Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-07-25

scrupulous honesty like the men VIII,
, filed high stations in early times. Tn
false philosophy of Seneca, that all i'm
moraiities are justified when dom
reqnandi cdusa, gains ground upon u
rapidly. The rules which meet will
universal observance in private affair
are set at naught in political action
Election frauds are praotised by mel
who would not cheat in orse.tradc
bogus returns are palmed off as tru,
. by those who would scorn to pas
counterfeit money; and Christian states
men are not expected TO know tha
stealing the vote of a State comes with
in the prohibition OF the Eighth Com
mandment.
But they do not measure their con
duct by safe standard if they think
it right, under any circumstances, tc
cheat selfgoverning nation by nulli
flying the legal vote Of its people. Nc
matter how little respect they may
have for the Judgment Of the mass, con
ceding that our naturalization laws ar,
too liberal and negro suffrage wholly
unwise, il must still be remembered
that this right of voting lies at the
foundation of our political structure
We have no public institutions that are
not built upon that Our Ship of State
has no other keel, and the perfdy that
scuttles the bottom exposes cargo, crew
and passengers to utter destruction
Besides, we have all agreed with one
another that the will of the whole peo.
pie as collective body shall be spoken
by the major number of individuals
we promised and sworc that we would
be governed by that will. If we yio-
late this solemn compact, we are cove.
nant-breakers and can expect only 10
be turned out among "tbe nations
which know not God" Moreover
taking the lowest possible view of the
subject and considering a Presidential
election as a mere game of skill or
hazard, he must be regarded Ms n politi.
cal black leq who snatehes and makes
off with the stakes ho bas los, accord.
inc TO the rules
Another onestion or;sos bore which
tho muse of history NAV arswer ot her
leisure. ia thoro anv inst,6co,,on "a
Gcnoral Grants conduct in th;s hns;,
ness9 Within two ar threo doys of,or
tho election II bccamo nertactIv we'll.
known 70 the whole country ;bot in
Louisiana there had been a full noll
and a large majority tor ,he T;Idon
electors No reason yvas suggestod h,,
anvhodv for talsifving his resnlt The
nnnrebcnsion Thai IL would he fols;eod
in The retnrn arose solely ont of the
fact thai tho oIect;on mach;nerv ~ tho
state was In tho hands of moro l. knores
who were inst hase enorah 20 DO !, .
and these were General Grants own
knavcs whom for years bo had Ion,
in their nlaces hv lowless snrce 7,
was then Thai he said no man conlS
afford 10 he President bv a irond and
sent n committee IN see that a ,rno
count was mAde. This was fair-seem.
ing enough. but he did not row the way
he was looking. Every one Of his
committee favored the fraud, and their
report, which he endorsed and sent to
Congress, was a defence of it from be-
ginning TO end. He had supported
and enforced frauds of the same kind
several times before, and now his troops
were at New Orleans avowedly TO
protect the carpet-baggers while they
were repeating them on large scale.
Besides, when Chandler promised the
fraudulent Governor of Florida to send
troops and money to that State after
the election-troops and money to
count the votes-he declared in one OF
his dispatches that the President had
been consulted. Still further, while
his party in Congress were holding up
the fraud, he answered the arguments
in favor OF Tilden's right by ordering
to the capital all the cavalry, artillery
and infantry within reach. Whether
these circumstances be sufficient or not
to convict him of participation in the
fraud, let the world judge.
When the wrong was accomplished
at New Orleans-when the returning
board had suppressed the Democratic
majority, and kellogg certified what
he knew to be false, that he himselfand
seven other men Of the same sort were
chosen by the people as electors of
President and Vice President when
these false prctenders actually met as
electors, made out and sent 10 Wash.
ington their own vote to be counted as
the vote OF the State-nobody, except
those engaged in il. had the least be.
lief that such swindlo could ever sue
ceed. Democratic dcnunciation was