The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-02-27

TIE N. Y. Cypress has not leaned TO
the side Of Mr.. Tilden personally; but 1t
is forced to concede that the result Of the
cipher investigation relieves him Of all
suspicion in the premises. And now it
asks, "Who bought the Presidency"
Samuel ]. Tilden did not buy the Pres
idency. He was fairly elected to 1t by
majority of over quarter million votes,
and lacked none but one electoral vote
of a majority in the electoral colleges
without counting the votes ofFlorida and
Louisiana, which belonged to him, the
former by majority of over 1000, and
the latter by majority of over 500. He
had the best reason for not buying an Of
fee which belonged to him already, and
which he had every reason for thinking
1t would be given him as the President
elect by the decision of Congress. If
Weed, and Pelton, and Marble, and 9th
or men dabbled in negotiations with Re-
publican officials in Florida and South
Carolina looking to purchase Of eleCtOr-
al votes, 1t must be remembered, l, that
that they acted confessed without Tilden's
knowledge, and without authority from
any one; 2, that they had no money with
which to pay for the votes in question; 3,
that Tilden forbade the negotiations as
soon as they came to his knowledge; and,
4, that the votes of both States were fin.
ally given to Hayes. That Tilden never
tried to purchase them is proved beyond
reasonable question by the strongest pos
sible testimony. That he tried to buy
them ia a supposition too preposterous to
be maintained. Believing himself fairly
elected, and that he would obtain the of.
Gee in legitimate way, he had no mo.
tive for making purchase. But Tilden
is not fool. lie is one of the most sa-
gacious lawyers in the country, loDghead-
ed, preternaturally cautious, timid to the
point of ahject cowardics. That he should
have consented to arrangements for the
purchase of electoral votes, knowing that
had they been purchased the fact could
not have been kept secret one day, and
that the crime would have been instantly
laid at his door and proved against him,
is absolutely incredible.
Then as Tilden did not buy the presi.
dency, nor try to buy it, the E&preesS asks,
"Did Rutherford B Hayes buy the of.
iCe2" and it answers "yes."
Hayes was defeated candidate. He
lacked nearly 100000 votes of popular
majority. He required the electoral vote
of Florida and Louisiana in addition to
those he already had in order to obtoin
a majority of one vote in the electoral
colleges. The morningafter the election |
in November, 1875 the Republican friends |
and agents of Hayes commenced opera
tions to secure electoral votes ofthese two |
States ')y means of corrupt manipula-
ton of the Returning Boards. By series
of unparalleled frauds, forgeries and per-
iuries Democratic votes enough were
thrown out in both States, and the re-
turns were 30 changed as to secure the
desired end Il And after Hayes be.
came President" he ratified all the agree
ments of his agents, by appointing to fed
eral office or rewarding in some other
way almost every man who had hand
in the fraudulent acts by which the elec-
trral votes of those States were obtained
His own conduct in putting these men,
many of whom were notoriously unfit for
places of trust, into federal Offices, proves
that he was the principal to a gigantic
bargain for the presidency, and that he
and adopted the acts Of his
agents.
That Hayes bought the electoral votes
of Florida and Louisiana is demonstrated
beyond question by the facts l, that
they did not belong to him; 2, that his
agents bargained for them; 8, that he
obtained them 4, that he paid for them
with federal appointments.
The proposition of the cypress is in
vulnerable.