Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1884-11-15
PRESIDENT
James G. or Grover c..


. decide. AS indicated by the following
dispatchs everything rests with New
York, and if as indicated, legal proceed
ings are to be instituted there is no
telling when the end will be reached or
what that end will be, but an unpre-
ljudiced view of the facts would indicate
that the democrats have the other end,
especially in New York, and that the
6. 0. p. will be ended, for the present
at least
New York, Special Telegram, Nov. Z.
l-Talcott Williams, managing editor OF
the Philadelphia Press, telegraphs that
paper tonight as follows: New York
state still remains in doubt which at
taches to poll whose plurality is so
small that the average accidents, omis-
sions and irregularities of q million and
a quarter Of bollots may alter it but the
odds Of the open returns favor Cleve-
,and. The tally of the returns at the
county seats gives the democratic can
didate a clear plurality close to 1000,
and it may be of 200 The poll by dis
tricts gives the same results. Both re-
turn clear plurality, but plurality so
small that half vote in thousand
might change the result; bnt there is
not tonight any definite assurance that
this half vote can be found, even by the
| closest scrutiny. Still mindful Of con-
tests in the past, no sane, impartial
candid man will pronounce the state
for either party. Both sides claim it
and 10y the same plurality about 100
neither dare submit their reports from
"A single county, their footings or their
plurality To the professional scrutiny of
a friendly correspondent This is true
| both of democrats and republicans alike
of the canvass in Mr.. Smiths hands at
the Hoffman house and Mr. Warmers at
the Glsey. Each party is warily watch
ing the other, and stripping for the
great legal fight Of Tuesday, the official
count by counties, whose issue and out
come will decide the presidency, and
/
Of disputed election. Into this fight
the republican party enters prepared to
prove frard, irregularities, and mis-
counts, which will increase the republi-
can vote by figure more than large
enough to offset the narrow democratic
plurality. Small as it is upon demo
cratic claims, not One-third of it stands
unquestioned. In Amsterdam ninety
seven votes, in Richmond township a
disputed figure which stands for a
difference Of sixty votes in this city an
more than one hundred votes in Essex
n missing township; in Queens and
Wesichester suspicious alterations; in
| Ulster a charge of collusion in the cleo
tion poll This and other challenged
returns reduced the democratic claim to
800 votes--3l0 is l believe, the exact
fgures--and on this brittle and doubtful
bridge Grover Cleveland is preparing to
pace to the presidency. There is not, so
far as can be ascerta!ned, any wide and
sweeping fraud apparent. There are re-
ports of 1000 or 5000 votes counted in
this city, and serious stuffing in the
counties about here; but all this seems
rather indefinite. The fact is that the
poll leaves the count SO close, and the
appearance of doubtful returns are so
clear, that the managers Of the republi-
can canvass addressed themselves to-
day to the last and most difficult work
in political contest--an honest count.
BY nothing less ought an American
president be elected, and no man can
object to the closest scrutiny of every
return on which the presidency is to be
decided. This scrutiny begins to-day
The legal machinery has been set in full
|operation. Counsel have been retained
in every county seat, and instructions
have been addressed to them by mail
and telegraph. Blank forms leave to.
night for their use in the struggle which
will begin tomorrow and be fought out
over every return. The law of New
York, through precedents of thirty
years. makes the election inspector.
; judges Of the fact and the result Of the
election. They pass on the count anC
decide it, and their report consists no
of the ballots, as in Pennsylvania, but o
report in which tine number of ballots
is specified, with one of each sort filet
by way Of exhibits. When this is don,
J the ballots are burned.
Democratic experience in attempting
to reverse the vote Of Florida by sucl
proceedings will probably be remember
ed by all. In that case legal delays inter
posed until it was too late. The elector
had cast their votes for Hays. 1t
! hard to see how it could be done NOR
rapidly in this state. The title Of tn
electors who vote on the first Tuesda
in December could not be decided be
fore the February term and the wri
must be returnable before Democrat
court in Albany. In view of all thi
r the real struggle comes between no'
aud next Tuesday. In that interval tn
blanket jurisdiction Of the suprcm