The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-05-04
Perhaps it is not out of the way to
UNDINE.

PERHAPS it is not out of the way to
study up few of the humorous
aspects of the Florida confessions,
and the comments of certain of our
Democratic friends thereupon. We
do not allude to the circumstance
that McLin's conscience was not
moved until after he had, through
the opposition of peryerse Senate,
failed to step into the comfortable
office to which the President had
nominated him. Neither shall we
dwell upon the fact that Dennis only
grew sensitively conscientious when
his office.hunting experience proved
to be of the nature of Tantalus' grasp
for food and drink-the emOlument
of the effort slipped away from him
Just as he supposed he had 1T secure.
These incidents of the prevalent po-
litical sensation have already been
fully set forth and expounded there
upon. We cannot say that it is even
pertinent to illustrate the McLin and
Dennis avowals by pointing out that
their method of polling fraudulent
ballots and correcting" returns is 10
curi0uslv akin to the Baltimore svs-
tenn of pudding tickets and the work
of Inexperienced" judges of elections
that it might be suspected that the
Florida politicians had stolen the
Maryland Ring patent, and practiced
upon it to the hest of their humble
but inferior abilities. But dropping
these considerations, it is neyerthe-
less rather instructive to record that
the New York San has printed the
important opinions of a score of
Congressman on this momentOus
subject of the Florida frauds, and
amongst them we fine those of BAN
ming, of Ohio, and Patterson, of Col
orado. In the simplicity of his soul,
Mr.. Banning exclaimed, isn't it
awful! 1t must be Investigated to
the foundation" Mr.. Banning as
the denonncer of election swindles
should stand up with becoming mod
esty. When he was nominally chosen
to represent the Second Ohio district
he had but IS majority. and it has
since then been so conc3usiyely
proven that he was really in the
minority at the polls that his
chief agent in the stutfing of the bal
lot. boxes, Ephraim Holland, was
tried, convicted and sentenced to the
penitentiary at Columbus, where he
now repOses and NOUNS that Ban
ming, for whom he has done much
perilous service, has not yet prevail
ed on President Hayes TO pardon
him out. Mr.. Banning should de-
liver wholesome moral lecture upon
the alleged wrong doangs in Florida
and Ohio, and then, by way of pen
itent example, make ample confess
sion and resign his seat.
The Colorado Patterson wants to
have it known that "there can be no
permanent peace while this thing
hangs over the head of the people. -
Mr.. Patterson is also referring to the
Florida statements, and adds that
'no man can shut his eyes to this in
creasing proof" He is another
worthy expositor of political virtue.
The people Of Colorado, Under the
mandates of their Constitution, held
an election for their representative in
the Forty-fifth Congress in October.
1876. The Republican candidate was
James B. Bedford and the Demo.
cratic candidate this same Thomas
NJ. Patterson. Mr.. Belford's majority
was S54 in a poll of about $4,000. AS
the result did not suit Mr.. Patterson,
he called a special election of his own
month later, and there was an as.
sumed vote of 1000 for him. Few
Democrats and no Republicans voted
for him, but he made a contest. and
the Democratic House expelled Mr..
Bedford and admitted Patterson to
| the Seat.-BdltO. american.