Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-05-01

Dennis of Florida. McLin was member
of the canvassing board and his vote with
that that of DR.. Cowgirl made such dis
posal of contested returns rs gave the
state TO Hayes. Dennis was formerly a
Massachusetts captain and was a
worker " in the 1876 campaign. McLin
was nominated by President Hayes to a
territorial judgeship but the nomination
was rejected by the senate. Dennis has
been revenue officer but has resigned or
been removed.
This McLin is in a very uncomfortable
frame of mind-far different from that of
ed with tranquil and even happy mind
great trals-and in that frame feels to re-
lieve his burdened conscience by confess
ing not his own, but other peoples sins.
McLin did not mean to do anything wrong
but other folks did, he says, especially
Mr.. Hayes-and Mr.. Hayes is man of
such littleness that McLin cannot suffi-
GENTLY despise him.
Dennis has not made his full statement
yet and it is not known what it will
amount TO in the end. Whether these
confessions" have been worked up BY
persons in the interest of Tilden or by re-
publicans of the William f. Chandler
school is not known. But the Blairites
and the Chandlerites take most delight in
the revelations.
1t is very probable that an investigation
will be ordered by the house into the
stories of these men. There is no probable
ity however that if the confessions should
turn out to be true as to frauds committed
that the practical effect of them will
amount to anything in the way of chang
ing executives.
The campaign of 1876 was bitter one
and like a good many others embraced
actions by both parties that the light of
day would shame. The result of the
election was rs doubtful us its methods,
and the hot parlisans of each side insisted
they had won and were ready for civil war
in support of their opinions. Ii happened
too that there was grave question MS to
who had the ultimate right of saying
which side had won. 1t was for these
reasons. because there was fairly dis
putable question on which the fighting
blood OF half the nation was aroused and
because there was no tribunal acknowl-
edged by both sides as the proper one to
decide the contention, and because the
good of the country required Il peaceable
arbitrament of this thing that the two
great parties would never agree upon in
their belief, that we persistently advocated
the creation of the electoral commission.
And this we did believing that the chances
were that the result of such arbtrament
would, more likely than not, be in favor
of the democratic candidate
1t was impossible for the electoral com.
mission, and will be impossible for any
body of men in the future to right the
wrongs of the election of 1876. Those
wrongs-that is those things that were be-
You'd the petty deceils and tricks hat faint
most contested elections on botn sides
were first the " Mississippi pla, adopted
by the southern democrats 81; secondly
the ways that were dark ard -.oks
that were not vain, adopted by southern
republicans to deprive this plan from ac-
complishing its object. By this shotgun
policy the states OF Mississippi and Ala
bama were given to Tilden-the ballot
boxes not being allowed to record the
wish of the majority. BY the same policy
the ballot boxes of Louisiana were made
to count lie, and the plotters in South
Carolina just missed obtaining the same
result.
How it was in the matter of intimida-
ton in Florida we do not profess to have
any well founded judgment, nor whether
the state honestly belonged to Hayes or
Tilden. The probability is that .here was
trickery and cheating on both sides. 1t
may turn out that McLin and Dennis and
others were committing republican frauds
they say in substance they were and they
ought to know. They will probably con-
vince more democrats than republicans of
it however for it remains true that there
is great aptitude in both parties for be-
licving what each wants to believe.
The sum Of it all was that the democrats
by highway robbery took from the repub.
licans the three states of Alabama, Mis-
sssippi and Louisiana, and were nearly
successful in making off with South Caro-.
lima. While they were carrying their loot
to place of safety the republicans way
laid those who had Louisiana in charge
and under the guse of law became pos
sessed of the disputed chattel The RICH,
and title to the votes of the five states in
question was never pure, the ballot box
was corrupted before and after the votes
were put in, and whoever had the votes Of
either of those states had them under 4
cloud, had them as a thief in the night ha.
that with which he fees from his fellow
The title to the presidency was defiet
whether the name of Hayes Or Tilden
should be written in the patent.
The electoral commission and the refu.
sal of the southerners to join in the plot
to overthrow its decision saved the coun
try from worse war than that of the re
bellion. 1t gave the country an honorable
peace. and settled the question who
should be president. If Mr.. Tilden OF
anybody else believes that the question
was not lawfully decided, and that the
wrong man was hit the courts are oper
and we haye no sympathy with those whc
would condemn Tiden from pursuing
what he thinks are his rights, wherever
he can find them.
The investigations proposed are all right
The men who have been bowling abou
Mr.. Hayes recreancy to his party will
find that if there has been cheating it wa
their own kind of republicans that did it
~ Ial Al r