Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-07-05
A BIT OF POLITICAL HISTORY.

1t is really amusing to see the alacrity
with which the democracy rush upon
the unfortunate electoral commission of
1876 as the author of their woes in the
defeat of MIR. Tilden. Mr.. Bird, Mr..
Tilden, the various orators Of the Gin
cinnati convention, all have their "dig
at the electoral commission. Tilden
even goes so far as to say he was in no
way responsible for it, when all the
world knows that one word from him
would have killed it s'deader than Julius
Caesar" as the late Henry Wilson was
wont to say. The fact is it was an ex-
pedient of the democracy for chance
to count in Tilden when it was apparent
the electoral vote was against him; and
it would have afforded the chance if
David Davis, who was to have been on
it, had not lodged the responsibility by
resigning from the supreme bench to be
senator from Illinois, with an ambition
behind to be President. Judge Bradley
took his place, and as of himself, and,
more, as of his wife-an old abolitionist
of the very best school-there was
grounding on adamantine principles Of
liberty, there was no chance for Tilden
so long as eight were more than seven
| in arithmetic !, and the democracy's
hands were tied by the very device
which they thought would proclaim Til
den President. The electoral commits
sion bill had in the Senate AZ yeas, of
which 26 were democrats, and 81 repub-
licans; it had IL nays, of which l was
a democrat and Is republicans. In the
House it had l9l yeas, of which l57
were democrats and 81 republicans; it
had Sc nays, of which Is were demo
Gratis and 68 republicans.
On joint ballot this division was rep
resented by 23S yeas of which 1873 were
democrats and So republicans and 103
nays, of which l9 were democrats and
81 republicans. With these figures
from the record it will be rather hard
for the democrats to dodge the account
ability for the machine that made Hayes
President. 1t may refresh some memo.
ries to say that Justices Strong, Miller
and Bardley, Senators Edmunds, Nor
ton and Frelinghuysen, and Represent
atives Garfield and Hoar, constituted
the immortal eight-than whom nc
more honorable men then or after exist.
ed-and Justices Clifford and Field
Senators Thurman and Bayard, and
Representatives Payne, Hunton and Alb
bott, the unfortunate seven who could
not aid their friend Tilden. Gen. Gar
field voted first and last, and all through
against the electoral commission scheme
and thereby showed in his judgment
no extraneous measures were necessary
to elect a President, and would MOI
have him, on any consideration, chosen
on the chance selection of an accidental
umpire; and his head was level then
as it has ever been.-BoSton Common
a0ealth.
| The most powerful elevator in tht
world was completed in the Washington
Monument last Friday. 1t is construc
ted to carry tel tons to height of SOC
feet. 1t is arranged so as to run twenty
feet above the top of the stone worl
during the progress of the work upoI
the monument. 1t will be used to de
liver material to the builders until tn,
monument is completed, when it will b
turned into passenger elevator. 1t
constructors are Otis Brothers & Co., o
New York. 1t is estimated that tn
monument will be finished in about fou
years if Congress furnishes the neces
sary funds.
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