The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-08-08
Ghe Daily Asg,,s,
The Florida Fraud.

The only material difference between
the fraud in Louisiana and the fraud ia
Florida was that the former cast eight
votes and the latter four. When the CON
spiracy was started on the Sth of Novem-
Der to steal these two states, it was indis-
peusible that the conspirators in both
should act together UNDERSTANDINGS. The
cipher kilograms which passed between
New Orleans and Tallahassee during the
progress OF the count make plain the
whole plan OF operations, and Frank Mo
rey, ex-member of Congress and one of
the Republican council before the Return
ing Board, admitted, in his recent testime-
NJ, that if the programme for Florida had
failed, the organized movement in LouI-
siana under the lead of John Sherman
would have been abandoned.
In other words, there was no object to be
gained in stealing the eight votes separate
~, because they would not have consumat-
ed the fraud. the entire twelve being neces-
sary to sum up the 185 votes which Zach
Candlerhad audaeleusly claimed Whensthe
conspiracy was set in motion by his false
telegram. The methods used in one case
were pursued in the other. Forgery, per-
jury, fabricated returns, ballot box stufing.
manufactured afidavits, and bribery were
the tools with which the conspirators
worked. And when success crowned the
villany by these means, every one con-
nected with it, from the highest TO the
lowest, was appointed to Office, and is to-
day paid an annual salary from the Treas
ury for aiding and abetting the crime.
Perhaps the most striking example of
this prostitution of public patronage is to
be found in the cases of the two negro in-
speetors of election, Vance and Black, at
Archer precinct No. 2, in Alachua eoun-
ty. They added 2l9 votes to the declared
result of that poll, and the proof Of the
fraud was so glazing and indisputable
that the majority of the committee who
went TO Florida to investigate the
charges on the spot reported, Jan. 81,
1877, as follows:
"The ballot box and all the papers relating to
this precinct were in the hands of Vance and Rack
and did, CLEARLY appears from the evidence, CON
nit it jointly, part OF the false and forged re-
turns were in the handwriting of each, d. The
fraud was committed by Vance and Black. They
publican votes. made false poll list, stole votes
and committed perjury and forgery to sustain the
fraud.
Gen. Barlow, one of the Visiting States
men, exposed this scandalous fraud at the
time and relieved himself from the odium
which justly attached to others, aud es-
pecially to the Republican members of the
Congressional committee-Mark I'll. Dun.
nell of Minnesota and William WOODBURY.
| of Nevada-who justified the outrage 10
every form, and sought by perverting the
testimony to sustain the scouudrels who bad
perpetrated it, After the Inauguration Of
Hayes, these two forgefs and perjurers
were appointed to Office, one in the Custom
House at Philadelphia and the other ia a
department at Washington.
They are holding places now, not only ir
disregard of these grave charges by a Con
| gressIonal com mittee, but also in face oil
the testimony of L. g, Dennis, the Repub.
llcan leader IN the country where the PIG
votes were added, who swore recently that
he saw Black and Vance at the work Of
forging and fabricating the pool lists to cor.
respond with the false return they had
| made These facts are as we'll known al
the White House and to every member Of
the Administration as that they themsel.
YES are usupers in Office, and occupying
public honors and trusts solely by the ras-
callty OF agents like Vance and Black, than
Ehom hundreds of better men are nov
cracking stone in the penitentiary.
Another of this crew, who helped tc
| steal the vote of Baker county, is 10 the
Sixth Auditors Office at Washington ,plac
| ed over the heads of deserving men who
for years have been denied promotion in
| order to provide for this class of creatures
When called upon to contribute tie the cam
paign fund he boisterously and profaney
&c, 4 II
lector to make the most of it, claiming thai
he had earned his position by party servi-
ces and could not be disturbed. John
Sherman did not dare to remove him, but
he vented his malignity on faithful and
competent clerk IN the same Office, witt
had not stolen any votes, but had declined
to be blackmailed. This is reform unde
| Hayes at ashington. T. Sun.
A