New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-26
the only encouraging sign. The Provinces
really seem to have made substantial gains Id
nrosperity since the last general election.
WY TIE ELECTION CASES ARE CON
TESTED.

MY TIE ELECTION CASES ARE CON-
| TESTED.
"All the newspapers are against us" Ia
ments n Democratic member of the House.
1t is true. The fact that few organs, which
are not newspapers, defend the resort to fill
| mastering in order to steal vote in the House
and rob q constituency of representation a
little longer, does not matter. The news
papers of the country denounce that course
because the people are indignant at it. To
pan and honest people, who value the right
of representation and care for the welfare OF
the country, it has seemed an infamous out
rage that members have voted, day after day,
to stop public business in order to prevent the
consideration of a contested case which the
Democrats do not dare to discuss. Moved by
a consciousness that such course would be
almost universally condemned, several Demo-
Gratis have been trying to present excuses for
it. But the excuses, when confronted with the
clear and convincing statement of Mr.. Cal
kns, leave the Democrats in q worse predica-
ment than before. Some of them now
declare that they will flibuster no
ongcr if the Elections Committee will only
examine the evidence as to alteration of testi-
mony. though that committee has already ex-
amined that point and decided that the charge
was unsupported. People who set up so fimsy
a pretext for revolutionary behavior confess
that they have none that is worth offering.
1t is desirable just at this point to go back
to the real cause of the struggle All the rant
ing and the false accusations with which the
Democrats seek to divert attention from the
main object and essential nature of the strug-
Gle to its details will fail with the people, and
ought to fail. For it was well known before
the Democrats decided to resist action on the
contested election cases at this session why
they were almost compelled to take that course.
The Southern end of the party had openly is
sued its utimatum. Unless the results of So
called elections at the South were sustained,
at least until after the elections of this fall,
tissue ballots, rifle clubs and forged returns
would cease to make the South solid. This
declaration was made less as a threat than as Il
warning 1t was plainly shown that success in
fraud would be made impossible if it should
become known at the South before the fall
elections that past frauds had been exposed,
condemned by Congress, defeated and de-
privcd of effect. Independents would then
| take courage. Colored voters would see that
| it was not waste of time to cast their bal
lots. The demand for free ballot and an
| honest count would be made with such force
| that it would become impossible to maintain
Democratic supremacy in many districts.
The Democrats IN Congress saw that this
was all true. They saw that they had nc
chance of getting majority in the next House,
or of electing the next President, except by
continued success in rObbng the people of
their rights Honest elections at the South
would make absolutely certain the defeat, and
probably would bring about the disintesration,
of the Democratic party. Because this was
sure, extraordinary devices have been resorted
to, ever since the session began, to delay ac-
ton on contested cases. The records of
the House and of the committee are
full of evidence that this policy has
been pursued with great care throughout
| the session. Measures which the Democrats
did not wish to discuss and never intended to
support have been urged forward by them for
the express purpose of putting OFF election
| cases until so late in the session that action
| on them might be defeated by flibustering.
| Demands have been made for the taking Of
useless evidence that would cause much de-
| lay, merely because it would cause delay.
| Week after week, ever since Independent
movements began to show strength, news
| papers at the South have bOmbarded Demo-
Gratis at Washington with solemn warnings, in
effect serving notice that it would be fatal to
permit another decision like that in the Chal-
mers case. In the face of all this, the Demo-
| Gratis pretend that they are filibusterng in the
Dibbe case only because there are special
reasons in that case for preventing its consid-
| Grafton.
| The country knows that this pretence is
| false. 1t was informed before the struggle be-
| gan that the Democrats in caucus had decided
that it was party necessity to prevent action
on Southern contested seats. Some Democratic
journals, being sick of seeing the partyridden to
death by its swindlcrs and law breakers at the
South, openly denounced this decision, but to
no purpose The dishonest and disreputable
position which they warned the party not to
| take it has now taken. And it only adds to
the disgrace of that position by telling false
| hoods about the motive
| MR.. HEWITT as IN OBSTR UCTTO MIST
The natural defence for the obstructive policy
| Of tho in tha UIousa is that II IL tho