The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-01-12
COUNTING IN.

oilna, Florida and Louisiana, will be acccp
table to the great body of the American
people. On the face of the returns as sent
in from the polling places in each of these
three States, the TilIcn electors and tho
Democratic State officers had majority.
and, unless the votes could be set aside.
were legally chosen. The method by which
this apparent majority has been totally re-
vcr3cd will not command general confidence.
In South Carolina the manipulation of the
returns which has produced such a result
was made not only by extreme partsans, all
OF one side, but by candidates apparently
fdcfcatetl.at. she polls, who counted them.
selves III without much dcxtcrity and in
the lace OF an order of the Supreme Court
OF their own State, every Judge in which
was appointed by the Republicans. In
Florida single member of the board was
| a Democrat, but the other members, who
out voted nun, were Of the party now conn
ted us IN the majority. In Louisiana the
board was composed wholly of partisans
| whose previous character was notoriously
| bad, (thc Republicans themselves being
l"dS 8 and who years ago had been caught
III acts OF great dishonesty in Il situation
almost precisely like the present There
| could be, from elements like these. no rca.
son&blc expectation of fairness, and few
will bc disappointed at the conclusion.
| " c Il" not see how the most expert lead
crs Of the dominant party can make even a
plausible defense of the course that has
been pursued. If the national government
had been in the hands Of the present oppo
sition if the State authorities had likewise
been wholly Democratic, with shcrins. con-
stables, registrars, poll clerks, marshals all
OF that political faith if the Republicans
had been in feeble minority. with the
| whole power Of the State and Federal gov.
crnmcut, the militia with its arscnals, the
army with its veteran leaders and accumu.
lation Of warlikc stores. thus against ,bcm
| there might be reasonable assumption that
their adhcrcnts had been terrified and a fair
vote prevented.
But reverse all the attendant circumstan.
ces, and the claim appears wholly prcpos-
ferrous with Governor and Legislature,
the military authority, and the machinery
OF election all in their hands, and backed
by willing President and the whole DOW.
! oi the Federal government, party, repre-
scnt'ng, as it claiu,s, large majority of the
able, bodied voteSsn ought to have succeeded,
n,,,.. IN tss TAG s ssatsSss -intimidssion, in
| fo'''rto
of the want of a .elsSsiSn ab}}8 ssucb
attending influences would Certainly come
with most plausibility from the opposi-
'i"n' kborln" under so many disabilities.
ana not from the dominant party, clothed
;is ;is It was with supreme authority. ard not
u'SpoScd to be ovcrscrupulos in the use of
it.
II the party represented as in minority
had S'ddrnl y taken violent posscssi II Of the
polls, and by force Of arms driven away
the surprised adhcrcnts of the other side,
tins would of course be publicly known,
and IN such locality there might be a fair
clam for redress at the hands of the Re-
turning Board But We have already heard
IRON every part Of the South the election
was to AL outward appearances perfectly |
quiet and peaceful, and no persons OFFERING |
To vote anywhere IN the disputed States |
wee driven away or pcvcntcd from the cx-
erclsc OF their lawful rights
he maSnItudt of the changes pronosca
IN Louisiana must be startling to every un- |
prcJudlccd mind. 1t equals nearly four
teen thousand votes in the case of the lead.
ing Tilden clector Who can believe That
there is any honest occasion to reverse n
popular majority after this fashion Thus.
i"ur INSCRIPTIONS partisans, openly convic-
u" ny their own party of similar fraud
heretofore, have, against the face of the re-.
turns, counted in their candidates for tbc
electoral college, the Legislature and ou
State Offices, and for tie Congress at Wash.
ton.
No right minded man, as it seems to u,
however strong his political preference, can
sanction such proceedings We arc far
more anxious that the people at large should
repndlatc this action than that any particu.
lar candidate or party shall be successful.
tts a}als 2 p!SfRkS exhibition to make before
llF the We Isatss sssxtreme /, Ienetb 'to
which partsaH ead IS m cSSnf ~ q
'roud OF its free fEStitutions. We make Se
70 repssssa AtieIf of fsLhe effect this NAV p
ave ON either party a'Whcthcr if it is sus.
AIMED Gas we cannot think it will bel by G
he mass of the Republicans it will ulti-
natcly crush that organization beneath the ,
dium thus brought upon it, or if rightly .
net and treated by the opposition, lead to .
S entire supremacy in the near future and y
hereafter for many years to come-lhese il
re questions not as important to the pub l.
g welfare as the possibilities that grow out Z
the action itself l.
We h"co not dlScuSs just now the way h
which the Congress should meet this
mersency, as several months must elapse h
efore it is called to pass upon it, 1t is for n
he homes; people of all parties to speak n
heir minds in reference to it, and this +
houId be uttered in no uncertain tones :,
lot with violence of epithct, not with a /
lew OF stirring up civil strife, but in the =
prit of calm judicial sentence. the =
hole American people should set such a