The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-11-13

|
The result Of the great Presidential
fcontest of 1884, hinges on less than a
| thousand votes in State that polled over
one and quarter millions. A change of
one vote in $500 will determine who is
president. A thorough investigation of
all frauds and irregularities will be de-
manded by the Republicans, and if it shall
turn out that Cleveland has been honestly
elected. there will be a quiet and general
acquiescence in the result. If on the
other hand, Blaine has received a plurality
OF the legal ballots cast in New York,
then he will be seated. Democratic brag
and buster will not avail against cold
facts. The question at issue is simply
| this: Has New York cast its legal vote
for the Republican electors, Oh has it been
cast for the Democratic electors The
answer can only be given after most
| rigid examination of the vote cast, the
purging of all illegal votes on either side
and the counting Of all legal ballots for
the party for which they were cast. The
process of reaching a correct conclusion
may be long and tedious, but the result
when ascertained will be final. Until that
is ascertained it behooves all good citizens
| to keep cool, and patiently wait.
| The official count of some thirty-odd
counties completed on Tuesday, showed no
material change from the original fig ures.
Nor was it supposed that any such change
would be made. The Republican National
Committee stated that the official returns
were just about what they had expected.
! They show that the Blaine managers re-
| turned an honest count where the Demo-
Gratis charged Republican frauds. The
committee still cling to the assertion that
the progress of the canvass will substan-
tate their claim, and that the ultimate re-
suit will show that Blaine received more
votes than Cleveland in the State. The
most important feature of the discoveries
by the Blaine committee is that relating
to the clipped ballots. They find that
nearly two thousand of these were thrown
out by Democratic managers. Out of a
hundred ballots thrown out in one pre-
cInct on election day and examined Tues
day, about forty were found to be perfect
dentally taken off three letters from the
name of Candidate Butterfield on the
Blaine electoral ticket. There is claim
of intentional mutilation of the tickets,
but this name was so much longer than
the rest that tie clipper chopped it off.
1t is said by the legal advisers Of the COM
mittee that this fact should not have mil
itated against the entire electoral ticket,
although it may have interfered with Mr..
Butterfield's chances Of voting for Blaine
and Logan in the electoral college.
Mr.. Waite, Republican, was, with the
vote of Tammany, selected to preside
over the Board of Aldermen to count the
vote of New York. This was charged by
the Democrats as a step on the part of
Tammany to have revenge for the slaugh-
ter its candidate experienced on Tuesday.
If this proves to be the case. it is only a
question as to how many frauds have been
discovered. AS an offset to this severe
case of fright the Democratic committee
have authorized the statement that the
Republican lawyers, after a partial exam
ination of the votes of this city have con-
ceded that there can be no contest con-
corning them. This story is manufactured
out of whole cloth. There is no intention
on the part of the Blaine men of relaxing
theirvigilance in any quarter. They were
better satisfied Tuesday night than they had
ever been before that the Cleveland men
have been up to tricks, and they therefore
awaited the work of Wednesday with con-
fdence.
A staff correspondent of the Philadelphia
Press telegraphs from New York, under
date of the 10th, as follows:
The central facts of the situation here
are easily stated. | brush aside tile cloud |
of reports, some delusive and some we'll |
sustained, and proceed directly to the
heart of the matter.
In the first place the inside Democratic |
figures are considerably less than any of |
the Democratic papers have given. The |
Democratic managers have dropped their |
claimed plurality for Cleveland on the |
face of the returns to $50 or less. They I
are not giving out these figures; on the |
contrary they are studiOusly Withholding |
them but they leak out none the less. |
The highest figure l have heard named as |
their responsible claim is sos, but that was
before some errors were discovered There |
are reasons for believing that the plurality
on which they now stand is not more than /
$50 !; but let them have the benefit of the
figure.
In the second place, the number of bal
lots in New York City alone returned as
defective" OF blank" is considerably
larger than this margin. Whom are they
for ? Can they be counted Suppose they
were really intended for Blaine and sup
pose they could be added to his column
These are questions yet to be decided. 1t
is known that considerable number of
Blaine ballots were thrown aside because
the long name of one elector was clipped.
1t is believed that others were rejected
because of an incorrect caption. An ex-
animation may disclose errors on both
sides. I do not now follow the stories
that in several localities Butler or st.
John ballots were counted for Cleveland
that in one place q glazing fraud is al
eged; that in another the reported vote
exceeds the poll list and so on.
w lbIOuU NV Ou UllcSC lCLjOIUS tu6To T.
are enough ballots in the New York CITY
returns whose character and import are
not yet fully determined to outnumber all
Of the small plurality for Cleveland. These
ballots actually appear in
5he returns. Aside from this element of
in a plurality of only $50 in
|. 100, 900 votes there is room for honest
ERRORS which would entirely change the 4,
,esult. Itmeans margin Of only one in
every $500 votes. Who would accept a
plurality of one in a vote of $500 for alder
nan OF representative as conclusive with
)ut waiting for the official canvass Under
;uch circumstances the National Commit
zee would have been towards and recreants
f they had not followed the returns to the
official canvass 1t was due to themselves, ,
heir party, their candidate and their
country that they should take all proper
to secure an honest canvass
md fair count.
Messrs. Jones. Elkins, Clarkson and
'ther members of the National Commit
ZEE are giving themselves up with patri- .
tic spirit to this duty. No candid and
air minded man can go over the ground
With them without being impressed with
heir sincerity and their sense of public :
responsibility and obligation They hon. J
silly believe from such facts as they have