The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-12-06
HOPE DEFERRED.

deferred maketh the neart SICK. L
this is so. the honest people Of thu
United States who one month ago vo
ted for honesty and reform ought tt
have hearts sick with the deferred
hopes of seeing the decision rendered
in favor of the true and tried man
they honestly and fairly elected to
the Presidency. With popular ma
Hjority Of three hundred thousand and
"a majority Of thirty seven in the
Electoral College which fairly be
Ilongs to him, they have been waiting
patiently and calmly for four weeks
Iwhile periured scoundrels were fix
Hing returns to cheat Samuel J. Til
IIden out of the highest Office in the
Igift Of the American people. Ere
Ithis reaches our readers the dirty
work will have been done and the
verdict of once free people will
have been reversed by fraudulent Re-
turning Boards, backed and sustain
ed by the bayonets of the United
States army.
Up to the time this is written
there has been no change in the sit
nation in Florida and Louisiana, but
as the Electoral Colleges of those
States must meet to day, the 9th, the
Hayes electors from both States have
been undoubtedly counted in and
Hayes will have had counted for him
Iby force and fraud, nineteen electoral
votes, which will give him a MAORI
ty of one out Of the three hundred
and sixty-nine electoral votes
Whether the American people can
afford to have a President whose
choice depended upon such barefaced
frauds to give him so small a major
ity as one, is question which can
only be peaceabIy settled by great
pnanimity of sentiment. 1t is not
likely that he will decline to accept
the office, nor it is probable that the
necessary concurrence of opinion for
IN amicable settlement of the contro-
Fersy will prevail.
The Returning Boards have play.
ed their several parts as everybody
knew they would, and the scene is
bow changed to Washington. Con
gress met on Monday last and after
@lecting Speaker, the House of Re
representatives. will most probably
send special committees to the three
disputed States to investigate and
then we will have to wait again.,
That the reports of the Louisiana
Committee, beyond all peradventure,
will sustain the majority given for
Tiiden cannot be questioned, and
their fair and open investigation will
throw such light upon the vote of
this State that no honest man can
doubt as to Tilden's election. Their
report will satisfy the House and it
will then do all it can constitutional
ly to secure his Inauguration on the
9th Of March. If it should be pcces. |
sary on the I'd Wednesday in Febru-
airy for them boldly and fearessly to
proclaim Tilden as the President,
and the Senate should persist in the
fraudulent attempt to count Hayes
in, no man living can tell exactly
what the result will be. 1t is only
certain that united, open and une-
luivocal public sentiment could
check the revolutionary designs of
,he Republican party leaders and that
division of sentiment will in al hu,
nan probability bring about confu-
son, disorder and perhaps strife.
The duty of the people of the
south in any event is so plain that
ne that runs may read" it. They
must be calm and quiet spectators,
md not participants. Deep as is
heir interest in the result, as impor
ant as the issue is to them thew
must watch and wait. Any outbreak
~ their part, any effort of theirs to
secure justice will be hailed as new
'@bellion and treated accordingly.-
Submission is the watchword, until
others have settled the question for
10. If the people of the North can
'ford to have the Presidency stolen
rom them and us, we can afford to
ct it be done. Though hope defer
'ed should make our hearts sick
into death we can only wait!
OUR NlCKLE PLATED SPOONS