Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-11-13

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On the face of the returns, as coli
iected and collated by the press of New
York-sven the Associated Press gives
in, toO-Grover CLEVELAND has a plural
ity of over 1900 votes in the Empire
State. These returns have been re-
vise:i again and again by the New
York San, the bitterest opponent CIeve-
land had during all the campaign, with
the result above stated. Notwith-
standing all thie the Blaine managers,
with Blaine at their head, continue to
claim the State, and have set machin-
cry in motion to change the result,
without regard to the right or justice
of their claims. Now, if an honest
counting of the vote by the county
| canvassers should show Mr.. Blaine
elected by plurality of even one vote,
we, and all good Democrats and citi-
Gems, would demand that he be placed
in the Presidential chair on the 4th of
next March. And if Cleveland should
| come out ahead, we believe the people
will see to it that he be invested with
the Office to which they have elected
him.
But will there be an honest count?
Not if the Republican leaders, back
ed by the silence of the rank and file,
can prevent it.
This is sweeping assertion, but ex-
perience bears it out.
The Great Fraud of 1876 need not be
quoted here: We shall come nearer
home.
In 1868, Louis F. DINING was elected
Judge Of the 26th Circuit, by najori-
ty of nearly nine hundred votes. He
was kept out of his office for four years,
by Republican State officials and the
inferior courts and Supreme Court,
combined; and succeeded only after the
Liberal movement had swept the Re-
publican party out of place and its cor
ruptions to the devil that suggested
| them.
Thos. H. MackIind, an ex-Federal
officer, was the same year elected Cir
cult Attorney for this district. He was
counted out" by Rodman, and when
he applied to the courts for the writs
necessary to judicial determination
of his cause, he was refused-refused
without cause or reason given-and
he never did fill the office to which
he had been elected.
H. 1868, James Buford was elected
Sheriff and Collector Of Iron county by
majority of So in total vote of about
600. The registration lists had been
supervised by Republican officers, and
names of Democrats stricken off until
there was majority of nearly one hum
dred true blue Republicans on the list.
All the judges and clerks of election
were Republican, and there was no
possible chance for Democratic fraud.
Yet, Notwithstanding all this, when
Buford's personal popularity secured
him enough Republican votes to elect
1 him, steps were at once taken to de-
fraud him of his office. For four
months Gov. McClurg refused to COM
mission him, Notwithstanding not a
trace of showing Of fraud or unfairness
could be made. That Mr.. Buford fin
! ally got his commission was the result
of factional feud among local Republic
Eans, and not because it was his right.
i Did any honest Republican politi-
clan denounce those methods? If there
| did, we did not hear him.
| And so in every other instance, no
matter how plain the fraud and cor
ruption.
We, therefore. cannot be blamed for
| having no faith in an honest, fair and
square determination of the present
trouble-a trouble raised solely to de-
feat the will of the people as expressed
at the ballot-box-except as it is forced
upon the Republican managers by
| the calm though determined attitude
of the Democrats and Independent
Republicans. who gave Gov. Cleve-
land their support. This, and this,
only, will give effect to their choice
in case he has received plurality of
the votes in New York. That he has
received such a plurality, there is no
room for reasonable doubt. But we
have no faith in Republican flair
ness"