Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-03-09

The Country is to be congratulated on the
completion Of the Electoral count. The
last vote was counted Friday morning,
and the election Of Hayes and Wheeler
was formally declared by the President OF
the Senate. The contest thus ended has
bcen Il notable passage in the country
history. As soon as the clcseness oil the
result became apparent, the purpose OF the
Democracy to claim everything and to make
threats ana clustering accomplish their ut
most, became apparent They did not in
tend to proceed 10 force for nothing
was palmer than that the country did not
want another civil war. Realizing fully that
the Republicans had the forms Of law, the
possession If the Government, and the
power on their SIC, ter still saw chance
to accomplish something by working on the
fears OF Republicans and on the apprehen-
sions of business men, who feared pro-
longation of the period Of uncertainty. They
entered on course of threatenings of reVo-
luton and violence, as part Of an organized
plan. They succeeded i'll frightening timld
Republicans into an agreement to arbitrate
the controversy. The proposal and adoption
of the Electoral Commission scheme follow
ed. 1t was driven through, under the do
liberate abandonment by the leading Repub-
lican lawyers in the Senate, of the strong
and secure position of the right Of the Pres
ident of the Senate, under the Constitution,
to count the vote. 1: was accepted by
the Democrats in the belief, for which
there was substantial ground, that the ma
iority of the Commission would be Demo-
Gratis, and the result the Inauguration OF
Tilden. BY Divine interposition. Judge
Davis was suddenly removed from the list
from which the fifth judge was to be chosen.
A Republican judge became the fifth man,
and law, justice and equity have prevailed
over violence. intimidation and fraud. The
device 50 loudly hcralded as sure to quiet all
dispute and effect speedy and peaceful
settlement. proved in practice distinct
means of arousing partisan feeling and
strife 1t prolonged the coun. well nigh to
the last moment of the time during which it
could be completed. 1t reached the final
result through scenes of excitement and at
tempted revolution, as turbulent as could
have occurred if the President of the Senate
had counted the votes and declared the
result on the l4th of February.
That the Democrats did not proceed to fur
Their lengths was doubtless chiefly due to their
knowledge of the fact that ifthey defeated the
joint count, the Republicans Of the Senate
were fully prepared TO have the count COM
pleted by the President of the Senate. The
assertion of such 4 purpose was Of course a
virtual assertion of the right of the Presi-
dent of the Senate to count the vote and to
that assertion of position pronounced I'M
tenable by Senator's Edmunds, Conkling
and Frclinghuysen, and declared by one of
| these Senators to be "shamefully dishon-
est" the country owes is escape from a
failure of the Electoral count, and resort
| to new national election
The Democracy aguiesce in the result. as
they would have done in any case. But
they are no more reconciled to it than they
would have been had there been no Commits
sion. For four years to come, We shall hear
from them the talleat kind of bowling over
the alleged frauds, by which they claim to
have been tricked out Of their triumph.
They will accept President Hayes as Pres
iient de tGcto but not a. President de Jure.
1t can hardly be but that times Of great
political evaporation and recrimination, are
before US. But if the Republicans maintain
their GOODNESS and dignity if our new Pres
ident proves to be the man for his place if
business reyives and the Southern problem is
put in process of settlement by the appoint
mert of better class of men as Federal
officers in the South, and by gradual break
ing over Of the color line; if the country
secures the quiet, the retrenchment, and
true reform it could never have secured
under Mr.. Tilden, the country and the Re-
publican party will survive this time of
trial, and will be the stronger for it,