New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-11
THE ELECTORAL COUNT.

The formalities are over. No voice Is raised
mot even that of Mr.. Springer-tO dispute
the formal announcement that James \. Car
field and Chester A. Arthur have been elected
President and Vice-President of the United
States. The contemplate pretcnce that the
electoral votes of this State were secured by
fraud, raised solely to divert public attention
from the crimes of a beaten party, and never
believed for an instant, even by the men who
gave it currency, was not even mentioned or
remembered by anybody when the votes were
officially counted. The false charge, though
made by Democratic leaders who ought to
have regulations to lose is recalled now and
will be remembered hereafter only as evil
dence of the dishonesty and meanncss of the
men who resOrted to such a SANDER to cover
from sight the forgeries in which they had
miserauy failed. The Presidept-elect will
enter upon his great office without even q
single embittered partisan to question the
validity of his title, or to doubt that he was
really the choice of constitutional ajOrity
of the people. The country can real
ize now how well it was that the pop
ular verdict was sufficiently decisive
to leave no room for dispute. The inclination
to make trouble has been clearly shown. 1t
will not be easy to convince the people that
the prolonged and desperate effort of the
Democrats to secure control of the electoral
count for bare majority of either house was
wholly without meaning. Happily for the coun-
try. all controversy is over. The next President
will take the oath Of Office with an absolutely
unclOuded title.
1t is very fortunate for General Garfield, as
for the country, that this Is so. President
Hayes has been embarrassed from the begin
uing OF his term and in all his best efforts, by
the fact that u considerable portion of the
people believed he was not rightfuly elected.
1t matters not hOw unreasonable their opinion
was that opinion warped their judgment in
regard to everything proposed or done by the
President and they never were able to fairly
appreciate his course. This fact placed him
in q very constrained position, and the good
results of his administration are the more
credtable to him because he had constantly
to contend with this difficulty. 1t is
doubtless just to say that many Of the
shortcomings OF faults of the President
have been due to his consciousness OF the
feeling toward him, on the part OF many of
his political opponents. His successor will
come to the White House with no such en-
barrassment He is the unquestioned choice
of the people; he represents their undoubted
will his opponents cannot fancy that he owes
anything to their for6earance, nor can any of
his supporters imagine that he owes more to
partisan feeling than he ought Nominated
by the people, and elected by the people, to
represent and carry out distinctively Repub-
lican policy, General Garfield has behind him
larger popular vote than has ever been
given to any other President. and a party
stronger than ever before IN its history.
Impartial observers have come to the con-
clusion that General Garfield is going to be
President himself. He has shown already a