The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-12-09
The Frand Oonsummated.


Louisiana and Florida have been count
cd and certified for Hayes for President /;
for the defeated Republican candidates for
Governor and other State officers; for FIVE
defeated Republican candidates for Con-
gress, aud for two Republican Legislative
majorities when the Democrats had hon
estly and fairly chosen them; and two Re-
publican United States Senators are ex-
pected to crawl into the first representative
tribunal Of the nation, through the door
from which Pinchback was rejected by
Republican Senate, as pretender bearing
the blotted certificate of unblushing fraud.
Such is the painful picture that the
impartial Journalist must present to the
country to-day.
It is too late to assume that the consid-
crate Judgment of the American people
can, under any possible circumstances, ac .
cept the return of Florida and Louisiana
for President, State officers, Congressman
and Legislatures, involving two United
States Senators, as anything else than
premeditated aud unmixed fraud-as a
deliberately devised assault upon the in.
tegrity Of the ballot and as the subversion
of the popular will by violence aud law
lessness. 1t is not disputed that Louisi-
ana voted by from seven to nine thousand
for Tilden, and by yet larger majorities
for the Tilden candidates for State officers,
Congress and Legislature. 1t is not dis
puted that the votes so cast were legal
votes, and that they were honestly return.
ed, 1t is not disputed that the registra-
ton, which arbitrarily decided every man s
| right to vote in that State, was wholly in
the hands Of Kellogg and his confcderates,
and that every election board, and every
supervisor Of elections, and all the local
State officers were of Kellogg's creation,
and their returns made the nearly ten
thousand average majority for the Tilden
tickets; and it is not disputed that the
army was subordinated to Kellogg's CON-
mand, and that the United States marshals
who swarmed over the State gave him
ready obedience. 1t is vote so received
and SO returned by its own friends, that
the Kellogg return board rejects without
rule or reason, and the John Shermans Of
the party stand by to pettifog it with
excuses before bewildered people. Even
Grant is shamed into silence when the best
defence Of the fraud that could be invent
ed, is placed in his hands for his HIGH
official sanction, and he transmits it 70
Congress without word of approval, and
yet he is expected to summon the whole
authority Of the government, within OIL
without the law, to maintain the crownin.
fraud Of full century of our varied his
tory.
There are two conspicuous citizens o.
the Republic who have moro at stake il
this unnatural conflict of revolution will
law and justice than all others. They ar,
Ulysses 5. Grant and Rutherford b. Hayes
President Grant cannot assume to Civ,
palpable fraud the sanction of the highes
authority of the nation without sinkin,
even below the degradation Of the Kel
loggs aud the Stearns and the Chamber
lains Of the country. He must fall from
the pinnacle of the temple of liberty
while those for whom he is to immolat
himself have never risen above the NOUS
ing owls which burrow aud creep in tn
Shiny sewers under the foundations of th
structure. And Governor Hayes can com
to claim the blotted and polluted cbmmis
sion that is offered him, only to invok
upon himself the distrust of the Who'll
country, and the bitter condemnation o
: an overwhelming majority of the best me
Of every political faith, To attempt t
climb into the Presidency Of the Unite,
States by the tricks and lawlessness of
Kellogg and Stearns return board 10 tn
face of the settled judgment of the peopl
! against his honest election, would be t
commit crime against free government
that the living will never forgive and tina
posterity will never forget. In his owl
hands is his own fame, aud it is for hin
self to decide whether he shall be honore
r in the grateful memories of q happy pee
pie by his manly submission to justice, q
whether he shall come armed with frau
to assai the integrity and safety Of 20,
eminent that will assert the sovereign wi
of the faithful people, even in defiance q
; revolutionary rulers and submissive Or,
tenders PHILADELPHIA Times, Ind.