The herald., 1893-01-19
THURSDAY. JANUARY 10. 1898.
A LOST oPPoRTUNITY-A CHAPTER OF
HISTORY.

Ilere ii p5ouuo rohbiuoutdllly
which. in the presence of death, shrinks
from the inexorable verdict of the truth.
The death OF Rutherford B. Hayes re-
calls an episode in American history
that should be studied for instruction
and warning. Without indulgiug in
any unkind references to the dead
HAYES, it will be instructive to review
the peculiar intrigues that seated him
in Mr.. Tilden's chair in the White
House.
The day afterthe presidential elec ton
pf 1875 it was realized that the struggle
had resulted in Mr.. Tilden's election.
The several electoral colleges of the
union at that time comprised 369 elec-
toral votes, Of which candidate, to be
euccessful, must receive 1856. The ut
most ingenuity Of honest Republicans
could not count up more than 166 votes
for Hayes. He therefore needed 10
votes to elect him. Mr.. Tilden, exclu-
sive OF the electoral votes of South Car
olina, Florida and Louisiana, had 1874
electoral votes, and needed but one vote
to insure his election. 1t was we'll un-
derstoods that the states of Louisiana
and Florida, and probably also South
Carolina, had gone for him, but they
were under carpetbag domination and
the Republican leaders saw their oppor-
tunity.
The1alsrt genius Of old Zach Chandler
pounced upon the opening like hawk
on June bug. TO hold the field he
telegraphed all over the United States:
"Hayes has received 1S5 electoral votes
and is elected. Such kindred spirits as
Oliver P. Morton joined in the conspi-
racy. The recent death of Mr.. Jay
Gould threw great light upon the initial
steps OF the plot. That great financial
pirate was at the time largely inter-
ested in the Union Pacific railway. He
desired governmental favors for his pet
holdings; and he was, besides, ambi-
tious to stand well with high Republi-
can politicians. He furnished the con-
spiratora with $4,000 as a starter in
their scheme to steal from Tilden and
give to Hayes the nineteen votes of
South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana,
every one OF which the latter needed to
be elected. ssna
How well the conspiracy was carried
out every one knows. Grant stood in
with the Chambers, Mortons, Sher-
mans, Storghtons, and the rest of the
dignified jeremy Didler crowd. He ap-
pointed what was called q committee of
''visiting statesmen" to go down south
and exercise sort of repressive infu
ence on too glaring villainy, but it
had to be glsring, or the money and
labor would have been lost. He was
very careful not to put single Demo-
crat on this committee, an omis sion
which of itselfgave the whole game sway.
It required special degree of hardi-
hood on the part Of such men as John
Sherman and E. W. Stoughton to 90
through the parts they were compelled
to enact. But finally, by dint of un-
limited perjury and innumerable for
geries, the twelve thousand majority by
which Tilden had carried Louisiana
were gotten away with, and converted
into small majority for Hayes. Sher-
man was rewarded for his dirty work by
the appointment of secretary OF the
treasury inths cabineto of the fraudulent
president, while Stoughton was sent by
that same public functionary as minis
ter to Russia. The same game was
worked over in Florida by another set
OF political Chsdbands. ''And thus,''
wrote Charles Francis Adams, one oi
the founders of the Republican party,
was frard made triumphant for the
Grst time in American history"
1t is quite notifying to the average
American that the facts at which we
have barely limited in the foregoing
should go into American history with al
che fagtous details spread out at
length. Iut the final disposition o.
the matter was scarcely more creditable
When, for sake of peace, it was finally
agreed to settle the presidency by g
commlssion-a device unknown to the
constitution and rendered necessary
simply by the villainy OF set OF Repub
lican coDspirators-it was supposed
by some trusting psrtisans that {
non-psrtisan decision of the mat
ter would be reached that woult
pay Home attention to the no.
torious facts and to the wishes OF the
people. Vain expectation One OF ths
members Of the fifteen who composed
the commission was to be taken from
the supreme bench Of the United States
1t was feared that the choice might fal
on Judge David Davis, who was knowr
TO be man Of integrity. The Republi
cans in tho Illinois legislature joines
with tie independents and elected Davi