The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-12-24
Retr1butive Justice.
From the New York Sun.

BOSTON, Dec. 17.-When the vote OF
Louisiana was stolen under the personal
supervision of John Sherman, the only
pretext set up by the robbers and by the
only beuefciaries of that monstrous iniquity
was that the law creating the Returning
Board, passed By the carpet-baggers, vest
ed them with a revisory discretion over
the returns, and there was no appeal from
their final action. But though the same
law directed how these returns should be
made up, and when the protests, if any,
should be fled with the record, no heed
was paid to those conditions.
The truth that fraud polIutes and viii
ates all that it touches was fagraDtly dis
regarded, and De GolyeF Garfield and other
advocates of the conspiracy which sue
cessfully carried Hayes into the White
House became for the time the loudest
advocates for State Rights, contending that
it would be an indignity to Louisiana to
prove that some of the electoral certifi-
Gates sent to Washington bore forged sig
natures. and that all of them were fraud
uient aud procured BY corruption.
The history of that Infamous event will
never be blotted out from the niods of the
people, and all the actors in il, from Grant
down to Wells and Anderson, will be re-
mem Oered only TO be execrated when full
justice shall finally be done to their re-
spectIve parts in its consummatiop.
Among the loudest defenders of the great
fraud was Mr.. Blaine, who in the chief
chan ion of the high moral doctrine that
all is fair in war aud in politics. doc
trine which he personally illustrated in a
remarkable way when he seized his own
letters from Muligan. after beseeching
the witness on Bonded knees to save him
from ruin.
Until last year the Republicans had con-
tlnuous possession of the State of Maine
since the foundation of the party, and of
late Mr.. Blaine has run it like a political
factory. The governors and councils put
into office by the Republican machine
never consulted law or Constitution to
make up their majorities in the legisla-
ture. They had the exclusive power, aud
they never failed to exercise il without
scruple- Loose practices, open violations
OF the election laws, and paipable infrac-
tions of prescribed forms intended for the
protection of the purity of the ballot. be
came common, and the minority were
pOwerless to prevent these abuses
For the first time IN more than a half a
generation, the combined opposition won a
victory last year, and thew elected Gov
ernor who has now made his mark on the
records OF the state, and who has at sin
gle hound leaped into most conspicuous
position. lie let 1t be known after the
election IN September that the gross irreg
u'arl1es heretofore practiced would not
be tolerated, and that the returns would
be subjected to the plan requirements
of the constitution and the laws of the
state.
MIR. Blaine and his friends and follow
ers, who had claimed great victory, knew
very well that the application OF this rule
would throw them into minority. Hence
they began to shout fraud, gathered to-
gether crowd of ex-Governors. ez-Sena
tors and noisy politicians to intimidate
the Governor 10 the discharge OF his duty
add 20 raise cry OF foul play being in
tended.
All this olamor did not disturb Gov. |
Garcelon in the least. nor shake bis par
pose-Of seeing the laws faithfully executed |
He stood firm as a rock, and in quiet dig |
nifty lot the revilers understand they had |
20 deal with an official who could neither |
be seduced from his convictions nor scared |
from carrying them into effect The |
result is that the Republicans have lost |
the legislature. II is not pretended that
any wrong has been perpetrated, or that |
the governor and council have done any
thing more than to administer the law as
il stands on the statute book.
Mr. Blaine found it good and rightful
to uphold the returning board frauds when
they profted himself ahd his party. and
attempted to excuse them on the most
miserable of shams. Now, when the con-
stitution and the laws of his own state
throw out majority illegally chosen. he
finds it hard TO accept the stustion, and
rushes about wildly in impotent rage. If
injustice has been done in any case it will
be easy to prove it. The cool head and
stern will of Gov. Garcelon have been
evidently too much for the Hotspur of the
U uited States senate,