The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-08-23

ed during the panic of 1887. when there
nineteen votes were for sale. The three
States of Florida, Louisiana, and South
Carolina held their votes to ransom. One
of these votes, single one, was all Til
den required to make 1856, or a majority.
Mr. Hayes required the whole nineteen.
There is no dispute that the votes were
for sale Mr.. Hayes got the votes. The
banditti who held the votes to ransom
were rewarded. There was a Governor of
Louisiana. He was a governor by injunc-
tion-the order of Il drunken and dis
reputable Judge That governor and his
returning board by fraud and perjury and
forgery secured the vote of Louisiana for
Mr. Hayes. First they disfranchised
thousands of legal voters To do that
fraud was substituted for majority
There had to be some sort of excuse
Mistress Eliza Pinkston swore to the ex-
cuse. Then there had to be some legal
forms They were absent, and others were
forged.
They sent the fraudulent vote to Wash
ington. The certificate was fatally de-
fective. There was not time to get an
other; but there was plenty of time to
forge another, and they forged it, Indeed,
the election was stolen in twenty differ
ent sorts of ways.
They created an extra constitutional
election commission. Tilden called the
Democratic assents to that "a panic of
paclficators. The commission pretended
to hear the case, and then they adiudi-
Gated, by vote of to Z, that they were
only the fence" to hold the plumber the
burglars had stolen. The greatest nation
in the world looked on in amazement and
| shame. 1t was the GROWING political in
fanny of our history
| Hal Tilden controlled he would have
COMPOUNDED and defeated the conspirators
He would have simply put the Constitu-
| tion to them The Constitution says Con
gress shall count the vote Congress would
never have counted the nineteen stolen
votes for Hayes. Even when it was ire.
vocably determined to have the commits
sion, the Democratic cause would have
been saved if Tlden's advice had been
followed to impose on the commission the
duty of thorough investigation.
Having robbed him, they proceeded to
SANDER him. When we do man wrong
it helps our poor little consciences to
show that he was a bad man anyhow
SO they said Tilden tried to buy what
| was already his. They sent Tom Reed to
question him about it. When Tom got
back he could have told them how it felt
to catch Tartar Tilden had the money
The votes were offered him. If he was in
the market why did he not buy them
Their charge was founded on the offer OF
the burglars to sell the Presidency to Til
dens nephew.
Then as though they thought they could
make their theft respectable, they sued
Tilden and laid a charge that fifteen
years before he had made a false income
tax return, and they kept that suit on
the docket as long as, and no longer than
he was a possible candidate for President
1t was the only suit of the kind ever in
stituted. Mr.. Blaine was thought to have
something to do with it, for Blaine ex
pected to be the candidate against Tilder
In 1880, and the one scorching sarcasm OF
Tilden's public utterances was directed
against Mr.. Blaine-it was that anecdotc
of the discussion of James Ii and Mel
Gwym's son on the subject of conscience
or rather the lack of it on the young
mans part, and the redundant supply o.
it on the part of the young mans party
As soon as Tilden got out of politics hi.
enemies began to abuse the public pa
thence and disguest the public conscicnc,
with praise of him.
His fame is the greater because of The
robbery. Intelligent generations yet t.
be will ask, Why is not the name of Sam
uel Jones Tilden among the names of The
American Presidents?