New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-12-13
HOWA GREAT COASTITUTION4L PRINCIPLE
HAS NAJNIAINEU.

VAS MAINTAINED.
1t has probably not escaped the notlce OF
mankind-certainly the statement mas Deeh
reiterated often enough--that the slgnSh ana
peculiar mark of the plan pursued 10y MI
Tlldrn and his next associates III the electoral
campaign of 1876, Was their absolute trllsl
in moral forces, aud their firm adherence TO
great constitutional principles. Politicians OF
less scrupulous character might scramble Tor
success. and be Indifferent now they secured
votes. 20 long as the votes were counted
But with this little COteTe OF statesmen the
great constitutional principle was everything
Consistency was the first OF the political VII
tues.
The disclosures Of the secret correspondence
of the campaign exhibited these professions
of superior virtue in a somewhat remarkaDle
light, and we have not yet finished the pro
cess of illumination. In South Carolina the
Democrats had already begun, especially IN
Edgcfeld and Laurens Counties, the system
of fraud and intimidation which they have
since perfected The face of the county re-
turns. before they had been corrected by the
Returning Board, consequently showed a de-
cIded majority for Hampton, and it was sup
posed at first that the Tiden electors were
also safe. although they ran behind Hampton.
1t was for the interest OF the South
Carolina Democracy, therefore, to argue that
the canyassers had no judicial powers
but were merely to tabulate the county re-
turns and declare the result. The leaders OF
the party at Columbia went before the State
Supreme Court, and applied for writs OF pro-
hlbiUiOn and mandamus, TO restrain the Can
vasslng Board from reviewing the figures OF
the County Election Commissioners, and TO
compel it to add up the votes and publish
them, as they stood on the face of the re-
turns The Democracy all over the Union
took ND the cry the attempt Of State can
vassers to canvass anything was denounced as
apiece of Radical villany, and it became almost
an article of faith with Mr.. TIlden's supporters
that Returning Boards possessed only " minis
" terial functions" and that whatever might
be found on the face of the returns" was
as sacred rs holy writ. The leader OF the
Democratic counsel at Columbia was General
J. b. Gordon, aud in the midst of the excite
mcnt he sent to Mr.. Manton Mar lie, at Talla-
hassee, the following dIspatchSwhich has not
heretofore been published:
COLUMBIA. nov. 20.
M,SToS MARBLE and DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE, 7aiia-
huSSoe:
Have Democratic attorneys read Article III. Florida
Constitution, ami take ground that any statute confer
ring judicial POWERS State Board IS unconstitutional
We have taken that ground here before Court
on similar provision Of South Carolina Constitution and
with every prospect OF cert in LOUISIANA Cuu
siituton still stronger have telcgraphcd sui, TO New
Orleans. j. D. GORDoN.
General Gordon was no doubt entirely sin
ccre in his treatment of this question. But
his suggestions were not hailed by Mr.. Mar
bic with superintendent enthusiasm. That
gentleman answered in the following brief
and chilling language:
TALLAHASSEE. NOV. II.
General J. b. GORDON. Columbia
Thanks; yes VIII use n cKpcdcnt. Good and suf-
Gent force here now. wei orglniz.d....Wo shall put
Uncle Sammy through. and end the reign Of thieves.
MANTOS MARBLE.
"If expedieutw But 1t was not cIpcdicnt
The face of the returns in Florida could not
be trusted to elect Tidcn. In view of this
distressing fact the great constitutional prn-
ciple was forgotten. Mr.. Marble had no
sooner reached Tallahassee than he telc-
graphed to Creamery Park that the Canvass
inc Board must "purge the returns" and that
the first move of the Democratic lawyers would
be to make the Board begin its purGIng
at once. The Constitution of Florida seems
to have gwen him no sort OF concern; and a.
a consequences the Democratic case in Florida
and the Democratic case III South CafOlina
were conducted for a while upon Numerically
opposite principles.
For a while only. Because when Mr.. Smith
81. Weed reached Columbia, his practlsed eye
oh yy HisrpraraI an
the other lawyers had made a mistake III pay
ing such respect to principles, and laws, and
constitutions. and that the result of their as
suming so much style would De Mr. Tildcu's
defeat. Weed instantly tclegraphed to New
York that the Situation" was "despemtc,'
and that the face of the returns would elect
Hayes. On the very day OF his arrival Mr..
Weed had opened negotiations for the pur-
chase Of the Canvassng Board But If Cor
don should carry out ms scheme of compelling
the Board TO restrict itself to the ministerial
function of tabulatlng the figures on the face
of the county returns, this bargain could not
be carried out. "The face OF the returns -"
would do very well for Hampton but it would
not "put Uncle Sammy through" Hence, "a
soon as Weed becamc certain that Tilden was
not GlGcIeu Dy thc IttullS, ana satisfied NM
self, moreover, that he could buy the Board,
he telegraphcd "This may compel us 10
"change front i'll court Tomorrow a. to power
"Of Canvassing Board over electors and
Estate officers" And 50 it turned out.
The next day the Democratic counsel,
to the inexpressble astonishmcnt of
tho public, did change front in court,
and ask that eminent tribunal to epjon upon
the Board the exercise of judicial powers with
respect TO electors and other candidates who
had Republican majority, and in the same
breath to forbid the Board to exercise those
powers in the case of candidates whose ma