New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-12-14
THE HIGH MORAL TONE OF MOSES.


THE HIGH MORAL TONE OF MOSES.
On the goth of November, 1876, Mr.. Man
ton Marble, at Tallahassee, telegraphed in a
white heat to The AGO- York World that
within twenty-fOur hours" 1t had " be-
"come apparent that the Republican ad-
- vsoIs controlling things in Florida had ar
ranged with Governor Stearns a scheme of
fragrant uSuIpatiOn III order 10 cOnsumInate
o" at one stroke the mOnstrous fraud" of de-
clarng the vote of the State for Hayes. That
scheme was for the Governor to anOgate to
Inns If the right of canvassng the electoral
vote, under an old statute long ago super
seeded ana repealed in every line" 1t was
a scheme sprung suddenly upon an unsuspcctlng
country, utterly unsupported by law, contrary
to all practice and to all reason. And as If 1t
were a plot too mOnstrOus for belief Mr..
Marble proceeded to set forth at great length
and with imposing sOIemnlty, in the form OF
an address to candid and faiT-miudcd men of
all parties a " statement of facts " IN support
of his astonishing disclosure, winding up with
the exclamation, what dclusiou,' ct cetera,
ct Cctcra.
What a delusion must we pronounce Moses
to be when we find that on the 18th of No
vcmber, three days before sending this thun-
deuug dispatch to The HOrid he telegraphcd
in cipher as follows TO Colonel W. I. PeltOn:
"Our greatest risk is Governor will usuIp
authority to canvass, and transmit certificate
"of Republican result. There is both IaO and
"precedent for that cOurSeW
This however. Is not the only remarkable
feature of the affair. For among the suspi-
c,ops Incidents narrated in the dispatch TO The
Uord to corroborate the allegation as to the
Goveruor,s beIlisb design. we find the following:
In order to give this contemplated exercise of
thouzcd power semDauce OF fairness the chairman Of
the Democratic state comm uee was on 9un'y
win request ''En,u ., "o'''"'i
., ,t Irrrr s,,lrl MOI ascertain tbr result OF
the vote for Presidential electors as no statute or
Indication since the war had been shown to confer any
sucA power iH'7 i'4''S' % "'' :, ''' ,l'' 49,, ~
-, f., icra,I inc nconIe OF their
choice
Yot what will candid and fair-mindpd
,t,o., - tI,o+ tI,, r,.,,,,..+
=, - ~ ut; ri+ .
hclHC" "P"" NV ~
| tee by Governor HIcarhS-a request 50 uI-
hcaId-of that Mr.. Marble feels bound to prove
its existence by the impressive remark that he
L, ~, octuol conv of If hefnrc his actIaI
o,,,,--,,os rooIIv letter in which the
Govornor accrdrd to n rcguest from Ur. Marble
! L,,,.oJf IN bc heard nm that rcyy DojufP The
rr,l,.j,re disn.,chos from Tallabassre q dov
hefo,o the nrhlicotion Of the Marble dispatch.
mentioned that the Democratic Committee
rroi,ad unon the Governor and asked
permission to file an argument in case
tbo cpestion of his powers should be
npder consideration. The cipher kilograms
from Moses to Gramercy Park contain
AN account of the whole transaction. Gov
"ernor today wires Moses to Pelton on the
18th. writes us his Willingness to receive
ain writing suggestions we wish to make as
"to whether Governor or Board should ascer-
"tain and declare result of vote for Presidcn-
"tal electors" 1--WE obtained yesterday"
telcgrapLs Moses to Mr.. Tilden, on the 10Th,
"promlse of Governor to give us notice"
And the paper which the Governor served "
mon the chairman Of the committee was this:
s. PAsco, esq:
SIR; Referring to the inquiries made OF me by you
ana other gentlemen IAS' evening, nave 10 sas tD"t