The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-06-03
The Wav IL will work.

The Wav IL will Work.
There are certain timd Democrats who
are disposed TO be anxious about the politi-
cal effect of the investigation into the cleo
toral frauds. They think that the Rcpubli-
cans will succeed in alarming the country
with the idea that HAYES IL TO be put out by
some kind Of revolutionary violence; and
that when this fear has got possession Of
the public mind the elections next autumn
will everywhere result in n defeat of the
Democratic candidates. Thcy would thore-
fore have no investigation at all, or they
would have 1t preceded by some binding
and official declaration by the Democratic
party that, let the results of the invcstiga-
tion be what thoy may, HAYES is not in any
event to be disturbed. These people, in our
Judgment, mistake both the present temper
OF the public mind, and its future opera
tion. II is certain that the frauds perpe-
tfated in Louisiana, Florida and South
| Carolina were OF the most atrocious charac-
| ter. and that they were brought about by
the direct agency Of men who stand in
close political and personal relations TO
HAYES Within the next thirty days it will
bc proved that forgery. perjury. and subor-
nation of perjury were all resOrtcd TO to
| produce the official declarations which de-
privod Mr. TILDEN of more than the number
Of electoral votes necessary TO have placed
him in the office Of President; and the evil
dence which will connect Mr.. HAYES with
those crimes will be such that ii will be en-
| trcly impossible for any honest and decent
man to doubt his completely in them. We
have firm conviction of this. and that con-
viction is founded on information OF the
! facts. that has reached us from trusty
sources; facts which go very far beyond any
Of the confessions yet made public, facts
which cannot much longer be kept secret,
and which it will not be in the power OF
any man TO suppress.
But without a-klng anybody to accept in
advance our conviction of what the invesu-
CATION will disclose let it be supposed that
the result clearly establishes the fact tina.
the Democratic electors were chosen by the
people of any one or more States whose
electoral votes were counted 10y the Elcc-
toral Commission and by the two Houses
for HAYES; that these results were brought
about 10y forgery, perjury, and subornation
Of perjury; that the agents who procured
these results We're the part.sans of HAYES.
more or less directly acting in concert with
him or his immediate friends: that the per-
sons who consented TO commit the frauds
were promised rewards, and that some of
| them have been rewarded, while some Of the
agents in the negotiations have been con-
spicuously rewarded. II this. or any con-
siderable part Of it, is clearly established,
Is it conceivable that the people of this
country will permit man to retain tho
office of President who was put into It by
such mcansY Can any one imagine that the
| people will prefer to have Mr.. HAYES remain
In the Office upon n technical title. fo.inded
in n false count Of the electoral votes, rather
than TO establish n precedent, called for by
every decent regard for the Constitution
and for popular rights namely TO require
an immediate surrender OF the Office to
which the incumbent has no title that is not
tainted with the most Infamous frauds
| There will be no necessity for any process
TO displace Mr.. HAYES. There will be no oc-
casion for any force, excepting the force Of
| public opinion. That description Of force
will operate, whoever deprecates or opposes
it. 1t will be overwhelming, crushing, ire
sistible; 1t will leave no room for opposition,
|
hesitation. Mr.. HAYES will retire from the
Office, and that same public judgment which
will cxpcl him from it will designate by
what means the de focto vacancy can be
filled de- j,Ve, in consistency with the re-
quirehonts Of the Constitutions
In the mean time the public peace will be
everywhere preserved, People who are so
foolish as TO talk about civil war or public
commotion are too short-sighted to see that
there will be nothing to fight about. There
can DO no need Of violence to enforce popu-
lar demand whore there can be no resist
anco to the popular will. The idea Of Mr.
HAYES intrcnching himself in the White
House by means Of the army is simply
ridiculous The army would fall to pieces
on the issuing OF his very first order The
idea OF the Democrats calling ON the army
to put him out is equally absurd, and so Is
the idea Of any Democratic organization of
an irregular force to compel MI HAYES to
retire. Men cannot raise irregular forces in
this country TO accomplish political pur-
poses by their individual action. Even the
war Of the rebellion could not be brought
about without the action of States in their
| sovereign capacities; and in this matter Of
| the Presidency, there is not State in the
Union that would find the least occasion to
act upon the matter as n state, because tho
public opinion of the nation would have set
tied the business for Mr. HAYES before he or
his few remaining partisans could 10 think
ing OF anything but packing their trunks
and departing from Washington.
Instead therefore. of tho Democrats in
curing any risk as party by pushing
this investigation 10 all its legitimate con
sequences they will certainly lose ground
politically if they do not push II, for they
have, in ordering and preparing for the in
vcstlgation, acted far loss on their own
motion than they have as the agents and
organs of public opinion As TO the Repub-
leans it will be- their death as party to
throw any obstacles in the way OF the invcs-
tgation. or 10 undertake to keen Mr., HAYES