Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1900-11-03
SATURDAY EVENING. NOV. 8, 1900.
ruu ELECTION of 1896 was carried ty

have won the election easily. But these
bad methods were not enough to elect
Mckinley. The vast corruption fuoo
of Mr.. Hanna, estimated all the way
from fifteen to twenty millions of dol
lars. was largely used to corrupt the
election officers and thus secure spurious
returns. All this was demonstrated al
the time. The States thus carried oy
fraud were certainly Ohio, West Wiz
0ipia. Indiana, Kentucky and probably
anne others. The usual per centsge OF
voters to population in old States, even
when a full vote is out. is not over one
voter to every five inhabitants. one 10
five is a large proportion. In the state
of Ohio, with anti democratic election
boards. the vote showed one vote 10
every three and q half people This
was an open, palpable fraud to which
no tree people ought to submit. but
for these frauds Bryan would have been
President. 10 1876 the Presidency was
VIGOROUSLY stolen ny the republican
leaders. Tilden was elected and Hayes
counted in. Even the republican leaders
do not now deny this Infamous fraud.
The republican, democratic and inde'
pendent papers OF Philsdelphla-the
Ledger. Press and other journals ali
mite in asserting that state OF things
for a number OF years has existed ip
that great city by virtue OF which the
republican machine-the most corrupt
10 all hietory-counts at every election
a fraudulent vote of 5000 or up
wards. The election in Philadelphia
is thus reduced to farce. 1t is known
to everybody in Philadelphia that tbese
wholesale ( suds are to be repeated
next Tuesday in that city OF l,3OO,OOO
people. This great Stste, OF Pennsyl'
yanis, the second in the Union, b's
ceased 10 have republic government.
IL is given over to fraud, corruptiooists
and ballot box suffers. There is DO
remedy, simply because even the re-
spectacle men OF Philadelphia lack the
courage to assert their rights. They
submit like dogs TO their fate.
Having carried the election OF 1896
and other years by fraudulent coun',
the republican managers propose 10 re-
peat these frauds this year. They
have the money to do it with, and they
have the courage TO do ii; but only 10
the event that they are assured before
hand that the democrats will submit TO
be cheated. If they once see that it If
the stern and uuhiuchiog purpose Of
the democrats to insist on a fair election,
and that, il they are caught perpetraling
frauds, they will be strung up at the
nearest tree or lamp post, they will
abandon their purpose. The only
thing to restrain them, is not conscience
but fear. Mr.. Croker and Mr.. Jones
know them we'll and they know also
that the courage OF these bad men il
not equal to their vilsiny, if they fore
see danger. II all the democrats follow
the advice and leadership of Jones and
Croker, there will be a perfectly fair
election. Many poor workinRmen will
be inundated and made to vote the
Mckinley ticket, but there will
be enough democratic ballots left
to carry the day With a fail
count. 10 1884 the republicans were
preparing 10 steal the Presidential cleo
ton. 1t turned on New York. The
rising indignation OF the New York
democrats and the determination 10
exact swift, immediate punishment
OF the republican leaders, checked the
carefully prepared fraud. Had there
been like spirit 10 1875, MIR. TildeD
would not have been defrauded out OF
the election; but MIR. Hewitt, the demo
cratic chairman, publicly said that he
preferred to lose a hundred Presi.
dents than shed one drop of blood
This base spirit nerved the republicans
on to q successful crime. Had there
been proper spirit, the vote of Florida
South Carolina and Louisiana would
not have been stolen from Tilden. Mr.
Hawitt's proposition might we'll be re
versed. Better TO sacrifice bundre
republican kDaves. caught redhsndeC
in their guilt, than to allow the Presi
dency to be wrested from the Amer
can people by fraud and crime. Let u
have peace, ii possible, but whethe
there be peace or war, let the demo
Gratis 10 every precinct of the land de
msnd fair count and insist on il il
the same temper aud spirit as made ou
fathers resist British Tyranny in III
and 1872. Such resolute temper woul,
work miraculous change of heart /,
the republican leaders and II not 1
them, then in the base men they rel
on as the instruments Of great Grim,
already perpetrated by them In tn
past, This class of republican knaye
who for a hundred dollar bill void
fslsify an election return would not do
ior ten thousand dollars II they though
their necks would be endangere,
This election will test the quesfic
whether the American voter can
nhaatad O nd infimidafad LET there