The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-11-12
Can the Republican Party Afford 1t

The proposition of crazy and reckless
Republican managers, ike ZACn CuAND-
IrR and JAY GOULD. is tnut all three Of
the disputed states hall be declared to
have voted for HAYES, and that he shall be
declared elected President upon this basis.
But can the Republican party afford This
II Mr.. HAYES should be declared elected
IN this way, 10y Il majority of one olecto al
vote only. with the great maj brity OF the
popular vote against him. and with the
almost universal conviction that the dec
iaration was procured bv fraud, would II
be a situation such rs the Republican party
should deirei Aud would Mr.. HAYES, uu-
der such circums taucea, be able to perform
the duties of the President effectively, sue
cessfully, and happily?
The tnlnt of fraud would inevitably be
attached to such declaration that Mr..
HAYES is elected. II would have to pro-
coed upon the unquestionable fact that the
vote OF Louisiana was given TO him by
KELLoGG's Returning Board; that the vote
of South Carolina was given to him by
CHAMBERLAIN's Board of Canvassers. and
the vote of Florida by the officers of that
State, whose own reflection would there
by be determined by themselves, nll in de-
hance Of evidence that those States have
really voted the other way. Thus while
the local returns of Louis ana would de-
monstrate that the vote of that state
had really been given to T1LDEN, KEEL
Looa's Returning Board would declare
that IT had been given to HAYES. Now,
the history Of this Board is so well known,
and its action has been so often stigma
tiled even by the Republican majority in
the United Stntes Senate as baseless and IL
legal, that no one could have any confidence
In such q declaration, If the Board should
now make one. SO, too. in South Carolina.
though the state Cunvasscrs are not nf-
fccted by the same universal notoretN ~
KELLoGG's Board yet should they assume
TO set aside ana reverse the II cures OF the
local returns from the different counties,
nobody could believe them, because no.
body could forget that they represent some
OF the very men who have done the most
TO bring the PROSTATE State intoit present
condition, aud that the first effect OF their
declaration would be to keep those men III
power and save them from the hand of
justice. In Florida. also. any declaration
holders OF the state anu giving its vote to
HAYES. would not merely be tainted,
but, in the judgment OF sensible people
elsewhere, would be absolutely pervadeI
md filled with fraud from top 10 bottom
snd from centre to circumference.
Now the case in these three states stands
Just as we have described II /; and If, fol-
lowing the lead Of men ike ZACH CiL,SD-
LER and JAY GOULD, themselves objects
Of distrust and of suspicion all over the
country. the Republican party should now
force declaration that HAYES il elected
aud should endeavor to hold aud carry on
the Government Of the country on that
declaration, what would he the verdict
OF the world upon iti That verdict, we
think, would he that this ON great party.
having begun It's career 49, the champion
OF freedom and the d' foyer of negro slav-
cry, had sunk through the depraving intiu-
ence Of the long possession Of power, and
had finally completed it, history by bring
Ing the whole people into n tar baser kii,d
of slavery by installing n President whom
the people had not chosen. Can the Re
publican party afford thisf