The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1877-01-11
Counting In.

pulG "hlCu HIS USSll ACtbCucu Wy Ghc
State Canvassors and Returning Bards
in South Carolina, Florida, and Loui-
siana, will be acceptable to the great
body of the American people. On tho
face of the returns as sont in from tho
polling places in oacb of theso throo
States, the Tildon Electors and tho
Democratic State officers had ma
jority, and, unless tho votes could bo
set aside, wore legally chosen. The
method by which this apparent ma
jority has been totally reversed will
not command general confidence. In
South Carolina tho manipulation of
the returns which has produced such
a result was made not only by oX-
trome partisans, all Of ono sido, but
by candidates apparently defeated at
the polls, who counted themselves in
without much doxtority md in the
face of an order Of tho Supreme Court
of thoir own State, every judge in
which was appointed by the Rcpubli-
cans. In Florida q single member Of
tho board was u Democrat, but tho
other members, who outvotcd him,
wero of the party now counted in the
majority. In Louisiana tho board was
composed wholly Of portisans whose
previons character was notoriously
bad Cthe Republicans themselves being
Judges and who years ago had bcon
caught in acts Of great dishonesty in
a situation almost precisely like the
present. There could be, from cIo-
monts like these, no reasonable ex-
pectation of fairnoss, and few will be
disappointed at the conclusion.
We do not 500 how the most expert
leaders Of the dominant party can
make oven a plausible dofonco of tho
course that has been pursued. If the
National Govcrr mcnt Lad been in tho
hands of tho present opposition; if the
State authorities had likowiso been
wholly Democratic, with ahoriiI8, cons
stables, registrars, poll clerks, mars
shals all Of that political faith; if the
Republicans had then heen in q tcoble
minority, with tho whole powor Of the
State and Federal Government, the
militia with its arSenals, the army
with its veteran leaders and accumu-
iation Of warlilc stores thus against
them, thero might DO a reasonable rs
sumption that their adhoronts had
been terrified and fair vote pre-
vented.
But reverso all tho attendant cir
cumstances, and the claim appears
wholly .propostoroua. With a Gov
efnor and Legislature, the constabu-
larry, tho military and authority, and
the machinery Of election all in their
hands, and backed by q willing Pre-
sident and tho whole power of tho
Federal Government, q party repro.
sonting, as it claims, a largo majority
of tho able bodied votors, ought to
have succeeded in the taco of what
ever "intimidation," in polling all It's
available votes. Any claim of tho
want Of fair election amid such at
tending influences would certainly
come with most plausibiIity from tho
opposition, laboring undor 80 many
disabilities, and not from tho domin-
antparty, clothed as it was with su>
preme authority, and not disposed to
be oyorscrupulous in tho uso Of it,
lIIf the party represented as in q
minority had suddenly taken violent
possession of the polls, and by foroo
of arms driven away the surprised
adherents of the other side, this would
of course be publicly known, and in
such q locality thero might bo fair
claim for rodroBs at the hands Of tho
Returning Board. But wo have al-
ready hoard from ovcry part of The
South; the election was to all outward
appearances perfectly quiet and peaco
full, and no persons Offering TO vote
anywhere in the disputed States were
drivep away or prevented from the
oxefciso of thoir lawful rights.
The magnitude of the changes pro-
posed in Louisiana must bo startling
RI ouorv1 rpDro;nSico6 mind T. roln