, 1876-11-12

| With Democrats rs with ordinary mortalG
the old saw applies that !" hindsight is bette
than foresight" Thus the very elements il
the conduct of the election which the Demo
Gratis assailed most fercely turned out t
their advantage. The projections under tn
law for assuring an honest election wer
demanded blythe Democratic managers AMI
newspapers, probably because they believed
that it would be to the advantage of \\thei
party TO- afford an opportunity for frausd
| yet if<it turns out, as seems likely enough
that they have carried the country, they vii
| be able to fall back upon these projections g!
an answer to any charges OF fraud. We wisf
we could persuade the Democrats-particu
larly now that they are likely to assume the
| management Of the countrys affairs-that ar
honest, law-abiding rolicyis the best even il
politics; and it is chiefly for this purpose
that We call attention to the advantages they
have enjoyed because the Republicans have
enforced the law.
The Democrats, for instance, assailed with
one voice the enforcement of the National
Election law, providing for the appointment
Of an equal number of Supervisors from each
party, under the auspices of the United
States Courts, to protect the ballot-boxes
against corruption. The Democrats jumped
at the conclusion (arguing perhaps from
their own consciousness) that this law was
to be used in some mysterious way to assist
the Republicans. But the fact is that Dem
ocrats in cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburg,
Indianapolis, and Charleston, have been
eager to avail themselves of the same pro-
lection, and by means.of this law and its en-
forcement have guarded against all pos
sible corruption Of the ballot~bo1es for
the benefit Of the Republican r~~tv.
So in cities like New York, Broo
Chicago, ard New Orleans, where the Inv
has been enforced at the instance OF the
Republicans, the latter are now excluded
from setting up the cry of fraud, and the
Democrats have the full benefit of their ad-
yantages. The supervision instituted by due
one party as well as the other, has disposed
Of all charges of false registration and false
counting by purging the lists Of impurities,
and the people receive the returns with as
much confidence Us is possible at any time
when one party finds itself in the minority.
The employment; of the United States
troops in certain localities to maintain the
peace was even more fercely denounced than
the employment Of Supervisors of Election.
When the President ordered troops to
South Carolina, in response to the
demand Of the Governor of the
State, as provided by the Constitution
of the United States, the cry of "bayonet "
rule was Immediately set up by the Demo
Gratis. Yet the presence of the troops in
South Carolina has proved chiefly advan-
tngeous to the Democrats. The soldiers
have been called on to protect the negroes
who had been bought, or coaxed, or wheed1ed,
or threatened into voting the Democratic
ticket from the assaults Of the Republican
negroes, and they have done so. This is the
reason why the Democratic vote in South
Carolina is apparently SO much larger than
there was any reason to expect They pro-
tected the whites the other evening in
Charleston when they were in the minority.
They havo behaved excelleptly, stopped |
lights, suppressed riots, prevented the smash
ing Of ballot-boxes, saved the lives of cleo
lion judges, and enabled q quiet and peace
able election to be held in a country
hat was aaame with excitement and !
hostile passions. The troops and their Off
:ers have been impartial conservators of the |
peace, as they are always likely to be from
'ducation and the nature Of their occupation;
re do not believe American soldiers have
'ver yet fred on anybody for partisan pur-
'oses. Yet their employment for the very
purpose and almost the only purpose for
shich standing army is now maintained
vas sayagely denounced by the Democrats Us
n invasion Of State rights, and probably lost
lie Republicans some votes at the North.
f the Democrats nre not beyond learning
rom experience, they may get some useful
sssons in honest politics from the recent
lection.