Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-06-29
For tn. Free Pres and Time.
The NeNt Issue.

1
knows it, and yet they do not avow any dc
sign to right their wrong, except by an
appeal to the people in 1850. This is certain
| ly very commendable in them. Their ultimate
triumph will be more glorious, if it shall
come from the great people, who, Of course,
always do right, than it would be by quo
.earranfo, or Congressional coup detaf.
The issue, then, Is to he (f the coming
years do not give birth to something more
important, which Is hardly coneeiyable) Were
Tilden and Hendricks elected in 1876 and
were they fraudulently prevented from tax
ing their rightful places in the Government?
In other words, Did the negroes and their
| friends in Louisiana and Florida cheat the
Democrats out of their just triumph
Questions of public policy are of NJ a.
count. If the party in power can, by fraud,
prevent an aspiring party from reaping the
fruits of an honest victory once, they may
| repeat the monstrosty, al nlfaitUm. The
Democrats are therefore exhortel to get
ready for great fight over a question, not
of principle, but Of fact. Tlej are to 20 at
it at once, and although they may accept
what Is good in the HAYES administration,
they are not to let the people forget how
Hayes came to be President. The eoolness
Of the proposal consists in assuming that
everybody knows that Tilden was elected
II Tilden was elected, how came Hayes
into the Presidency? 1t was question,
whether, in Florida and Louisiana, Demo-
cratic or Republican Electors were chosen
The Democrats woull not trust the deeis-
ion to the President of the Senate, because
they could not conceive the possibility of
Republicans deciding against his own party
They therefore chose Commission to deter
mine the matter, consisting OF an equal num-
Der of Democrats and Republicans from the
Congress and hoped that Judge Davis would
give them majority of judges. Judge
Davis preferred to be Unitel States Sena-
tor, and so it fell out that there WAS one
more Republican than Democrat on the Com
mission. and they decided that they were not
competent to set aside the decision OF the
proper officers ola sovereign State ard so it
came to pass that Florida and Louisiana
were counted for Hayes. What had the
Republicans of the country to do with it?
What could they have done? Both parties
had agreed to that form cf determining the
grave question. After the decision was
made, what could either party do? Beyond
the fifteen, who can be justly blamed for
the result? Is it not in the highest degree
impudent to assume that the eight Republi-
cans were always wrong and the seven Demo-
Gratis always right? And yet Democrats
assume that We all know that Tilden was
elected. Does anybody know that?
Suppose the American people should ac-
cept the proposed issue, and the result should
be that a majority believe what Me~-r-.
Tilden and Hendricks assume, would it
prove anything as to the actual fact:
Taking into consideration the comparaine
qualifications OF Republican and Democratic
voters, would maJorIty of either prove any
thing For one. admit. do not know Who
was legally elected. There is so much c1rrup-
tion, and ignorance in some of the StateS,
especially among politicians, that d not
see how it is possible for able men like I'd
den and Hendricks to honestly claim their
own election with such posiIivenesS. Sui,
candor requires the admission, that If the
Democrats feel that they do know that they
have been wronged, We cannot blame tarm
for keeping it before the people.
If were Democrat, would leave nn
stone unturned, that could honestly an
peaceably turn. till the great crime wa du'y
avenged, ii. C, if | believed the crime had
been committed ; and, Republican as ain,
would cast the name aside with scorr, It
believed the party responsible for 80 hnnri
an outrage, as it would be, to defeat the c't-
stitutionally expressed choice of the peorh-
Hardly anything worse in the realm Of poll
ties ever occurred, if the Democratic a<-ump-
tions are correct.
Republicans must accept the issue. Thrre
is no dodging it No matter how g5cd
President we may have-and doubt watcher
we ever had better one-if he i President
because the party in power has set aside TIE
legally expressed will of the people, the urxt
electDn should be an unmistakable r,huke
to the political rascality that could rrrpc-
trate so great crime
COnfessing to very little knowledge aS
to the facts of the case, as to Louisiana and
Florida, and believing that the people ct
neither party, whatever professional po!it-
clans might do, would consent to a pAlla
BILE wrong of the kind assumed. | ucsrrthr-
less believe that the free. uncorrupted, uuit-
Inundated votes of tho people wuuli have
most triumphantly elected Hayes and " bee
ler The common law of human nature freely
carried out, must require that the freedmen
should be Republicans.
Mr. Hayes is President by the iee!,r,,i'n
of the proper authorities Ii he hI- any
doubt as to the correctness Of the dcri-t'n.
what can he do about il? lie probably has
no doubt that he is the legally elected Chief
Magistrate of the nation, and - tar must
have commended himself to all but selfish
partiSans. Ii he thinks fraud has been prac-
ticed hy Republicans, he cannot avoid the
conclusion that it was matched by the Dem
ocrats and, with oppressive ntimIdatI1
thrown in, more than matched Glasn
houses are not confncd to either party
Let President Hayes 20 on in the gran
way he has begun, and it the Democrat
shall succeed in lSsO they will have a splen-
i,J .xamnla T., f,llow