The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-05-23
FORWARD.

There is a line, neither shadowy
nor obscure, where caution ceases to
be wisdom. There is q time when
delay is not only dangerous, but a
confession of weakness. Procrasti-
nation is not only the thief of time,
but of opportunity. If any action is
to be taken by Congress upon the
Florida confessions, that action
should be taken now, while the mat
ter is fresh in the public mind. We
do not propose to discuss it in the
light of either passion or partisan
ship. We appeal to calm common
sense or plain reason, re stating the
facts in the plainest possible Ian
guage.
The electoral vote of Florida was
VIGOROUSLY stolen by two men who
constituted the majority of the Re-
turning Board. One of those two
men was McLin. Had he voted diff
ferently the vote of Florida would
have been returned for Tilden. Had
MeIin voted in the Returning Board
as he now c~onfesses under oath he
should have done and would have
done exception the pressure brought
Ito bear upon him by Noyes and 9th
er personal agents of Mr.. Hayes,
there could never have been any dis
pute about the Presidency, there
could have been no Electoral Com
mission, and MI. Hayes would now
be an obscure citizen of Fremont,
Ohio. That the important service
rendered by McLin was duly appre.
ciated by Mr.'Haycs is clearly APP
parent. He made him, in the face of
great opposition and notorious unfit
ness, Chief Justice of New Mexico.
This Endorsement certainly ought to
prevent Mr.. Hayes and his friends
from uttering N word against the
personal character of McLin. What
ever views Democrats may entertain,
Mr.. Hayes must be exclusively pre-
sumed to fully indorse the personal
integrity and honor of the man whom
he appointed Chief Justice, and who
now swears he stole for him the three
votes of Florida.
The character of the confession,
however, is of. still greater import
ance. There is not a single state
ment in it that needs corroboration.
There is not a single fact that was
not already known. Is there, on the
contrary, known to be a particle of
evidence TO disprove a line ofhis con
fession? Does it need confirama-
ton? Is it rot confirmed by the Of
ticial report of the House of Repre-
sentatives' committee sent down. to
Florida after the count? Is it not
confirmed by the public u~tterances
of such eminent citizens as Leverette
Saltonstall, of Boston, Charles Glib
son, of St. Louis, Manton Marble
and others who were there during
the count? Is it not confirmed by
the remarkably able and honest dec
~larations of General Francis N. Bar
low. formerly Attorney General of
New York, who vas sent down as a
prominent Republican by General
Grant himself? Is it not confirmed
by William E. Chandlar, who was
there as the most active and efficient
agent of the Republican National
Committee? Is it not confirmed by
the decision of the Supreme Court OF
Florida, which declared the Hayes
certificate to be the result of fraudf
Is.it not confirmed by the action OF
the Legislature and the Government
of Florida, who Jointly and solemnly
declared the decision of the count:
Is itnot confirmed by the overwhelm.
ing proofs offered TO and refused by
the Electoral Commission? Isit not
confirmed by the silence of Cowgirl
the other member of the Returning
Board; by Dennis, the most active
alder and abcttor in the frauds which
the Returning Board had to ratify
and return; in short, by such an av
alanche of facts and evidence tina
!, none but fools or felons a serious
| ly doubt, none but Republican:
deny?
Tie impudence and audacity witt
f which Republican leaders still per
l sist in denying the frauds in Flori
ola are dazzling in their shameless
ness. Still, they subserye a goo,
purpose. They make the issue If
: resistihle by forcing an investiga
f tion. Democratic timidity nigh
have left the matter as it stands, bu
now that the Republicans have prac
ticafly charged upon the Democrat
the crime of manufacturing paper
: like the McLin confession, for pure
n ly partisan purposes, Now that til
!; Republicans not only continue il
: persisting that there were no Repub
! lican frauds in Florida at all, bu
t that all such charges are base Dem
t ocratic fabrications, Democrats ar
forced to the defensive. Furthe
: timidity would be cowardice ant
crime Washington Post.
Gould, of the Eaton Democrat in
timatas as much last week as though
Darke county editors were all thieves
OF curse we exclude ourselves Blu.
would advise Gould to move up anc
the mourners.-Arcanam Vtsi
tor.
No Sir; we don't believe there il
an editor in Ohio that would steal