National Republican., 1876-11-23
HOIST WITH THEIR OWN PErARD."

State directing the Csnvasslng Board 70
proceed in 9 purely ministerial capacity,
and report the result Of the election as IL
appeared on the face of the returns. In
this action of the court the Democracy be-
held visions Of success. They saw in il
the counting Of their forced msjorities in
Edgefeld and other counties, where muir
der, intimidation and fraud had constituted
their weapons for the manufacture of Dem
ocrstic msjorities, and great was their re-
joicing thereat. Notwithstsndingt the board
complied with the order of the court in
making the count-an order made at the
instance of these selfsame Democrats-it
was ascertained that the Republican elect
ors were chosen by msjorities ranging from
800 to I, 800. This result was not the feast
to which the South Carolina Democracy
and their pilgrim brethren from the North
had invited the country; hence something
must be done to avert the catastrophe of q
Republican success, and straightwsy a
mares nest is discovered in the shape OF
alleged informalities In certain precincts Of
Beaufort which county had given Re
publican majority Of 500. and simply be-
cause the board refused TO exercise judicial
functions, of which the Supreme Court has
shorn it, at the instance of the Democracy,
and to prevent the overhsuling Of the vii
lanies of that party in Lsurens, Aiken and
Edgefeld, terrible cry of "frsud" and
'infsmy" is raised, while the whole pack,
Tray, Blahche and Sweetheart exhaust
themselves in giving utterance to every
thing that is disbolically bad and vexa-
tiously wicked over the action of the board
which their own Interference necessitated.
The difference in this instance happened,
however, to be that the Democratic OK was
possibly being gored. while, if judicial in
vestigation by the board had extended to
Edgefeld. the scene of Democratic enor-
mites, there would have been fiendish
lsmentation by this same party over the
'fnfamy" of the beard in assuming judi
cisl functions. The action of the Democ-
racy In the case referred to is not only q
specimen of partisan injustice and party
bigotry, but is as well an evidence Of the
malignant meanness of Democracy. The
whole thing is very concisely summed up
by an able cotemporsry as follows:
s'We have never seen q more glaring in
stance of partisan injustice. In order to pre-
vent an investigation into the manner in
which 6, 900 more Democratic votes were re-
turned from Edgefield than there are regis
tered voters (white and colored) in the county,
the aid Of the Supreme Court was invoked,
and the board was shorn of its judicial func-
tions. But when 1t was discovered that two
of the Tilden electors would have a majority
over the two lowest electors on the Hayes
ticket, if the 1eturns from the disputed Beau
fort precinct were thrown out, there was q
loud demand that the board should disregard
the restrictions laid upon it, at the instance OF
Hsmpton's counsel, and proceed to pass judg-
ment upon the validity of the returns from
this particular precinct"
"You must not exercise judicial func.
tions," say these gentlemen in effect,
"while the returns from Eigefeld, Aiken
"and Laurens are before you, but when
Beaufort is named, then you become
"judges, and must decide as we direct"
and for the simple reason that the board
prefer complying with the acquisitions Of
the Supreme Court to accommodsting
themselves to these gentry, its action is de,
nouDced and its members vilifed. But the
tergiversations of the immaculate Democ
racy are by no means confined to South
Carolina. The returning board of Louis
lana are being troubled in pretty much the
same way. In the absence Of q convenient
Supreme Court order, the board are pro
ceeding calmly and fairly with their work
in counting the votes in presence of com.
mittees of both parties; yet they are over.
whelmed with protests upon every imagi
nsble subject by counsel for defeated
Democratic candidates. Among them our
readers were informed by telegram yester
day that 'the counsel for the Democratic
candidates also protested against count
"ing in five Republican electors in the
Fourteenth Senatorial district" second,
the permitting of the returns from said
parishes to stand" &c. Yet if tht
names of East and West FelIcians
East Baton Rouge, Morehouse or 0uachits
parishes, which in 1874 gave Republican
majority of 1861, and which now, by q
most outrageous series of frauds and in
Limitations by armed bandits of Louisiana
and Mississippi are made to appear as hav
ing returned q Democratic majority o
4,417, are mentioned, or the returns there
from protested against, either before the
board or by the press, q terrible hullsbol
is at once raised by the spotless De
mocrscy that an effort is being made II
deprive them of their rights by the sin
famous" returning board of Louisiana, ant
with all the blandness and persuasive
eloquence of Spanish Buccsneer wher
in search of spoils, they deny the right Of
these boards 70 exercise other than min Is
terisl functions; and yet in the very ssms
breath they enter protests against the recep
ton of returns that would initiate agains
their success in their desperate effort TO de
feat the clearly y-expressed will of the people
by having Tilden returned as President.
Honesty or decency have never been reck
oned as among the characteristics of moderr
Democracy, but modicum Of regard fol
the intelligence Of the country they art
endesyoring so hard to whesdle into theil
plans should induce them TO make at least
perquisite Of the yirtne Of consistency IN
their efforts. The people of this country,
however, have long since ceased to expect
sught else Of that party than ways that
are dark and tricks that are vain, and the
4lh of March will not only end its uu.
hsllowed desires, but win witness its con.
signment to gulf Of infamy as vide aud
as deep as the malignity and mesnness OF
its career so fully justifes. '.. p,
The Democracy were profoundly shocked
when they saw soldiers going South. Nov
they are as mad as "a wet hen" be-
cause they are coming back. Subtract fastidi
business from the Democracy, and you have
Boss Tweed as a rom afnder and he IL an