The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1884-11-21
The Work OF Gamblers.

II 10 settled. Grover Cleveland Is to be tn
next president Of the United States. There ha
boz n no real doubt OF It since the morning after
election, ard no one denies 1t now. The officla
ca yass of tho votes of tho county boards o.
supervissions is completed all over New YORK
and their reports are in the hands OF the stat'
board Of canvassers az Albany who will inal'J
proclaim tho result tomorrow. The question
was Il nally settled Saturday night when TN
canvass twas completed in New York coun'
and Ceveland's plurality was found to DC ie'
substantially unchanged, 1905 on the cleo
tor " no received the lowest number Of votes
com pared with the highest number cast for any
Blaine elector, and ll479on the average com
parison. This variation y due to athescratcn
Ing of some electors names. There is chance
that these figures will be somewhat reduced by
dis cIepancy discovered in the returns IRON
Ric bmond county between the total vote re-
ported for all the presidential electors and the
tabulated footings. This probably comct
through some carelessness in reporting the
Butler or St John vote, but as 1t is only 953 to
be div ided by at least SO, the number OF elect.
ors voted for on each ticket and possibly by
l44, the number on all 4selectoral tickets,
CIeseland's loss will YtpbabE not be overa7
at the outside. The county clerk has been sent
for to rectify the error and he will have to do
so before tomorrow orthc county's vote will be
thrown out ~
Nothing irregular or fraudulent was found
in the New York city or any of the other re-
turns. There was some stupidity and bunder-
ing in making them up, but nothing which
showed an intention of traud.s Nothing APP
peared anywhere nf the vague talk to which
the country has been treated Of 1900, clipped
Blaine ballots which had been illegally thrown
out. Tho equally vague talk about "fraud'
evaporatcd all round, just as quick as attention
even alleged anywhere by the great array of
lawyers employed to watch the count The
facts OF the canvass show that the Republicans
had absolutely nothing on which to base their
claim of having carried the state. They knew
they hadn't as well as any body. The returns
on which the plurality was given to Cleveland
In the beginning were verified over and over
again by the newspapers, the Associated Press,
the political committees and the Albany au-
thorities. The Republican committee knew
their aggregate as well as anybody else, they
didn't produce figure or CLAIM 10 challenge
them anywhere, and they couldn't under the
New York law.
Why then did they keep the country in a fe-
yer of excitement, parayze business and in
woke the shadow of civil war with their pre-.
posterous and persistent claim that they KNEW
they had carried the state when as it turns on
they had not a figure to back it? If they had
said that the result was very close, that Cleve-
land had an apparent plurality, but perhaps
lawful and orderly count might disclose mis-
takes which would reverse it, no one would
have thought of finding fault, the incalculable
loss the country has suffered from the suspense,
with all its breads and suspicious. would have
been averted, and the final declaration would
have been awaited with all the good nature
of the American people. But
heir unqualified Claim of victory when as they
now admit they had nothing in the world to
base it upon except this vague hope, this one
chance in hundred OF the discovery of decisive
mistakes, was an unparalleled disregard of
ruth and fairness.
Only two explanations are possible. First,
is was feared by the country, thar they had
,ome scheme of frand, which, when the test
,ame, they darel not undertake, under such
careful scrutiny, and second, as is far more
probable, that 1t was deliberate job of Elkins,
5hafIee and other gamblers in the national
to get a cnance to cover their bets.
These men staked enormous sums on BIaine's
uccess, and probably they have b en- at work
o get it back. The New York World saws:
A party identified with that committee placed
II the hands of Democrat since election $l0,-
100 to bet that Cleveland was elected, with in
tructions to place it even il he had TO give
odds. Bulletins were then put out that Blaine
lad carried the state, and those innocent Re- |
,ublcans who placed their faith OH bulletins |
yet On Blaine, putting their money up for him |
lgainst money furnished by those on the inside |
II the Republican committee to bet on Cleve-
and. The $4,000 has all been placed IN |
Cleveland, the last 300 being bet at the rate of |
300 on Cleveland to $40 on Blaine. Thus, |
While declaring that Blaine was elected, these
IN the inside have been betting ten to one that |
le is not. Thuse Republicans who have put
Up their money on Blaine on the strength of |
he Republican committees bulletins have been |
by their own leaders.
A prominent Republican in the city tells the
Boston Herald;
know that the money piled into Kelly g.
Bliss pool room during the last week of the
to keep up the odds on Blaine on the
general result came from the Republican ma
iunal committee, by the check OF Chairman
ones. His loss, in this was something enor-
nous, and there is no question in my mind that
he claim put forth on election night that Blaine
vas elecred, and afterwards MAIN aimed, was
one 30 that Jones and his friends might hedge
ut a good part of their amounts.
Think of the noble history of the Republican
arty! Has its leadership, the control of its
rganzation, sunk to the dispensers of obscene
terature and professional gamb!erss Are its
reat honest masses being used as dupes, their
sntments and hopes being traded upoh, for the
imposes of the pool roomi
1t looks very much like it. Deep indeed is
le humiliation of Blaineism.
THERE is a movement among the New York
emocrats to combine with what stalwarts are