New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-05
THE cRTuE 1G1TYST FREEDOM

THE CRIME AGAINST FREEDOM
| The House of Representatives the other day
| took one step toward justice to the Republic
can voters of the South. Mr.. Chalmers was
turned out of a seat obtained by frauds
so gross and palpabe that many Democrats
could not stomach them, and the member
elected by the actual majority of honest voters
has been seated Justice has been miseraby
slow footed in this case. The fact that Mr.
| Chalmers never had any right to this seat, that
an overwhelming majority was cast against HIM,
and that the seat was simply stolen by frauds OF
the most shameless character, was perfectly
well known before the close of the year 1850
! better known, indeed, than it is now, Tor the
circumstances were then fresh in mind. The
general opinion about the matter wns so
strong and emphatic that it was even s. PIP ed
| for a time that Mr.. Chalmers, seeing III o
had Republican Congress to deal Win and
could expect no dishonest decision in his favor,
would make no claim TO the seat. lie had
been chosen by fraud and violence in 1876,
and again in 1873, but not by means so
palpably and notoriously dishonest as those
employed at the last election. He had filled
for four years a seat to which he had no more
title than footpad has to the watch he has
stolen. But Democratic Congresses confirmed
the outrage in each case, and he had reason to
believe that any infamy, however shameless,
| would have been rewarded in like manner II
the Democrats had secured a majority IN the
elections of 1850. They failed, and from that
moment it was known to Mr.. Chalmers and to
everybody else that he would ultimately be
ousted from the seat by the representative who
was elected by the people. Nevertheless he
suck to the place which did not belong to
| him as long as he could, and has drawn salary
for more than year and cast votes Tor five
months without the slightest right.
| Congress is much to blame for permitting
| Justice to be so long delayed where there is no
room for an honest doubt whether one man or
another was elected by the people. Cases do
arise at times which can be decided only by
prolonged and difficult nvcstig cation. But every
member of the House, on the very day when he
took his own seat, knew just as well as he knows
now that James Il. Chalmers had no business in
that body, and it should not have taken
month to perfect all the ncedful evidence and
to seat the member who was elected The
House encourages great crime against
the purity of elections-One of the most
dangerous crimes that can he committed
against free institutons-by suffering empty
fOrmalities to keep a man for five months in
seat to which he had no claim whatever. The
only way to prevent such crimes is to make
them particularly Improbable first by thrust
ing aside all foTnalties in order to reach
decision as quickly as possible in cases where
fraud is apparent, and, second, by refusing
any pay or allowances to persons who take
seats under such circumstances.
The decision in this case, however, involves
far more than single vote in the House, inn
pOrtant as that may prove. 1t shows that the
House means to give what support and en-
cOuragcment il can, at this late day TO the
honest voters of the Southern States. who have
been robbed of their rights so often and 50
| long by Democratic managers. Unless this is
done. the Republican party in those States
might rs well disband, and waste no more life
or time in an effort to exercise the right of
suffrage. The policy of Cancellation which some
Republicans advocated years ago has been
greatly misunderstood and mlsrepresented.
Whether right or wrong i'll other respects,
those Republicans never intended to leave all
elections at the South to be decided by the shot
gun, the tissue ballot, and the false return. II
was never their desire to suffer the majority of
the people to be robbed of self-government
in any State. district county, by any set of
men who had n few rifles and no scruples
Yet it has been industrOusly represented both
by Democrats and by some Stalwarts, that the
change of policy and the removal of troops
were designed to leave the minority free to
overcome and defraud the majority in any
part of the South where an honest majority of
Republicans existed. This idea was very Wig
orously impressed upon the minds of Southern
Republicans, and many of them have aban-
doned all effort to exercise political rights, in
the belief that the people of the North would
no longer sustain and defend them in the ex-
ercise of those rights. Had this Republican
Congress neglected to do justice at this ses-
sion in eases where the votes of an honest
majority had been defeated by fraud, there
would have been little use in nominating Re
publican candidates next fall in any part of
the South.
1t is important therefore, that Congress
should act upon other election cases as promptly
as possible Wherever the will of the people
has been defeated by fraud or violence, then a
a crime has been committed which Congress
has no right, and which the Republican party
cannot afford, to overlook or to treat with ndif-
ference.
4NTIDOTE FOR BATN