Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-05-04
EXPOSURES IN FLORIDA.

1861 TO transact the 1fauOS Dy
which the vote of that State was
transferred from Tilden to Hayes.
These men have by some agencies
0een induced to confess the part
which they took in the election
fraud of that period. What those
agencies were is not at present clear.
Their own position that it arises
from a sudden awakening of con-
science on their part may fairly be
dismissed. Another cause assigned
is that they have been promised inn
munity by the present Government
of the States for various offences for
which they are under Indictment
AOffences of the type familiar to all
who have studied the genus carpet
Dagger, such as defalcation in Office,
embezzlement, false issue of scrip,
etc. 1t is certain that these men
have had their cases covered by
writs of noLLe prOSeqlIi, and that
some smaller scoundrels, Allen,
Green, Harden, Bolton, Black, etc,
etc, have been treated in the same
way. Other rumOrs are that agents
of Mr.. Tilden, agents of Republican
malcontents and others are circulat-
ing in Florida with money in their
scrip and getting it all up. And
again, it is said that their "quick-
ened consciences' became sore from
disappointment in regard to the re-
wards of their iniquity expected
from Mr.. Hayes and the admins
tration. However this may be, the
arrival of the news in Washington
has certainly created considerable
fiutter among politicians there; in
short, all mems minds at once assO-
ciated the matter with Mr.. Mont
gomery Blair's Baltimore resolu-
lions, and with the proposed final
break of the malcontent Radicals
with the administration.
On examining the substance of
the confessions" we can see very
little to excite anyone; almost moth
ing to add to what everybody knew
about the Florida election frauds
over a year ago. But our readers
shall judge for themselves. The
following is what a shrewd reporter
and interviewer of the staff of the
New York Herald has been able to
make of it:
The plan was this: First, to stuff
the baIlOt-boxes by all known devil
ces during the election, as in the
Leon county case by little jokers
and in Columbia by importation of
negroes. Second, if the first did not
suffice to then raise the returns, as
was done in Alachua and elsewhere.
Dennis promptly raised his record
219 votes. 1t was then feared that
this would not be enough, and a
sealed letter land l have this from
the man who carried the letter. was
sent him asking him to add more
names. He replied, 81 am afraid to
do it; I've already added as many
as it will stand" Third, by hold
ing back certain counties until it
was known precisely what was
needed and then counting it into
the returns, as in the case of Baker,
where the canvass was not made
until the last day allowed by law,
and then made secretly, and to fit
the exact number of votes needed.
This accounts for the hitherto mex
plicable delay in getting the returns
in from those counties; and fourth,
by throwing out enough counties in
the Returning Board canvass to
give the State to Hayes. This was
the programme definitely arranged
before the election came off, and
faithfully carried out afterwaTd.
Under the organization as it existed
there was no possibility for the State
to be counted for Tilden. When
some suspicion was created, through
Barlow's Influence over Cargill, as
to the nerve and fOrtitude of that
gentleman, the Republicans, made
desperate, proposed to take the cam
wasting out of the hands of the
Board and give it to Stearns. The
Republicans were determined at all
hazards to hold the State, and they
did it by what must now be con-
feSsed on all sides to have been the
bOldest and most outrageous scheme
ever known in our politics. The
immensely of the stake for which
they were playing only nerved them
to their work.
There is certainly nothing in this
which is new to us or will be new to
the readers of the CHRONICLE, if
their memories reach back about a
year and half. The matter may
have been put in form better adapt
ed for use in a court of justice, but
substantially all this was known to
all men interested in politics before
Hayes was inaugurated. Politi-
clans, however, are much exercised
about it all. COnkling, Butler, Til
den are said to be holding inter
views with men who profess to know
all about it. On the other hand,
men who have reputation or posi-
ton to lose, whether Republican or
Democrat, are careful not to handle
the matter. 1t seems mainly inter
esting to those who are most rabidly
opposed to the President, and to
those who are resolved by fair means
or foul to bring about the re-nOmi-
nation of Tilden in 1880. We be-
long to neither of these classes. We
look upon Mr.. Hayes as somewhat
better, or rather as not quite so bad
as the members of his own party
who are attacking him, and we
share in the unanimous conviction
of the South and West that Mr..
Tilden is not the man for the next
Democratic nomination. No one
really believes that Mr.. Hayes will
cease to be President de tactO till the
next Presidential election is over (;
the rest is all Bunkum.
The longer-headed Radicals want
this thing carried on as an attack
on the present administration, but
they do not want to do it them