Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-11-20
lanrastrr :Antelligenrer.
MONDAY EVENING NOV. 20, 1854,
The Equity OF the Case.

MONDAY EVENING Nov 20, 1854,
The Equity or the Case.
When Chalmers ran for Congress as a
Democrat and was defeated he obtained
certificate and got the seat.
from which he was afterwards ousted.
on the ground that in the printing
OF his opponents tickets two.em dash
was used to separate the names Of the
candidates. This dash was held to be a
distinguishing mark, and Chalmers
coatended that under the legal prohibi
lion of these tickets in Mississippi they
ought not to have been counted, and
that he was elected by the minority who
voted for him. The Republicans in
Congress refused IT, take this view of i.
and the Democrats were not willing to
filibuster in support of it. Hence Chal
mers left his former party, went to the
Republicans and was welcomed with
open arms by those who had SO lately
denounced him as Bourbon bu1ldozer
and the Infamous murderer of Fort
Pillow massacre notoriety. Like Ma
hone and Mosby and every other rene
gade thief and scalawag who has gone
from the ranks OF the Democracy to Re
publicanism, Chalmers was given dis
tinction at once, and in the late election
he ran for Congress in new district as
the regular Republican nominee and re.
ceived a majority Of the votes.
Now 1t seems that, through clerical
error" or some kindred device to those
which cheated Tilden out of the presi-
dency, !, ,472 votes cast for Chalmers were
counted on>a tally sheet to ~. r. Cham
bless" and after vain attempts Of Chal-
mers to have :ho error righted, tie sec
retary of state has adhered firmly
to the letter of the law, and
declared the result to he " Manning re
ceived s,749: Chalmers s,257, Carter 10,
Chambless ] ,472, Lowry l." Hence the
governor has issued the certificate to
Manning.
The case against Chalmers is on all
fours with that upon which he claimed
his seat in the present Congress. It is
very much stronger than the cases which
were invoked to count out Mr.. Tilden,
and the decision of it by the Mississippi,
secretary of state is strictly in accord
with the disposition of a similar matter
by the Republican canvassers in Penn
sylvania in 1880. In some counties in
this state Edgar Pinchot, one ..cf the Re-
publican electors, was voted for as
Edward Pinchot," and as a result the
official returns. made by a Republican
board, show that while the other Re-
publican electors received about 44,7O0
votes there were 43s, ,7O4for Edgar Pinchot
and 5,l0l for Edward Pinchot ~
thoughino such man WAS running, and it
was we'll understood that these votes
were all meant for the same man. The
''letter I" of the law was allowed to kill q:
and in close contest this decision might
have settled the presidency.
TIE courts have recently gone very
far in maintaining equity in these cases
and in directing votes to be counted for
the candidates for whom they were in
tended 20 be cast when that intent can
be made obvious. This is right.
In the special case under review while
the secretary and governor may be act
ing technically in accordance with their
sworn duty, as they seem to he, Congress
will undoubtedly rectify thc wrong done.
1t has power to 90 behind the returns,
and, disreputable and dishonest as
Chalmers is: this should be done. 1t is
not to the point that upon his own
construction of the law Chalmers is
barred out. The law should not be bent
from the direction which common sense
and common honesty give it for or against
Chalmers, nor by reason Of his readiness
to abuse it to his own advantage. Let
the dirty dog have his seat, to show the
country that the Democratic party is
brave enough and strong enough to do
justice even to the advantage Of those
who betray and assail 1t.