The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-02-14
THE PRESIDENTIAL. ~TnEFro

Some Facts About tho 1870 Aflair, Witch
Arc being Perverted In West Virginia
Just NUw-Thiugs to Remember.
Chicago Tribune,
The Harlem Democratic Club OF New
York celebrated the anniversary OF Sam
uel ], Tilden's birthday Saturday, Let
tiers were sontfrOm prominent Democrats
unable to attend, Mr., Wattorson made
the principal speech on the occasion,
devoting it to sketch OF Tilden. Other
addresses were made, and among them
one by Mr.. Charles A. Dana, who spoke,
us might have been expected, upon "the
great fraud OF 1876" while in his paper
he refers to the meeting as having been
held "in remembrance OF Tilden and Of
the ncver.to.be.forgotten theft OF the
Presidency"
Mr.. Dana has become so permeated
with the erroneous notion OF Presidential
theft in 1876 that probably no amount Of
reason will ever change his opinions or
convince him that the election OF Hayes
was not Presidential larceny, when in
fact the seating Of Hayes was due TO the
defeat OF the Democracy in an attempted
theft Of the boldest description, both in
forCible Acknowledgement OF Republicans
and in the attempted purchase OF EleC-
torul votes. The Democrats ut that time
set out to steal the Solid South by bull
doing, terrorism, fraud, and the shot
gun policy. More Nudacious measures
were necessary then than now, for the
black voters in 1876 still had little
show OF Federal protection in their
rights rs citizens. Tho Democrats de-
liberately conspired TO carry the Repub-
lican States of South Carolina, Florida,
Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana
by force OF arms and other buIldo2ing
methods, and they succeeded in carry.
ing Mississippi aud Alabama. They
failed to carry Florida, South Carolina
and Louisiana. They were beaten on
the face of the returns in tho first two
States aud tried the game Of buying
Electoral votes. In Louisiana they
claimed the majority blythe methods Of
the shotgun, and sought to bulldoze the
Republicans into ConCeding it, 1t is
only necessary to refer to East and West
Feliciana and Grant Parishes, where IN
overwhelming Democratic vote was piled
up and hardly a Republican vote was
allowed to be cast In those Republican
counties, or to the audaCious frauds in
Baton Rouge, Caldwell, De Soto, Plaque
mines, and other river parishes, where
tho colored Republicans were shot out,
driven out, tCrrorized out, aud counted
out, or to recall the whole details OF the
Democratic conspiracy Of theft. No
fair.minded person OF intelligence who
followed the case all through can believe
that Louisiana was carried legally for
Tilden. lie was honestly defeated, Had
the election in that State been conduct
ed BY the same fair methods that obtain
in lllonOis or in any other Northern
State the majority against Tilden would
have been over 10000, because the State
is Republican by that much. Fair meth
DDS in. Mississippi would have given
Hayes 10000 majority, but he was cheat
cd out OF that State. Fair methods |
would also have carried Alabama for
Hayes by small majority. Tilden lost
the State OF Louisiana upon every con-
ditiOn which attaches to fair, honest,
and legal election, and Mr.. Dana ought
to know 1t Just rs well as he knows that
Grover Cleveland's supporters carried
that same State BY fraud four years ago,
rs well as Mississippi, Alabama, Florida,
and South Carolina, II not some Others.
When Mr.. Hayes came into office he
weakly compromised with the cotton
South, and made well known ConCess-
ions to 1t upon its promise that elections
should DO conducted fairly iithcre were
no National interference. With the re-
suit OF that bargain the country is fa.
miliar. Since Mr.. Hayes time no more
blacks have been allowed to vote than
the cotton States think proper, the limit
Of prOpriety being that no Republican
shall be elected to Congress from Re.
publican district. The Democrats failed
10 steal the election in 1876, but they
did stcal 1t In 1884, and Mr.. Dana
knows It, or ought to know II. II is as;
lonishingthRt u man Of his great intel
IigenCe doeB not sec that II every man
ID permitted to vote In Louisiana who Is
entitled TO vote and have his vote count.
I'd there Is and has been for twenty
years large Republican majority In
that State. II he takes the ground that a
citizen must not vote because llu is.not
/ white man, then no Is untrue TO the
principles for which he argued and
,trovo 80 many yeats. lie has allowed
partisan prejudice TO shut his eyes to the
ruth and the facts.