Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-09-21


makes the Democratic party more desperate in
lis grasp of official patronage and place.
Then. the opposition may not always have at
its head 80 patriotic man as Mr.. Tilden, nor
leaders who'can hold back their party. Men
laugh at MIR. Tilden, but when we look upon
the fact that he was duly elected, and was
cognizant of it, we have no right to laugh at or
make light of his course IN the great emery
ENJOY. He denied himself the power and honor
of the high office that there might be no blood
shed, and say all honor to him and his party.
The day will come when he will have the
need and title Of patriot for it is impossible
for all the actors in the unhallowed job to pass
from he stage of action without giving up its
secrets, and the true history of the great crime
will be known.
/ was in Florida when this most extraordi-
nary game was played and was a close and in.
terested observer from the beginning to the
end. At that time was Republican ard al
ways had been. and all my sympathies were
with that party, but was not, and never will
| ever bs, so much of a partisan that I could
calmly look on and sanction an invasion of the
powers of the constitution for party purposes
or any other. I went to Tallahassee about the
time that the troops and politicians began as
sembling there, aud what I tell you can bring
men to prove, and am careful to draw the pic
ture within the chance of exaggeration.
When election was over and the returns par
Gratis that Tilden had carried the State and it
was conceded by many Republicans.
But soon after, when it became known that
If Florida went for Tilden, Hayes was ire.
vooably beaten, and the whole result turned
upon it, then the Republicans clamored that
they had carried the State and it was flooded
with troops and Republican politicians. Troops
poured into Tallahassee night and day, and there
was marching and countermarching; armed
patrols went out in the country and returned
with affidaYits and witnesses, and from that
hour the native Democracy lost heart and
courage, and well they might. For years
their State had languished under carpet-bag
rule, the negro laborer had been turned
against the white landowner and
would not work, the school
fund had been squandered for years, and the
school houses had gone to decay, and the ma
tive Floridian saw his fields lying waste and
his children growing mp in ignorance and idle
ness. He prayed for change, and heard an
old and prominent man say, with tears in his
eyes, ''We don't care who rules the country,
only let us have honest government here, and
schools for our children.
And this was the great lever by which the
fraud was made possible, for they were afraid
that the State would be given to Hayes by the
force of the bayonet, and it was no Idle fear,
and if such was the case then the carpet bag
rulers would again come into power.
This would have been but step further
than the one they took in the end, and not
quite SO honest looking, but that they were
prepared to take the step if the other was inn
possible. no one who was down there at the
time could doubt.
The question naturally arises how was it pos
sible for them to change the result? 1t was
in this way. It was known in Washington
that the result depended on Florida in time
for them to rush the troops and politicians into
the State before the returns were all In, for
some of the counties are SO isolated that it
takes weeks to pass from them to the capitol.
Then the State offices, and in fact all the
offices were In the hands of the Republicans
and the State officers were utterly corrupt.
The Republican party sent there its most re-
sponsible men; men whose word was as good
as bond, and they were known to be personal
friends of the Republican candidate. These
men said to the principal citizens of Florida;
If yon will quietly acquiesce in our counting
the State for Hayes we will allow you major
ity for your governor and State officers, and
we will take care of the carpet bag
gers, and there will be no noise nor
friction. If you do not the carpet
baggers claim the whole State has gone Repub-
lican, and we will fight it out on that line.
Here are the troops, we will support the car
pet-bag government. You know them and
the State for Hayes you loose all. They knew
them, and their methods, and knew that the
returns could be intercepted and that these
men would stop at nothing to keep the State
offices. They also knew that what the Repub-
lican leaders said would be carried ont. All
this sounds very corrupt and strange. but these
topics were openly discussed by every body.
The Democratic leaders from the North were
constantly complaining about this trade, or
rather would say. the Democratic politicians.
for they had no leaders, there was no leading
statesman Of that party there and no man
whose word would stand; neither did thsy seem
to pull together, nor was there any
of foolish council and telegraphing, and much
done that ought to have been left undone and
which all came back to roost and throw them
in the wrong while the guilty parties escaped.
On the other side there was Gen. Noyes, of
Ohio Kasson, of Iowa, Lew Wallace, of India
ma, Hurlburt, of Tennessee, and many others,
all organized, In communication with WASH
ingtoD secretly backed by money and bayonets;
can you be surprised that the citizens of Flor
ida, whose State was being ruined by carpet
bag rule, should accept any arrangement that
would give them honest government at home?
l. was this evil or a greater they had to choose
between, and they took the least. do not
blame them.
1 remember one night, the returning board,
the Car pet-bag governor and several OF the
State officers met in Mr.. Kasson's room. The
next morning l noticed the Republicans
seemed very jubilant, and I said
to Gen. Noyes, General, you all
appear very happy" he laughed and
turned the subject. Mr.. Kasson had
been quite unwell with congestion of the lungs
and was confined to his room q large portion
Of the time under charge of his hostess, and
the leading doctor of his case was q member
Of this same board and the day of the meeting
just spoken of be hardly left his room the
whole day. Now. as was talking with Gem.
Noyes, it occurred to me to inquire how Kasson
was, oh" said the general, he's gone to
Iowa, left at Daylight. y
ssWhat,n said I. 'leave Florida in the mid
die of November for Iowa, with congestion of
the lungs.
WELL" returned be, sKasson felt SO much
better this morning, he thought he would go
North.'
Hell stop OF Columbus and see Hayes7" re-
marked I, with emile.
.sOh, mol Hes going right through to
Iowa" $50
He did, however, go straight to Columbus,
and no doubt told hlf. Hayes that he would be
President of the United States.
The bargain had been made. Florida was to
have her Democratic governor and State OFF,
GERS, and Hayes was to receive Republican