New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-20
THE TROUBLE IN NEW-HAMPSHTRh.


The efforts of the Republicans of New-Hamp-
shire by orderly and constitutional methodS 10
straipbten out an exceedingly complicated sit
uation arising from the unauthorized electioh
of certain persons to membership in the State
Legislature have brought out great cry OF
fraud from the Democratic press In several
cities, a CRY which is being eagerly made use
of TO promote nothing less serious than civil
strife In another column we PRINT lettef
from Senator William +. Chandler giving a
faithful account of this sltuatlon how 1t arose
and what is contemplated for its proper ADJUST
ment Let it be understood that even IL the
results of these unauthorized elections should
be declared valid, the Legislature would still
have a Republican majority. Let 1t be under
stood that the Republican candidate Tor GoV-
ernOr, which office is to be filled by the acuoh
of the new Legislature, had clear and I'M
disputed plurality of the votes cast on Novem-
Der T. and in any State that did not require
majority vote he would have been duly chosen.
In dealing with the question as to the legailty
of these unauthorized elections, therefore, tne
Republicans are not engaged in an attempt 10
convert minority into majority, nor TO seat
as Governor a man who received fewer votes
at the polls than his rival. The charge which
the Democratic papers are angrily making, that
they are trying to steal the State" is shown
by these facts, which "The Manchester Union'
itself comedies, to be wholly false and unjust.
The State is theirs already by the votes of the
people whether the unauthorized elections are
valid or not.
These unauthorized elections were had IN
what are known as cIaSsed tOwns'-that Is,
,,,hn
a former law these towns were allowed repre-
sentatiOn in the House. But by recent con-
stitutional amendment that discrimination III
their favor was repealed. and they were as
signed among the pro rata towns; that IS,
they were allowed representation according 10
their population, and it was left to the Legs
lature to arrange them into districts. ms
task the Legislature failed to perform, OWING as
Senator Chandler shows. to Democratic chlcan-
cry With their former privilege wiped out
by constitutional enactment and no other
provision made whereby they can have voice
in the House. they are, 1t must be admitted, IN
hard fortune. But that is not the fault OF the
Republicans, nor does it justify violation OF
the fundamental law of the State. The per-
sons they have elected can only be seated by
an open disregard of the constitutional amend
ment terminating the classed town. arrange
ment and it is a just punishment OF the Dem
ocratc trickery by which the ApportiOnment
bill was defeated, that the Democratic majority
returned from these cIassed towns' is for
hidden access to the legislative halls.
But even with the "classed town" delega-
ton included and admitted-23 Democrats to
10 Republicans-the Democratic party would
still be in minority. Their conspiracy does
not end, therefore, with the scheme to annul
the Constitution. They are not only demand
ing that persons be seated who have no more
right to places in the House than would be
conferred by any other kind of unauthorized
election, but they insist that body OF forty
members lawfully elected shall be unSeated
The last Legislature passed a law allowing
IAN additional Representative in each town or
ward shown to be entitled to one by the census
of 1890" The result of the new census was
announced in October, and it gave 40 new
members to the House. These include % Re-
publicans and 10 Democrats, and it is this large
body of members which the New-l1ampshire
Democracy proposes to count out. In other
words, they demand that 35 unlawfuly chosen
persons, representing 1000 voters, shall be
admitted and that 40 lawfully chosen persons,
| representing co, 900 voters, shall be excluded.
And if these prepOsterous demands are not
admitted, they savagely threaten TO hold a
| Legislature and to elect Governor and q
| United States Senator Of their own
| These facts need no comment to show which
party in New1ampshire is trying TO steal the
State" We warn Mr.. Bingham and his friends
that they are engaged in dangerous bust
ness. We urge them to give little careful
reflection to what they are about. Two COM
plete State governments in an American Com
monwealth are an impossibity, and serious
attempt to create such conditions must lead
| to violence and disorder