Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-07-23
THE NEW YORK TIMES ON MR..
PII,DEN'S VOTE. -


where 10 find it, and can always feel as
sured that what it approves to-day 1t
will not turn about to condemn to-mor-
row. and rice rersa. II deserves, there
fore, the reputation it has acquired OF
being the most faithful, sincere and
able of the representative journals OF the
Republican party.
With characteristic perspiculty the
Times has recognized the necessity OF
lortifying the position of its party in the
next campaign, upon its record in IN
augurating President against the popu-
lar will. IL recognizes that the argu-
ments-if arguments they be-by which
the action Of the Republican party has
attempted to justify itself in this
will not stand the "wear and tear" and
exposure OF Presidential campaign. 1t
recognizes that that they have already
failed to satisfy the public judgment,
and the popular verdict is set against its
party.
The Times, therefore, like an adroit
reasOner, goes to work to SHIFT the posi-
ton OF the party from the futile at
tempt to justify the electoral commits
sion and its concomitants, and make
case from another and different
standpoint. Without openly aban-
doning the case made for it by
the electoral commission, it does
what its electoral commission would
not do, goes behind the returns
and seeks, with much labor, and not
without its usual plausibility, to estab-
lish that the large Democratic vote by
which TILDEN was elected, is itself a
proof of fraud, for the reason, as pre-
dicated by the Times, that it is out OF all
proportion TO the population.
For four months, the Times has been
wrestling with apeculiar system OF arith-
metic i'm order to furnish campaign
document tor its party that would be
effective in discussing the public mind
of tie accepted fact that HAYES occupies
the Presidential Chair, not by virtue OF
the ballots cast tor him, but through the
triumph Of Republican strategy and
fraud. The result is given in ten col
umns Of closely printed matter, and will
doubtless furnish very interesting read
Ing these hot days, to such Republicans
as need 20 have their consciences forti-
fed with something more substantial
than has vet been furnished to JUSTLY
the Republican position.
The whole argument made by the
Tines is virtually included in the follow
ing quotation:
"The history OF our elections teaches
| that in periods of the highest political
/ excitement, and under the most favOra-
/ bic circumstances, not more than 81 per
cent. of the electoral body OF a State can
be fairly brought to the polls; in other
/ wortlS, - in every 100 qualified clti-
/ zens. owing to preventive causes, are
/ unable TO exercise the right OF suffrage.
/ Ii was discovered in the course OF the
/ inquiry OF which the results are here
| given that the aggregate vote returned
/ as being cast at the Presidential election
/ i'm 1876 presented the most startling eX-
ception 10 all that had gone before for IS
/ years. While we know that the cleo
/ ton was not a specially excited
one. as Presidential elections 20, 1t
is found that the aggregate vote cast is,
| i'm its magnitude. out OF all proportion
/ 10 the population of the country; that
/ the percentage OF the nOn-voting sinks
| 10 an imposSibly low figure; that the
| percentage Of increase in the vote OF
/ some sections at that election, over their
vote Of 1872, is grossly dispropOrtioned
| 10 their increase OF population, and to
| the annual increase OF their vote for 20
years preceding. As 10 the aggregate
/ vote of the country, these facts, among
| others, are shown: I'm the great election
\ of 1910 the Presidential vote equaIlcd
/ II. per cent of the state population.
/ In 1852 il equaled 1876 per cent, and
/ p. 4 per cent of the whole body of quail
| ifed electors in the States failed To vote.
/ In 1850, the second most exciting cleo
/ ton known in our history, the PreSi-
/ dental vote eqUaled l4.9 per cent OF the
/ State population, and 23.7 per cent OF
/ the electors failed TO vote. in 1872, II
/ equaled l6.9 per cent, and 22.3 per cent
OF electors did not vote. In 1876, the
vote equaled 1919 per cent OF the pOpu-
/ lation, and only 81 per cent of the cleo
tors failed to vote; that is, in every 100
/ qualified voters in every State of the
/ onion, no more than 81 are supposed
| Ia have failed to have come to the polls
| There is no parallel to this in all the
/ previous history OF the United States.
Now the reader will observe that I'M
der tins statement of the Times, and ac-
cording to its own figures, which We
have not attempted to verify, the charge
of Democratic fraud is based upon the
fact that the voting population OF the
| United States had increased from al
per cent. in 1910 to 1919 per cent in 1876;
or that, i'm a period Of thirty-siX years it
had increased about five per cent.
This is not a remarkable increase, or
rite Of increase, if the scale of figures
given BY the Times is followed from
1910 to 1876. Nor does the argument
OF the Times assume that these
voters were not in existence. The
whole argument, on the contrary, is
simply based on the supposition that
there was more than 81 per cent. OF the
voting population that stayed at home.
But unless the Times can show that a
greater ratio OF the people were not dis
posed to vote, and actually did not vote,
in 1876 than has heretofore voted, the
result Of its four months labor does
nothing more than raise a faint suppose
ton of fraud, or otherwise that the peo-
pie have come to vote more generally
than in previous years.
We admit the ingenuity OF the argu-
ment, as the Times puts it, but after all,
it is but a forced attempt to establish a
preconceived result, which in the ma