St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-11-15
THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

Notwithstanding the fact that the
returns Of fifty counties in the State
of New York have been canvassed and
the result found to agree almost to a
fraction of the returns from the same
counties, published more than week
since by all the leading papers OF New
York city except the Tribune, which
gave plurality of between eleven
hundred and thirteen hundred votes,
and notwithstanding that the Republi-
cans have no hope of finding plurali-
ty for Blaine from the face of the re-
turns, Mr.. Blaine does not give up the
fight, but through his attorney, Mr.
George Bliss, Of Star Route legal fame,
is about to attack the election in the
cities of New York and Brooklyn, TAX
ing exception to several thousand votes
which the aforesaid Bliss alleges were
either miscCunted, excluded or other
wise aided to swell the Cleveland vote.
1t will be seen by this, that the claim
of the Republicans made through the
Tribune and the Republican committee,
that Mr.. Blaine had a plurality of the
votes actually cast, has been entirely
abandoned. They now propose to go
behind the face Of the returns, aud
under one pretext or another overcome
Cleveland's plurality that is to say,
they are trying to reverse the doctrine
upon which they made Hayes Presi-
dent in 1876, for they then commended,
and the commission so decided, that in
Presidential elections, the result shown
by the face of the returns could not be
inquired into or altered. The Demo
Gratis are in no manner surprised by
these tricks, and they are prepared at
all points to checkmate them. Ii the
investigation which the Republicans
propose to make be at all permissible,
and is allowed, the Democrats are pre-
pared to show irregularities on the
part Of Republican voters more than
sufficient to counterbalancle any losses
they may sustain from this source.
The feeling therefore, in Democratic
circles throughout the United States is
one of absolute confidence in the fact
that Grover Cleveland will be the next
President Of the United States, and in
all the large cities of the North as we'll
as in the towns, they are celebrating
the great national victory as a fixed
fact
1t must be borne in mind that the
House of Representatives, with its
Democratic majority of seventy mem
bers, will stand in the breach to pre-
vent the counting of the electoral votes
for Mr.. Blaine, if through the instru-
mentality of Republican courts in the
State of New York, the result of the
election in that State as returned by the
proper officers should be altered so as
to take it's electoral vote from Mr..
Cleveland. The House of Representa-
fiyes in session with the Senate, is the
only constitutional and final tribunal to
settle disputes over the presidential
vote, and it may be safely taken for
granted that the House will never again
surrender to an extra constitutional
commission or to any other tribunal
whatever, the prerogatives which are
vested in it by the Constitution. So
that all doubts as to the inauguration
of Mr.. Cleveland as President OF the
United States on the 4th Of March,
next, may be put at rest, and corps Of
visiting Statesman" or 7 to commits
sion will be allowed to defeat popular
will Of the people in the election of
their chief magistrates.