Daily Kennebec journal., 1878-12-07
From the New York Times.
Another Democratic Quandary

Another Democratic Quandary.
The democrats in Congress are in trou
be again. Last session, when it was pro-
posed by the Potter resolutions to inquire
into alleged frauds in the count of the
Presidential vote in Florida and Louisi-
ana, by the Hale amendment 1t was de-
manded that the investigation be enlarged
to include several States. Just then. the
infamous attempt of Pelton, Tilden L.
Co. to buy the Electoral vote of Oregon
was attracting public attention. The
bold but futile scheme of Grover and
Cronin to destroy the vote of that State
had disguised all honest men. And it
was agreed by the republicans that an in
vestigation which should be broad enough
to take cognizance of alleged fraud or
irregularities in the Presidential election
in any State was the only one which
could be fair. This seemed an mpreg-
nable position. On this. it was thought
by disinterested men, the republicans
should win. But the mocrats, who
were 10 a majority in the House, claimed
that there was neither sense nor decency
i making the proposed investigation "a
fishing excursion" Reference to files of
the Congressional Record of that date will
show that democratic orators contended
that the Hale amendment and all similar
propositions were designed to dissipate
the strength of the inquiry by spreading
it over an immense area. They claimed
that they knew OF frauds being committed
in Florida and Louisiana, and that they
were determined to confne the investiga-
tion to points where there was reasonable
expectation of discovery, and not to OBJ
scure the real issue by irrelevant and idle
excursions. Mr.. Potter. doggedly sup
ported by his party friends, held the key
of the position, and simply i;erated and
reiterated, 81 cannot yield" The demo-
Gratis, as a matter of course, carried the
day, and, after protracted struggle, the
resolutions passed in such shape that the
investigation could not be enlarged be-
yond its originally proposed scope.
Since that time another election has been
held, and i, is alleged that in the South
the popular will has been thwarted in va
rious ways. In some States, it is said, re-
publicans have not been allowed to vote
- Ill aI ,n
means OF the grossest frauds on the bal
lot, the honest votes of thousands of re-
publicans have been rendered nugatory.
No secret was made of the democratic
purpose. in this last named State, to stuff
the ballot-boxes as long as this was need
cd to counteract republican majority.
And in other States the work of ntimida-
tion was so complete that even the demo
cratic managers must have laughed at the
grotesque proportions of their alleged ma
ioritics Under such circumstances, Con-
gressional inquiry is eminently proper;
nay, more. if we are to have republican
form of government, such an inquiry is
necessary. Senator Blaine's resolutions.
offered on the first day of the present ses.
sion. might have been so framed as to in
clude only two or three States in the pro-
posed investigation. But those resolu
t'ons are broad; they provide for the as
certainment of the truth of alleged charges
that the right of suffrage was denied or
abridged in the late election "in any States
of the Union" Surely, this, though pro-
vIding for no Fishing excursion" ," is a II.
cense general enough to satisfy the most
captious of investigators. Last session.
when fraud was alleged to have existed
in many States in which elections were
held, the democrats steadfastfly resisted
any efforts to 60 into other States than
those which they had selected for invest.
CATION. Now, they are not satisfied with
an inquiry which includes "any State" in
the Union. but they demand specifically
that certain alleged ouirages be inquired
into.
As If the scope OF the Blaine resolutions
we're not ample enough for all practice
purposes, the democrats, unmindful of
their own dishonest conduct on the pre-
yious occasion, say that there must be a
specific and rigidly-drawn amendment.