Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-02
NEW york FRAUDs.

NEW YORK FRAUDS.
The committee from Tammany Hall,
charged with the duty of looking into the
charges Of fraud in the New York election,
claim to have accumulated evidence that goes
to prove that the Republicans carried the
State by colonizing voters, by bribery and
by the intimidation of working men by their
employers. There is little doubt but all tho
charges can be sustained. It was openly as
serted previous to the election that large
fraudulent registration had been made in
New York of persons residing in other States,
and the returns from the polls fully sus-
tanned the accusation. The vote of the Re-
publican party in New York city increased
about seventy-two per cent. in four years,
while the Democratic vote increased only
eighteen per cent. So large an increase in
the Republican vote is wholly abnormal, and
cannot be accounted for by the legitimate
increase of population, which would account,
at most, for an addition to the total vote of
the city of only about thirty per cent.
AS to the charge of bribery the GLOBE is
without definite information. It is matter
of common notoriety, however, that the Re-
publicans had all the money they wanted to
use in the campaign for legitimate or lille
gitimate purposes, and the character of those
who were managing the canvass in New
York gives no guarantee that money was not
used in an illegitimate manner. Those upon
the ground can no doubt find evidence of the
improper use of money, and if that evidence
is positive and convincing, the vote of the
State must either be thrown out or given to
Gen. Hancock if rules of law are followed.
There will be no trouble In establishing
the fact that working men were intimidated
into voting for the Republican candidates by
their employers. The fact has been
boldly asserted by both Republican and
Democratic newspapers, and the names of
the bulldozers have been given. Men hav-
ing families to support were given to under.
stand that if they failed or refused to vote
for the Republican candidates they would be
discharged from their position. Thousands
who could not afford to be independent,
voted for Garfield and Arthur simply to save
their families and themselves from want.
There will be no trouble in finding all the
evidence that may be required under this
head.
1t is possible, and even probable, that the
Presidential election is not yet settled. If
it should be shown that New York was car
ried by improper means, it will be the duty
of Congress to either throw out the vote of
the State entirely or to count it for Han
| cock. The former course will not alter the
reported result of the election, for with.
out the electoral vote of New York
the Republicans would still be in a
majority of electoral votes cast, but not in
majority of the total electoral vote. As a
consequence the election of q President
would be thrown into the House of Repre-.
sentatives, which at present is tie as far as
the States are concerned. This complication
| is not to be desired, and if it arises serious
results are to be apprehended. If, however,
Congress shall decide to give the electoral
vote of New York to the Democratic candi-
dates, there would be no necessity for an ap-
peal to the House, as Hancock would have a
majority of the electoral votes.
Fraud vitiates all contracts, and if it shall
beproved that the Republicans of New York
used undue means to influence the votes of
electors, Congress would not only be justified
but in honor bound to either declare the
election in that State void and refuse to
count the votes. or to give them to Gen.
Hancock. If the Tammany committee
possess the evidence they claim, we have not
yet got through with the job of electing and
installing q President. The people are in
no mood to submit quietly to second lar
ceny of the highest office in their gift. One
such outrage is as much as human nature
can stand. An attempt to repeat it is Ger
tain to provoke civil war-a war that will not
be confined to sections, but which will in
wade every community in the land.