The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-08
rgAUD IN TENNESSEE.

Ii II evident tnat. whatever tne iu-
ture of the Tennessee Democrats may
be- they are not lacking ia humof.
Their action in attempting to enjoin
Governor Taylor from issuing q certi-
ficate OF election to Evans, the Repnb-
Jican who was elected :. ~ congress from
H. Tbird district u that state, IS The
very height and end Of irony
The ilea Of fraud being pfactieed hy
the Republicans upon The Democrats
in any Southern congressional district
l. absurd enough. In this case now
eyer n il doubly and trebly absurd.
Evan vas elected by amajority which
mounted into the thousands. FOR
week nobody dreamed Of questioning
his election, and his name appeared
in both the Republican and Democrat
ic lists Of those who had been elected
TO the Fifty-iirst congress.
When the Democratic leaders con
ceived the idea Of stealing the House
OF Representative by counting ont the
Republicans who had been elected IN
the South, they made Up their minds
that tbey must have the representa-
tive from the Third Tennessee district
The Tennessee Democrats we're mott
fed OF the situation. and the returning
boards accordingly set to work to see
what they could do with Mr.. Evans
majority.
They threw out the entire vote OF
one precinct because there were two
more votes in the box than there were
names on the tally sheet. They threw
out another precinct because the bal
lots were tinted and another because
they we're pure white One precinct
went because the ballots were too long
and another because they were too
short. The most slashing reductions
we're made In Mr. Evans majorlties
and unexpected Democratic gains
turned up on all sides. After Repub-
lican precincts had been thrown out
on every conceivable pretext, however,
there still remained Republican ma
jority of about 500. In order TO get
this out of the way the Democrats
threw out an entire county on general
principles and were at last able to re-
turn their candidate as having been
duly elected.
The returns next came before the
state eanvassing board, which consists
of the governor and the secretary of
state. Both Of these, it is needless to
say, are Democrats. The secretary of
state regarded the counting out pro
ceedings as perfectly regular. but Gov
ernor Taylor, in spite of his Demo
cratic training, could not bring himself
TO look az the matter in that light. He
declared that Evans had been fairly
elected and that he should have his
certificate. This was n development
entirely unexpected by the Democrats,
and il Is needless to say that they were
surprised by the squeamishness OF
their governor. They found that he
was determined. however, and as he
has the power OF issuing certificates of
election it began 10 appear as if Evans
would be returned as elected after all,
In this emergency the spirit of the
Tennessee Democrats asserted itself.
They appealed to the courts and en-
Joined the governor from giving Evans
his certificate OF election on the
ground that fraud had been practiced
by the Republicans Their next move
will probably be TO have a few Repub-
liCans indicted because their votes
were thrown out or to have Evans
himself east into prison on charge of
eonspiring with the governor to de
fraud the Democratic returning boards
of Tie result OF their labors.
II is evident that, after all, the DEM
oerats of Tennessee can give points to
their brothers Of South Carolina,
Alabama and Louisiana and still beat
them in the game OF post-election
politics.