The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-12-04

Board on Monday, and the decision posi-
bly, reached Tuesday.
fFrom Saturdays New York Herald
Why the Republicans should Show
Fair Play.
Whoever is shown on a fair, open, and
honest count to be elected President will Of
course be Installed, and no American will
be so idiotic as to grumble. When Mr..
Lincoln was inaugurated in 1861 his fore
most competitor, Stephen 4. Douglas, stood
behind him and held Mr.. Lincoln's Lat
while he took the oath of office. That is the
true and American way, and if either Mr..
Hayes or Mr.. Tilden is fairly and honestly
shown to have majority of the electoral
vote, in either case we advise his defeated
competitor to attend the Inauguration and
follow the example of Mr.. Douglas.
Mean time everybody has right to ask for
fair play; for conspicuously honest count.
This concerns not the candidates, who. are
Of small moment in so vital a matter, but
the nation. Are the proceedings i'll the
disputed States such as ought to satisfy the
nation! Let liz sec.
/. In South Carolina the vote has been
declared: the State is officially given to Mr..
1lUNtS. HcIC IL lcuSOll w tCiIth Y lIIht VII
fair count Governor Hayes and General
Hampton would have been shown to have a
majority: but the Returning Board, entirely
Republican and containing three candidates
Tor reelection to State offices, have by their
irregular and tricky conduct forfeited the
confidence of the nation. They were proba-
bly, satisfied that a fair and open scrutiny
OF the vote would give the State to Hayes,
but they saw also that it would at the same
time give the Democrats the Governor and
the Legislature, which elects United States
senator Hence their trickery, their lawles
and unauthorized casting out OF Democratic
counties, their defiance of the Supreme
Court. These demagOgueS care nothing
for Governor Hayes or the Republican
party. They care only for their own sell
fish fortunes, and their outrageous miscon-
duet has left even the result as to the cleo
toral vote OF the State i'll doubt without
that degree OF certainty which it ought 70
have. II the northern Republican leadei
were wise they would insist on fair and
conspicuously honest count in South Caro-
LIMA, so Is to get the electoral vote or that
State in Il way satisfactory to honest men.
>. Take next Florida. There has been so
much petty Republican trickery there that
the vote Of that State cannot now be counted
for Mr.. Hayes without such public scrll-
tiny rs shall he declared satisfactory by
honest Democratic witnesses. Tbc Republic
cans claim Florida: but ii it has honestly
gone fol- Mr.. Hayes ought they not to take
every care to make this plain and indiSputa-
bic? Does not every trick OF theirs. every
bit OF sharp practice. make RI more difficult
for them to satisfy the country OF the hon
eSty and fairness Of the count? And do
81 NJ ;l,.t fii., l. unrip,is M T.
ter for them:
Finally we come to Louisiana. The Louis
lana Returning Board has conducted and
is conducting its scrutiny OF the vote in Il
manner so shamclcssly and clumsily partl-
san and dishonest that no result it arrives
at will have the confidence OF the nation. 1t
has openly allowed the returns 10 be tam
percd with: it has refused to hear evidence
on the Democratic side: it has had even
the contemplate weakness to refuse to send
Tor returns from Democratic parishes, and
to refuse applications made to it to
compel Republican supervisors to send
In such returns, which they are
Withholding contrary to law, declaring
at the same time that ii these returns were
not in by Il certain time it would refuse to
count them. In fact, its iuggcry, its trick
erv, its fraud, all have been, As Republican
congressman declared them to be in 1874,
omen, glaring, clumsy, and shameless. One
OF its latest eXpedientS has been to keep out
OF New Orleans and away from the witness
stand an army officer who has declared that
in the parish in which nc was stationed with
troops oorehouSe-thc election was full,
fair. free, and peaceable. Is it not very I'M
wise for the northern Republican leaders to
permit such things They claim, and no
doubt in many eases sincerely believe.
that Louisiana has gone for Mr.. Hayes. II
this is SO, ought it not to be honestly
shown: Could it not be honestly proved
Can they afford to have their claim to the
State rest on the secret manipulations OF !,
Returning Board which begins by refusing
to admit Democratic member III violation
OF the law, and which ut almost every step OF
its open proceedings has shocked the sense
OF justice and deccncy OF such Republicans
rs Senator John Sherman and OF the
whole northern public? DO not the Re
publican leaders see that, even granting
that the three disputed States cast MAORI
ties for Haycs and Wheeler, they have
allowed the returns to be so manipulated as
to make it now almost, indeed, quite I'M
possible, to establish this to the satisfaction
OF honest men: And do they forget that
in 1872 and in 1868 they themselves set pre-
cetlcnts for throwing out the vote OF States
where the election returns seemed to be
tainted with fraud: OF course they do not
mean to "builGoZc presidential cleo