The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-07-31


friends have just got their indignation work
ed up to fever heat over what they are
pleased to term "The great fraud of 1876"
aud they talk large about the vindication of
the 'old ticket" by the election of Cleveland
and Hendricks.
They did not think so much about this so
called fraud in 1880, when they passed con-
temptuously by Tilden and Hendricks and
nominated Hancock and old Bill English.
They had not discovered the great fraud, and
the necessity of "vindication" at that time,
and now it is too late TO influence the voters
of this Nation 10y any such talk. s.. J. T.,
1876, fraud is wholly powerless to win votes
in this year of grace. 1t is too old and stale
and will meet with the contempt it so richly
deserves.
But if there was any fraud, outside of the
frauds committed in the Southern States by
democratic shot-guns, rifle clubs, tissue bal
lots, ballot box stuffing, fraudulent counting
and the like, it is the democratic, and not
the republican party that is responsible and
that should be held accountable therefor.
The electoral commission was a demo-
cratic scheme, for the settlement of the dis
puted count, and was created by democratic
votes. The House, at that time, as now, was
largely democratic, and an inspection of the
record fully justifies the statement that the
democratic party alone is responsible for the
result which followed the creating of the
commission.
That body, as will be remembered, con-
sisted of five senator's, three OF whom, Ed
munds, Frelinghuysen and Morton, were
republicans, and two of whom, Thurman
and Bayard, were democrats; five represen-
tatives. two of whom, Garfield and Hoar,
were republicans, and the other three, Alb
bott, Payne and Hunton, were democrats;
and five justices of the Supreme court, of
whom Miller and Strong, republicans, and
Clifford and Field, democrats, were desig-
mated in the bill which created the commits
sion, and they were empowered to choose
the fifth.
1t was expected by the democrats that
Justice David Davis, who claimed to be in
dependent in politics, but whom they thought
they had reason to believe favored Tilden
and Hendricks, would be chosen as the fifth
member, thus giving them a majority of the
commission in favor of their candidates.
But Judge Davis, having been elected by the
legislature of his state, to the United States
Senate, evaded the responsibility by accept
ing the senatorship, and resigning his JUS
ticeship, and Justice Bradley was chosen by
his associates as the 18th member of the
and on the hearing of the mat
tiers in contest, gave the deciding vote in
favor of tho republican candidates, Hayes
and Wheeler, and against Tilden and Hen
bricks.
The bill by which the commission was or
ganized, passed the senate by a vote of AZ
ayes, to II nays. The republican senators
voted "a ayes and &c nays, the democratic
senator's voted % ayes and one nay, absent
Or not voting . republicans and one demo-
crat.
In the House of Representatives the bill
was passed by vote of 19l ayes, to Sc nays.
The republican vote was ayes 80, nays GS,
while the democrats voted 15S ayes and g
nays, absent or not voting, republicans and
democrats. The vote of the two houses
taken together, show that 1S1 democrats
voted for the bill and only 10 against it, be-
ing majority of 162 in favor of it, while
The republican vote was 81 ayes and "a
nays, majority of 81 against the bill.
Had every republican vote in the House
been cast against the bill, the 1913 demo-
cratic votes cast in its favor would have
passed it by majority of 40.
In view of these facts it i'll becomes the
democratic party to complain about the re-
suit, or to charge the republican party with
fraud because the decision of the commits
sion was adverse to the man who tried to
buy his way into the presidency by the at
tempted purchase of republican electors,
who to their credit be il said, were proof
against the temptation held out in the shape
Of immense sums from Uncle Sammy's in
exhaustible "bar1."
That the decision of the Commission was
fraudulent, the American people do not be-
eve, bat, on the other hand, they do believe
hat justice and equity were done, and that
he frauds committed by the democracy in
Louisiana, Florida and elsewhere, at the cleo
lion, as well as subsequent frauds attempted
10 be- perpetrated in behalf of the sage of
Park, notably in Oregon and
South Carolina xrara rroDarIv thuartad oDd