Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-11-14
FAIR PLAY, NOT TECHNIcAL1Ty

Our rights as freemen depend upon the
sanctity of the majority vote. The law ap
points certain methods for ascertaining thai
majority. No other methods can be con
sidered in forming a judgment of the vii
of the majority. Now certain hot-heade6
people on both sides of the present confess
have come to the conclusion, by methods
not recognized by the laws the people have
made, that their respective favorites have
been chosen to the Presidency, and that
somebody IS trying to count them out. This
assumption is without the slightest founda-
ton. Where manifestly a great majority
or plurality has been given for candidate
there is fair excuse for claiming the cleo.
ton of a leader prior to the canvass of Yotes
prescribed by the law But where it is .
close contest, As in the present case, all fair
minded men viii suspend Judgment until
the count by statute defined is made. One
may express his belief as to the result, but
when the Oakland Times, for instance. says
that Mr.. Blaine, in telegraphing to friend
that he was elected, wired lie" the Times
did very mean thing, and uttered an in
fammatory expression So, too, the Times
confessed its partisansliip 10 be superior to
its patriotism when it supplemented its
gross remark with these grosssr words
The tally sheets, footings and certiicated
returns remain. then, the sole original re
cord. This record gives the State to Cicve-
land by a majority as sacred as If it were q
million. The plan ofthc desperate wretches
who are trying 10 seat another usurpcr is to
impeach these original records BY suborn-
ing perjury. They are trying to bride Re
publican judges and clerks of election to
swear that the returns made by themselves
are false How could the Times know
that the record gives New York to Cleve-
land? The record is not made up; knowl-
edge OF It's true character is impossible to
it, and therefore the indecent language il
hurls Al Mr. Blaine and Republicans may
be applied to itself These intemper-
ate and passionate appeals to base
natures are not only unbecoming
a paper that assumes such dignity
rs does the Times, but deserve the con-
demnation and reproach of all people who
esteem country above party. If the official
count of legal ballots gives Mr.. Cleveland
New York by one vote, lis right Is as sacred
rs if the majority were million" and
precisely the same, and no more, is true
with regard to Mr. Blaine Where the will
of the voter is clearly apparent, and there
has been no fraud, and no such irreguIarity
as is destructive of the ballot it should be
given effect despite a mere technicality,
Suppose, for instance, that ii is true, as al
legged, there is one precinct in New York
where Governor Cleveland has some 400
majority, but the election officers from
pure laziness failed to make the technical
canvass and declare the result The record
rs reported however. on its. face is unim-
peachable, and if so Cleveland has a clear
majority in that precinct We hold that
he should have the credit of it if no
weightier irregularity develops than the
mere neglect of the election board to de-
clare the result. In other words, the
electors of that precinct should not be de-
prived of their voice by the neglect of the
officers To hold otherwise is TO substitute
the officers for tie ballot. So, too, if it be
true, as now reported. that in New York
city from 100 to SOC Blaine ballots were
cast ont because in cutting up the sheets of
tickets the final letter was clipped from the |
name of one of the Presidential Electors, |
the ballots should be restored to the count
at least as to the electors whose names re-
main unmutilated. II would be trayesty |
upon justice to deprive Mr.. Blaine of
thirty-five votes in the Electoral College |
because the name of thirty-sixth elector
is short one letter in the spelling. The Re
publican party should want nothing but
fair play; the Democratic party should ash,
for nothing more When the full and I'M