Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-02-24
The Triumph Of Fraud.

Louisiana has gone the way of Flori-
da. The Commission seems to have
made short work of it after the major
ity determined to hear no evidence,
and by the apparently inevitable vote
of the eight Republican Commission
ers against the seven Democratic mem
bers, Hayes and Wheeler were sum-
marily thrust alongside Tilden and
Hendricks in number of assured votes.
This decision now leaves the Presl-
Dental count tie. Who will get the
disputed Oregon vote? =? There are few
persons in the country who will hesi-
tate to answer that question. If the
illustrious eight could make up their
minds to give this Louisiana vote, reek-
ing as it is with palapable fraud, to the
Republicans, they will not make much
bones over Oregon. We presume it
may be set down as a certainty that
Hayes and Wheeler will nominally re-
ceive the requisite ajority of the cleo
toral vote to count both into Office.
The slim hope that now hangs on the
Oregon vote may as well, we presume,
be dissipated, aud the entire country
may settle down to the fact that the
majority of this chosen Tribunal,
which was created to give peace and
satisfaction to the land, have grossly
perverted the powers cOnfded to them.
The spectacle presented in the action
/ of the majority of the Commission is
one that should prove more sorrow
and modification than anger. The
Democracy have nothing to blame
themselves with. They trusted to the
honor of men whose positions and
regulations gave assurance of at least
a decent regard for fairness. They
have been deceived. We do not care
to indulge in the cheap satisfaction of
epithets, aud we employ no stronger
term than the situation will Justify
when we say the Democracy have been
sWindled. We have pride of country,
and we have something at state in the
appearance our country makos before
the world. These times are furnish
ing to history the record of the tri-
umph of fraud and perjury and scoun-
| dreiism tricked out in the garb of law.
They are furnishing the pictures of
our greatest judges and our leading
statemen prostituting their position,
their ability and their personal honor
to give validity to fraud that was new
er before, under any judicial system
beyond the correction of the hand of
Justice. No personal or party gain
will ever wash away the stain that vii!
disfgure these men who have proved
themselves so unworthy of the honor
able trust that has been reposed il
their integrity. They will merit the
contempt which they will receive from
every man who values honesty anc
honor. unless, indeed, they are forgot.
ten in the heartler contempt that will
be meted out to the man who will ac
cept position through such means
The country has been reviling tht
members of the Louisiana Returning
Board as seto farrant kna7es. The!
have their equals on the Electora
Commission, and they find familiar
spirit in the White House when al
this miserable fraud is consummated
And for all this there appears to be NJ
remedy. Though the Democrats havt
been deceived and tricked, they vii
not violate the honor they pledged t
the country when they agreed t
arbitration. But while they honestl!
submit, they can, with dignity, wasl
their hands of the dirty proceeding
) and not give that decencyt ytoit that tn
; participation of honest men nigh
confer. Courier Journal.