New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-25
THE GREAT Fraud or 1876.


The Democratic platform declares in its fifth
article that The right to free ballot is the
fright preservative of all rights, and must and
" shall be maintained in every part of the
United States" In its seventh article it
denOunces "the great fraud of 1S76-'7 as a
deadly blow 10 our system of representative
government" Ia its eighth article it demands
"a reform by statute which shall make 1t for
"tver impossible for the defeated candidate to
"bribe his way to the seat of a'usurper."
In the last Presidential contest the Demo-
cratic party entirely suppressed free ballots in
the States over which it had full control; and
as it still lacked one vote to secure the prize,
conspiracy was formed to enable the defeated
candidate to bride his way to the seat of a
"usurper.n This famous plot, laid bare by the
discovery and Interpretation Of the cipher dis
patches, was "the great fraud of 1876" and
the disclosure OF it made it impossible for the
Democrats to renominate the old ticket, which
they would have been clearly bound to do if
they had believed they were counted out in
1867 But, with their usual and providental
folly, although they dare not face the issue of
the electoral count, they are perpetualy talk
ing about it, and asking the public to recall the
particulars Of transaction which they are
most anxious for the public to forget. Let us
briefly review the facts.
In 1876 the suppression of the cOlored vote
in the South was so far incomplete that there
were three States-LOuisiana Florida, and
South Carolina-which the Democrats could
not carry. In Louisiana tie normal majority
against item was large ; and they had another
difficulty to contend with in the fact that, as
protection for the freedmen against lawless
community in which the idea that niggers
have no business to vote is almost universal,
the Returning Board was clothed by statute
with ample authority to throw out the returns
from all precincts in which the election had
been Initiated by fraud or intimidation. The
exceptional functions exercised by this Board
were adapted to an exceptional condition OF
society. They were quasi-iudicial functions.
SO different from the purely ministerial duties
of Northern canvassers that Northern critics
apt to assume that the Board usurped powers
which did not belong to it, This is mistake.
1t acted strictly according to law similar laws
existed in Florida, South Carolina, and several
other Southern States and the Democrats
since they obtained control have even enlarged
the powers Of the Boards. The plan in Louis
lana uUQtT tUtst WAS very
adroit. The White Leagues chose for the chief
theatre of their opel Nations not the doubtful
parishes but those which were overwhelmingly
Republican By shooting and logging negroes
and stufing ballot-boxes they reduced the
Republican vote in the five principal Repub
can parishes about One-half, and at the same
time doubled the apparent Democratic vote, al
though in other parts OF the State the ReDub-
lican strength showed a small increase. They
knew that the returns from the five parishes
would be thrown out but as the five parishes
were Republican strongholds they did not OBJ
ject TO that. The Returning Board, however,
spoiled their calculation by rejecting not only
these five parishes but number of other pre-
cincts in which fraud and violence had been
fragrant /; and so the Hayes and Wheeler ticket
was elected. In Florida the vote was close.
When the returns came in there WAS a differ
ence according to the cipher correspondence of