventure there might be found
among the 1S5 electors apparently chosen some
one base enough to sacrifice honor and manhood
by casting the one vote necessary to establish
the cause Of "reform."
Happily for the nation, Florida cannot be
manipulated in darkness and secrecy. If there
is any jugglery performed there the people will
know it. And they are in no mood to have a
Presidential election decided unfairly. Two
states at least have been given over without a
struggle simply because the Republican voters
in them were nos protected by the government.
That is a misfortune for which there is no pres.
ent remedy. The failure of the Forty-third
Congress to enact what was called the Force
Bill" left the Republican majorities of Alaba-
ma and Mississippi naked to the rebel enemy.
For that neglect to maintain the rights of the
newly enfranchised citizens of those states Che
responsibility rests on the timid, halting aud
puslanimous seui-Republicans, who refused
to support the wise ant far.seeing measures of
the administration. If the legislative branch
of the government had been equal in capacity
and craftsmanship to the executive, we should
ha at this critical nnopoant tnhno int
to see whether great, useful and meritorous
organization had barely escaped strangulation
at the hands of self selected nurses and preten-
tious quacks. Whenever the party has followed
the lead of the President it has been right In
every instance where it has negatived his rec
concentrations, it has made mistake of which
it has suffered the penalty. The tardy ac-
acknowledgement of his superior sagacity may
have been too late to rescue the Republic from
falling under dangerous control. At any rate
it has broughtit to the EXTREMIST verge Of peril
The recognition of his sterling common sense is
very general now. Everybody who is not an
extreme partisan, realizes that there is perfect
safety fos the ship of state so long as he holds
the helm. Bat if his party had been worthy
of him, it would not have come so near
burial ur der the disparagement, reproaches
and falsehoods of feebled minded adherents
or perfidious deserters. In such crisis as this
one cannot help recalling the time when there
| was such fetid swash of vituperation of the
President soiling the columns of a vast guam
| tity of newspapers. 1t infected the atmos-
phere aud bewldered and demoralized great
many gullible and simple minded creatures,
who knew nothing whatever about the matter,
| out had rather fallen into the habit OF taking
everything for granted that they heard or read
of. 1t took form in slaugy phrases and re-
joiced in the use of vulgar nicknames.
"Grantsm' was the favorite word in this
dialect OF objurgaton. The pretense under
which this degradation of journalism found
palliation was that most illusi1e of spectres,
| the 'third term" conceit as purely ianciful
| and baseless as the aspersions for which 1t was
used as an apology. But even after the Presi-
| dental nomination had effectualy disposed Of
| that ideality it was not at all an unusual
| thing to come across some idiotc drivel-gen-
| orally bearing the ear marks OF greenhorn
| paternity-coarsely rejecting upon the chief
/ magistrate of the nation.