Daily Kennebec journal., 1876-12-21
From the Boston Journal.
The New York "Nation" AdmOn
es ishes the Democrats,

The New York Nation has probably
done more TO advance the interests of Mr.
Tilden than any oat-ando out democratic
paper that could be named. By sneer,
and flings at the republican party and it.
representatives, by careful elaboration ol
Mr.. Tilden's claims and studious con.
cealment of his weak points as man and
candidate. and finally by counseling re-
publican electors to an infamous betrayal
of their trust, the Nation has been faith
fnl servant of the democracy, the more so
because, like the much less influential
sheet at Springfield, it has laborcd for Til
den while pretending to prefer Hayes.
When The Nation, therefore, takes 1t up
. ON itself 10 discipline the democrats and
admonish them to acquiesce in Gov.
Hayes election. its words must have a
very discouraging effect.
The Nation of the current week has q
leading article on the Political Situation
1t opens with the statement that Hayes
hns ieccNcu VII tHc ldCe VI tilt returns
1856 votes, having secured the three dis
puted States; and Tilden has also received
lS5 votes by the aid OF one disputed vote
from Oregon, from which State Hayes
claims three The claim on which the
Tilden vote from Oregon is based is next
considered. and the Cronin case is dis
posed Of as follows:
There hes been good deal of legal lore ex.
pended op the matter in the newspapers. and the
conclusion TO which 1t all points to be that
nothing but proof Of knowledge of the disqualif-
cation on the part of the voters of the State would
suffce TO make the election of the republican a
nullty and give the place to the democrat hayin Q
the next highest number of votes, and Of course
no such proof Is forthcoming"
The use of the Cronin scheme. it is said
is that it may furnish the democrats with
sort of excuse for contention over the
right of Congress to 60 behind the re
turns" but this move, "if successful, will
only make confusion worse confounded -
"a this point the Nation further says:
"In the first place. whatever moral weight the
democratic position now has in the struggle over
the vote viii be destroyed by any effort. even
though ii De enly piece of tactics, 10 use such
performance as Cronln's as a determining agency.
What the public Is now most interested in is the
election OF somebody in manner that win COM
mand general confde nee. A technical yicto,v
wonld therefore Do the democrat. no good. They
would have no popular support in try ing 10 force
the Senate to count vote east by person who
was plainly not elected by a majority of votes in
his State, and in the event of q deadlock tsev
would therefore be sure to be defeated; nor. Il
successful esn Tden afford To take office on sucb
. vote. No msn can ftiord to take the Pfesiden.
cy on any quitk or quibbe. or in virtue Of any
merely technical rule"
Moreover. if the practice of going be-
hind the returns bo established the Nation
thinks Il would be The last of orderly and
dscisive elections. Every close election
wonld be disputed before Congress met
and whep 1t did meet there. would be a
controversy over the count and deman
for further inquiry, ATTENDED witlthe dis