The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-11-11
The New OnterY of Frand.
Philadelphia Press.l

"huicny IL tuSy COulu, Dul UnaJ Jney
are impotent against the decisive re-
suit and against the overwhelming
sentiment of the American people.
Their threat may be made to break
the force of their crushing fall. 1t
may be made to divert attention from
their previous stupendous follies. 1t
may be made as n foil against the
wrath and curses of their deceived
and embittered followers. Vt may be
made rs possible avenue of escape
from the heavy losses of their bets.
But, whatever the motive, it seems
incredible that it can be made with
any hope of success or even of serious
controversy.
This charge Of fraud coming from
Barnum and Tammany Hall is as
flimsy and ridiculous in its substance
as it is impudent in its source. No
one knows better than they that there
was no fraud and no chance of fraud
on the Republican side in New York.
No one knows better than they that,
if there were any fraud at all, it was
sure to be in the heart and hand of
Tammany Hall, which has reeked
with crimes upon the ballot-box ever
since Tweed and Tilden struck hands
in the fraudulent election of Gov
! ernor in 1868. Imagine party which
is in n minority of over forty thousand
cheating the great majority in the
count. Fancy party which not only
holds the vast majority, but the ma
chinery of the election, being the
helpless victim of gigantic fraud.
Such claim is simply preposterous.
| There was no such fraud in New York
as Barnum and Tammany pretend;
they know it; everybody else knows
| it; and their assertion is a bold, bare
| faced, brazen pretense, which no man
can make without branding himself a
knave, and no man can countcnance
without sealing his own dishonor.
If this desperate resort shall assume
the dignity of serious question it will
| put the test OF character to every DEM
ocratic newspaper and leader. Every
Democrat journal is bound in self
respect to repudiate movement so
destitute of just foundation and, if
serious at all, so destructive of the
peace and security of the country.
Every Democratic leader who has any
honor or standing to preserve must
condemn proceeding which is as
stupid in its political folly as it is
criminal in its public character, Mr.
Barnum is said to have invited large
number of Democratic representatives
| to meet in conference on the subject.
If they have either sense or honesty,
they will meet just long enough to
throttle his wild and lawless scheme
and rescue the Democratic party
from the pestilent grasp of a triclster
who has already covered it with dis
grace and disaster. 1t is a matter of
more concern to them than to any
body else. They cannot change the
will of the people, on the one han |,
but they can ruin themselves on the
other.
For they may as well understand
irst as last that, whatever they may
conclude or undertake the people will
not tolerate any fooling in this mat
ter. The country Wants peace. The
great business and industrial interests
demand security and protection. All
right,minded men of all parties ask
and expect prompt and unhesitating
submission to the plain will of the
majority. The people meant to have
repose for period from political
| storms and agitation; they meant to
lay disturbing questions st :est; they
meant to have chance to go on with
their great business Announcements,
and to harvest the fruits of their pres
ent splendid prosperity without dis
traction or uncertainty; they meant
to make the majority so Overwhelm-
ing that there could be no contest over
it, and that the day of election would
be the dawn of absolute assurance. If
now any conspirators attempt to be-
cloud the bright prospect, they will
provoke storm of wrath which will
crush them. If they sow the wind
they will reap the whirlwind. The
people are in no temper to see the sa-
cred interests of great nation trifled
with and tossed about rs q football of
desperate and unscrupulous trick
sters.
We repeat that we do not feel COM
PEELED to treat this as serious ques-
ton. We cannot believe that, how
ever crazy Barnum may be, the body
of the Democratic leaders are utterly
lost to all public decency and all politi-
cal wisdom as to sanction any such
assault upon the public peace. We
cannot believe that Speaker Randall
and Senator Bayard and Abram S.
Hewitt end other Democrats of their
rank are ready to forfeit all fair stand
ing before the American people. as
they would by such an act. In no
event can the scheme succeed. The
Judgment of the country will stand.
And if any plOtters undertake to
thwart it they will dig their own
graves.