Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-09-05
A Contrast
fFrom Harper's " eeklv. /,

(From Harper's Weekly,
There is nothing more striking and
significant in the history of the eiec-
ton Of 1876 than the difference in the
attitude of Mr.. Hayes and MIR. Tilden
during the uncertain period. Mr..
Tilden VIGOROUSLY managed his own
campaign-a performance unprece
dented in our history, and fatal to all
proper respect for the Presidency.
II man is personally to squabble
and scramble for it as for coronership
in County Convention, all sense of
the dignity of the office and of the
self-respccting conduct of a candidate
is lost.
The Tribune recently refreshed the
the public memory Of the scandalous
Oregon intrigue which was conducted
from the house of Mr.. Tilden. One
electoral vote was necessary to secure
his election. An arrangement was
made by Messrs. Patrick and Kelly,
confidential agents of the Tilden cam
paign, by which the Governor of Ore
gon was to give certificate to Dem.
ocrat who had not been elected. But
to complete the plan it was necessary
to bride Republican to approve The
act. The following MESSAGE was sent
to MIR. Tilden's nephew and confiden-
tial agent at Mr.. Tilden's house
PORTLAND, November 2s.
W. z. Pelton, No. Is, Granaercy Park,
NeU York !:
Certificate will be issued to one Democrat.
Must purchase a Republicans elector to recognize
and act with Democrats, and secure the vote
and prevent trouble. Deposit SIC, 900 to my
credit with Kountze Brothers, Wall Street.
Answer. Jim. PATprcx
fully indorse this.
JAMES K. KELLY
To this message the following an
swer was sent by the agent from the
house of Mr.. Tilden and will the
reader imagine such an answer to
such a proposal issuing from the
house of Washington, or John Quincy
Adams, or Abraham Lincoln ?
If you make obligation contingent on result
IN March, it can be DONE and iacremaJle slightly
II necessary
In other words, cash on delivery.
To this economical suggestion Pat
rick telegraphs:
One elector must be paid TO recognize Demo-
crat 10 secure majority. Have employed three
lawyers; editor of only Republican paper as
one lawyer fee $4,000; wM take 81, 900 for
Republican elector must raise money; can't
make fee contingent. Must act promptly"
The money was then paid. Eight
thousand dollars were placed to the
credit of Patrick, $4,000 for the law.
yer, and $4,000 for the Republican
elector, and Patrick telegraphed from
San Francisco to Kelly in Oregon /:
=" The eight thousand deposited as di.
rected this morning. Let no technic-
atty prevent winning" For some
reason this attempt to buy the Presi-
dency by corrupting an elector failed.
1t is one of the most humiliating and
disgraceful incidents in our political
annals.
Yet the supporters of Mr.. Tilden,
following the lead of Charles Francis
Adams, openly charge or insinuate
that Mr.. Hayes was personally privy
to some kind of fraud 20 secure his
election. Men and papers have been
sifted and searched for months by
party malignity both within and with
out the Presidents own party, and
the only thing that has yet been dis
covered is the letter that we recently
published. On the very day before
the proposition to buy the Oregon
elector for Mr.. Tilden was made, Mr..
Hayes had written:
:" But we are not to allow our friends to de-
feat one outrage and fraud by another There
must be nothing crooked on our part. Let
Mr.. Tilden have the place by violence, intimi-
dation, and fraud, rather than undertake to
prevent it by means that will not bear the Sc
verest scrutiny"
II honorable and patriotic Demo.
Gratis are satisfied with the contract.
so are Republicans.