Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-11-15
I'd DEMOCRATIC CONSPIRacYr

Matt Carpenter, the Senator from Wis
consin, is very clever gentleman, whose
opinions on public topics are generally en-
titled to respectful consideration. It is very
evident, however, that he has of late been
suffering from severe attack of Indigestion,
tor no other explanation will suffice to &C.
count for the exceedingly gloomy and dis
torted views he takes of the political situa-
ton in his latest published interview. He
thinks the Republican party will regain the
ascendanoy in the House of Repress natives
at the next Congressional election, but has
no hope for the Senate until 1883 at soonest.
He also sees Democratic conspiracy in the
air that he fears will succeed in KEEPING the
candidate of the Republican party out of
the White House in 1881. He predicts that
tho Democrats will protest against the
count of the electoral votes of some one or
more of our Republican States when the two
houses get in joint convention for that dutv
in February, 1881. They will base their
protest upon what they will allege to have
been an unconstitutional exercise of
federal power in the exc
cution OF the national election laws. Thew
may take California for this PURPOSE. or
New York or Pennsylvania, or any State
wherein the slightest prete1t, real or manu-
featured for the express object, may be fur
nished. Then the two houses will sustain
the protest, the vote of that State will be
thrown out and it will be declared there was
no election, and the House will assume to
elect President.
This is very pretty scheme, We must con-
TESS, and its concoction does credit to Mr..
Carpenters ingenuity. But there are few
facts that will interfere somewhat with its
execution. In the first place the constitu-
tionality of the law authorizing the federal
government to supervise elections is now
before the supreme court for decision. The
arguments have been made, and the oues-
ton is simply awaiting the written opinion
OF the judges. The chances are LARGELY in
favor of decision against the law, and it
will in all probability be wiped from the
statute books by judicial process. Such,
Wv Ao'sSS1 Wall No VIC 1oSulb tho
supreme court shall stand upon
tho broad platform Of constitutional law,
sinking partisanship from sight. But if
the supreme court shall sustain the VALIDITY
Of the law, there is another resort to which
the Democrats will have recourse before
adopting Mr.. Carpenters suggestion. Con-
gress will no doubt, at tho session which
commences next month, repeal the super
Visors law in such shape as to prevent a
veto from Mr.. Hayes. We do not under
take to say what form the repeating act will
take, but have no doubt it will prove eff
fective.
But we do not apprehend that there will
be any necessity for throwing out the vote
of any State in order to seat Democratic
President in 1881. There will be very de-
cided majority in his favor in the electoral
college provided the party in New York
shall be united. That State controls the
whole question. With candidate who can
carry it for the party, the whole country is
safe, for there is little uncertainty as to how
the rest of the States will 60. Conspiracies
are not part of the Democratic pro-
gramme. The Republicans have hereto
fore had monopoly of such articles, and
will no doubt retain it. Mr.. Carpenter, in
our opinion, is needlessly alarmed. 3.