The daily gazette., 1877-02-22
Our Washington Letter.
From our regular correspondent.
..o. WASHINGTON, FEB, 20,

Arbitration, or trial by ballot in
stead of by bullet, although ite exis
tence in a rudimental form is almos-'
coeval with man, has not, until
modern times, been reduced to form,
and made a part of state machinery.
In the settlement of political disputes
IL is convenience but not necessity.
The opposing parties ins cad of trying
to convisnce in the old barbaric
bloody way that each is stronger and
has larger number of adherents than
the other, make an enumeration at the
polls, the dispute is settled peaceably,
as the saying is, the minority retiles
from the field, and the men and policy
of the majority make the history Of the
state until the next tcompetative enum:
eration. Doubtless this system Is
great gain for humanity, and, when
carried out in perfect faith and fairness
1t is the humane way for the settlement
OF differences between peoples. But.
II is new. 1t tis,at best, AN experiment.
1t is by no means certain that it will
prove universally efficacious. There
has recently occurred much, in this
country, to bring it into contempt.
The very essense of trial by ballot is
fairness and good faith. Fraud and
force must be strictly eliminated. But,
as people grows In wealth and popu-
lation, as the complications Of modern
financial systems, and the conflicting
interests OF commerce and class In.
crease, they have tendency to OBJ
scure the vital questions of the greatest
good of the largest number, and class
and capital seek at the polls ends that
are not national. The party in power
controlling the army, navy, civil ser
vice, and public funds, exercises, in
various ways,an undue influence over
the ballot, and, d,awing the recent great
ly extended pcrview Of Government,
through the enlargement Of the civil
service, and illegal use Of the army, it
has done much to thwart a fair expires.
sion at.the polls. as -.
With all these powerful intrenched
hostile influences against which it was
compelled to contend how remarkable
and emphatic was the recent Democra
tic victory. II meant the utter defeat
Of the Republican party and policy, and
any effort to keep it in power, no
matter by what forms or in what places
the effort may be sanctified, is high
handed subversion Of the very founda-
tion Vt our governmental systematic
will of the people making an appealto
the old heroic method excusable, If
not q duty '1f there is law for fraud,
there Is reason for violence" l-
The question Of Tilden's majority, both
popular and electoral is not matter for
argument, is not a theory upon which
honest men can differ. 1t is question
of arithmetic, aud the men who denied
it, be they in the Senate, in the Cabinet
or on the Supreme Bench, must be called
an ignoramus because it would be un-
parliamentary to call him liar. Some
superanuated editors of the independent
press who denounoe the fraud by which
Hayes has been counted in, do not hesi-
tate to advise acquiescence in the result
saying that it really matters little
whether it is Hayes or Tildsn. In other
words, that the ballot on the 7th Of No.
vember was a meaningless pastime, 1t
it really matters not whether it was
Hayes or Tilden, it is not OF the slight
est Importance that we shall ever ap-
peal to the ballot again. 1t is evident
that the old gentleman who enjoy tea,
and, prefer above all, to take ease in
inns, are more numerous now than they
were ono hundred years ago. It has
been 8 aid that it took Rome three hum
drad yearsto die, but we live in fast age,
our national exit may be facilitated by
steam, electricity, and Returning Boards.
Certain it is that the politics-moral gan
creme that has shown itself to such an
alarming extent in the administrators in
the Cabinet, and every branch Of official
and legislative life. has permeated the
l. hao hAa svS
oculated there in the appointees OF and
from the party of moral ideas. 1t is
doubtful what policy the democratic ma
jority in the House will pursue. They
can by policy of delay. prevent the in
auguration OF the candidate repudiated
by the people or they can permit the
partisan commission that has evaded
the work imposed by the electoral bill
to make president of the man who
with the assistance OF the government,
the army, the civil service, and the
Treasury, was Overwhelmingly defeated
by the people. The majority is under
no obligation to stand by their vote in
favor of the bill. Fraud cancels every
contract. The crime and tho conse-
quence are with the conspirators with
Grant. Chandler, Wells, Strong, Miller
and Bradley. No people can respect
themselves, the respect of other people
is minor consideration and their decay
is at hand if they have not the stomach
and brawny manhood to vindicate the
ideas, and men they have adopted.
Their vindication is duty they owe to
themselves, and to posterity. To shrink
this duty is to pave the way to williams
bonds. and despot's sway. G. A. S.
CARLYLE ON DARWIN.
A good sort OF man is this Darwin,
and well meaning, but with little i'm
tellect. All it's a sad aterrible thing
to see whole generation Of men and
women, protesting to be cultivated,