The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1880-11-26
wants 10 sec she Republicans take
their own Dose.


Mr.. Editor Your idea of Furnishing
political kuavery is good but inadequate
for neither the present administration
nor the Republican party in general, are
not in the habit of convicting and pun
ishing those men who do its dirty work
The Republican party is too shrewdly
managed to thus thin and weeken their
voting, and fighting rank and file.
The Democrats have learned them tc
many lessons by wedding out political
rascals, and they never will do it they
want the money and the votes of all OF
these knaves, and paramount to every
thing else they want and must have year
alter year at every election these men
OF brazen face and knavish character to
carry on their political iniquity, and year
after year iniquity is plunged deeper into
the sacredness of the ballot-box, and the
time is not far distant, in fact if it has
not already come, that the purity of the
ballot-box bequeathed to us century ago
by the blood and stat esmansEip of the
noblest patriots and wisest statesmen
that ever lived, has become but delu-
sion, a mockery, snare.
Why is it that Republican organs are
quaking about the electoral count in two
western states, and the empire state ?
Are their conscience stung by what hap
pened four years ago, or what has been
perpetrated at a more recent date Are
they quaking for fear that the trap that
they set and sprung four years ago is now
wider opened, and that with but twist
would swallow them up for the next four
years. In 1875, Mr. Tilden's apparent
majority in Louisiana was about 5000 in
a vote of 100000. In 1880, Mr.. Garfield s
majority in New York, from $4,000 to 90
600 in vote of 100000. The Republic
can theory four years ago was, that
Louisiana was naturally Republican
State; that Republican voters were intimi-
dated, and that the state belonged to Mr..
Hayes. Now is it not easier to suppose
as New York being Democratic State,
that Mr. Garfield's apparent majority was
obtained by buying and intimidating
Democratic voters, and more easier to be-
lieve, when Mr.. Tilden's majority of
5000 in Louisiana, would be an equiva-
lent of 10000 majority in New YORK for
Mr.. Garfield.
Shall Republicans live up to the laws
they make. The constitution provides
that every state shall have the right to
prescribe "the mode and manner" or of
choosing the presidential electors.
A Republican legislature of New York
in 1879, did prescribe the manner of the
electoral vote, printed upon white
paper, captions uniform, with black
ink, with no device or marks thereon.
The Democratic State Committee issued
all the Democratic votes strictly in con-
formity to the law. The Republicans in
many localities wilfully violated their
own law, and thousands of these illegal
votes went into the ballot-box. Was this
done so that their agents could easily
check off the votes and know that the
voters who had received one, two, three
and five dollars, had done their days
work p?
If facts should corroborate the reports
fIom Illinois and Indiana, that in Chicago
and Indianapolis and at other places,
that the polls were actually closed by
Republican officials, while hundreds of
Democrats were waiting for the opportun-
ity to give in their votes, and the most
daring. repeating and intimidation of
voters unblushingly presented in by
Republican Agents.
The Republicans in 1869 and 1873, es-
tablished president which they deemed
just, and Mr.. Garfield as member of
Congress, took part in making them to
exclude whole states from the electoral
count.
The news papers now give Mr.. Garfield
219 electoral votes. A congressional de-
cision based upon these Republican pre-
cedents, throwing out the 81 votes of
Illinois and the Is votes of Indiana,
would reduce his vote in the electoral
college to 1888, and throw the election into
the house, and in that event the country
would not blush with shame to decision
by 7, and good Republicans and good
citizens would accept the legitimate cleo
ton of Hancock and English as Demo-
Gratis, and good citizens accepted the
election Of Hayes and Wheeler.
The reports which came from Washing
ton from high authority, if based upon
facts, that all the head cabinet officers
upon the eve Of the election were absent
from their departments, and that unoffi
cial men and strangers were permitted to
overhaul and examine the records in the
various archives of the government.
Was this done without purpose? Was
ehCiO q uCoiSn ever slcepcu III u6epeT
iniquity? The Republican rule reaches
over20 years of the history of this govern
ment, and none but Republican eyes have
ever examined these records.
This is PRECEDENT unknown in the
history of the government.
In 1876 it was generally believed that
MIR. Tilden had received majority of
-he electoral college upon the face of the
but congress through the elector-
u commission, by the voice of Mr.. Gar
field visiting statesman, and by the vote
IF Mr.. Garfield upon the electoral count.
declared that it was a mistaken belief, and |
hat Mr.. Hayes was the lawfully elected |
president and the American people Loyalty |
in the decision of congress.
In 1880 it is generally believed that
Mr. Garfield has majority upon the
ace of the returns.
Now if congress when there will be no
lead lock between the two houses of |
congress, shall after probing this rotten
lody polite to the bottom, shall find that
his is mistaken belief and shall declare
hat General Hancock has received a
majority of all the lawful electoral votes,
nd shall declare that he is the lawful
lected president, then the American
'eople will Loyalty acquiesce in the decis-
on of congress.
November l6, 1880.