River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-11-13
RIVER FALLS, WISCONSIN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 49, 1884,

The people are patiently waiting
| for the final count III New York which
will determine who shall sit for the
| fonr years in the Presidential chair.
| A holly contested election is followed
with doubt arising from the miscal-
| culations of those who have watched
| the returns in New York and all are
waiting now to hear what the result
will be when the officials who have
this especial duty in hand shall finish
their labors. While waiting for the
verdict it will not be out of place to
| candidly discuss the situation and to
express our views upon it. We be-
lieve first, that whoever receives the
majority of votes in New York should
have the electoral college of that
state. That all the people want is a
fair count. That if fraud has inter-
vened, fraudulent votes should not be
counted. if. on fair showing. the
fraud can be clearly proved. Nothing
is more debasing to our political con-
tests than fraudulent voting. No
honest man is safe on entering the po-
litical field if an opponent may meet
his upright labors with purchased
votes. But the ascertaining of fraud
is the duty of the courts and not of
the eanvassing boards. The latter
must accept the face of the returns
and not go behind them. PARTISAN
ship should never be permitted to
usurp the power which belongs to the
courts of the land. And mere suspic-
ion of fraud will not justify delay.
Neither party should for a moment
sanction at the hands of its represen-
tatives, the national committees, any
action which may delay the count for
technical reasons. If either party
can promptly prove such degree of
fraudulent voting as would change the
result, and can place this before the
courts in time for the matter to be
settled by the courts before the meet
of the electoral colleges in December,
then it is its duty to do so. But to
attempt legal proceedings to thwart
the will of the majority; to delay the
count because some return is technI
eally imperfect, is not the will of the
people, and neither party can afford to
use such instruments. If the aid of
the courts is invoked to determine the
result, then each party should endeav-
or to prevent all delays and the courts
should give precedence to these cases
and not permit any adjournment for
technical reasons. The people want
the matter settled, and will accept the
returns as conclusive, rather than
have the business of the country de-
ranged and the public mind aroused
and excited by the conflicting opinions
of the courts more or less Influenced
by the PARTISAN feeling of the judges.
If fraud and error can be proved as a
fact let the result be known. 1t it
exists only in mere legal formality
and cannot be proved at once, let leg
al proceedings be dropped and the
the count declared on the face of the
returns whatever they may be. Ii
Blaine has an honest majority of one
in New York the Republicans want
the count declared in his favor. If
Cleveland carries the state by like
honest majority, the Republicans
desire that he should be declared
elected without the delay of the
courts or the vote of the House of
Representative