The daily gazette., 1881-04-25
From the World. ...H rf
KoBBER RULE AND ELECTORAL
FRAUDS.

The Euening Post pretends to be
struck with astonishment at what it
calls a eorcession of Senator Hampton
that there had been frauds praclised in
casting the vote of South Carolina,
and saws that Senator Hampton has
"hitherto been understood firmly to
DENY" that any election frauds had
been practised in that State. Senator
Hampton is of course not responsible
for anything which the EOening Post
NAV have "upderstood." He is re-
sponsible only for his own statements,
and the World is not aware that he
has ever denied the commission of
frauds in South Carolina. Nobody
SUSPECTS him of completely in any
frauds, and such a completely has
never been charged upon him in such
a manner as 10 put him upon his de-
fense. He would be very bold man
or q marvellously weli-informed mau
who dared to say of any State IN this
Union that no electoral frauds had
been committed in it, or even that no
systematic and continued electoral
frauds had been committed in it.
The more any honest politician
knows of the politics of his State the
more reluctance he will show in max
ing such a statement. Whether the
ratio of fraudulent votes or corruptly
influenced votes to the total vote at
any has exceeded in South Carolina
the ratio in New York or in Indiana
or in Massachusetts, !s question upon
which there is no evidence before the
couptry. No man in the United StateJ
is in better position to listen with in
oredulity to the demand for Ga free
ballot and fair count" than the Vice.
President of the United States, who
presides over the so.oalled delibera-
| tions in which that demand is loudly
made by persons like Hoar and Logan
ami Dawes, The difference between
local politics in New York and in In
| diana and local politics in South Caro-
lima and Mississippi is simply that in
the latter States the rule OF the parties
is required by all the respectable mer
in the community as matter OF self
defense against the enemies of society
itself. In the State of New York the
rule of Republican Legislature hai
this wear been shown TO endanger the
life and health of every lnhabitant o.
its chief city. But in ordinary times
II Is not OF vital moment to any peaeea.
ble person in New York who minds biz
own affeirs and does not trouble him
self about which party has the
control of the Legislature in his State
Compared with such States as Mlssis-
sippi and South Carolina, we in thu
North have only "holi1ay politics.
But in such States it is literally mat
tai of vital moment TO every taxpayinl
citizen which party shall control tn
State.
The Republican party is to the ta1
payers Of South Carol na simply an OF
Ranized brigandage; 1t Is penrIeetly lol ~
! vote and a fair count" or any othe
, political fright" as paramount to th
original fright OF self-preservatlon.-
! | They know what they are talking abob
, They khave experienced Repubiica
, legislatures. They know Ohamberlai
and Kempton and Scott and Moses, an
a Republican Legislature Is sun to theI
what 1t alway has been, an lnsLrumeI
{. for public pluuder on the largest scal'
r II the inmates of Sing Sing we're q
6 to be- run for the Legislature OF Ne
Yor the feeling with which the decor
, citizens of New York would regard I'll
/ prospect of their elsction would oe prt
cisely the same feeling with which u
decent citizens OF South Carolina r
gard the prospect of the election OF
negro Legisl iture in that State. Whetl
era decent citizen of South Carolir
happens to be Republican or Dem
crat in national politics makes no mo-
! difference TO hun than the same consi'
GRAFTON would make to a decent citzt
of New York in the case we have su
T. posed.
state where the triumph of one par
Q involves a reign of thuggery are Il
sans thing as electoral fraHds in a Sta
:, in which the success of one or the 9th
party Is not q matter of vital moment
10 outrage common sense.