New-York tribune., 1906-11-14

ho.rss detailed story OF the canvassing
ius ana the electoral count. His conclns,ons
a. - 'he Your states which were involved
-,aas.., o'e eEsy may Well be cited, with com
c.s+ -, IN fIorlda fair count Of the votes
- ''isnt nave given the state to Tilden. but a
lree and fair casting Of the vo+.s ,o,,,s Co.
80 nave given the state 70 Haves In
eSuIty' therefore, the votes OF Florida belonged
- 11"yes- AS for South Carolina-Uhere bv thA
oS' Ooycotting was so strenuouslv and success
10y Pfaotised long before Captain Boycott gave
0'esIaoie thing its name-there is mot the
s.-eesI douot" that the Republicans carried It
es' Whatever may have been the actual
result or the scandalous violations Of the free
uoll OF the ballot in Louisiana there is no doubt
"t Oh d Iree, fair vote the state would have
gone strongly Republican. AS for the wretcbed
nocus-pocus in Oregon. our authors estimate OF
II Is sufficiently indicated by his statement that
the Democratic Governor, Mr. Grover. "did NOT
hesitate at so small a matter as the law" when
Inc presidency Of the United States was at
STAKE HIS summing UP OF the whole matter
men, is that without a shred OF doubt the act
creating that commission one Of the wisest
pieces OF statesmanship ever evolved bv an
american Congress-" and that, 'aIl things con-
stdereo' II appears that both legally and ethcaIly
lhe decision was the proper one" For the sake
Of the soundness Of the latter Judgment we may
pardon the somewhat ex1lberant not N saw
bCInptious. emphasis OF the former.
SO far the story OF the disputed election told
IN dozen chapters, so replete with references
10 all sorts and conditions Of authorities that
We Almost look for footnote 20 verify the state
Iheht that Hayes and Tiden were the rival can
o4uates Then in dozen pages only is given
necessarily meagre and perfunctory account
OF what was decidedly the most significant and
important feature Of the whole case and the one
py which that episode IN American history de-
serves 10 be most remembered. Upon this We
Inlsht hesitate to enlarge, seeing how insepara-
bly, The Tribune was and ever must be identified
Win H. and we have no inclination TO find fault
Win MI Haworth for not giving TO this journal
more of the recognition and credit which it's con-
rernporaries, and especially Democratic his
'orlans, for reasons not difficult TO divine have
rerralned from giving. But twentv-eight years
have now passed since that historic episoSe The
Two most active and triumphant agents in it
nave long ago departed from this life The then
chief Of the Tribune staff has laid down the
editorial burden SO long and so ably borne TO as
sumo IN its stead the burdens and the honors Of
! the American Enthusiastically to the Court Of
St James's. Every other immediate actor in
that brilliant and effective comedy has passed
away from from these precincts and only a few
remain who observed and personally remember
us enactment. new generation has arisen, Of
! both writers and readers, 10 which the in
structive story Of those times is known only
through hearsay and from records too little
scanned and too slightly understood. Il should
Dc pardonable, then, for US briefly and modegtly
TO recall some facts which ATr Faworth in
common with many others, seems 10 have passed
by with too little consideration. and full appre-
ciatton Of which is essential 10 a right under
standing Of the circumstances and consequences
OF The Presidential election Of 1876
Il was well known that during the closing
months Of 1875 ana the opening months Of 1877.
that is. between the date Of the election and that
or the final count Of the electoral votes, numer-
GUS visiting statesmen" both Democratic and
Republican, were busy in the four states whose
| votes were disputed, and that great amount
| Of telegraphio correspondence passed between
| them and their party managers and leaders in
| New York and Washington. In the course Of
the Investigations made by committees Of the
| Senate and House Of Representatives IN 1877 1,
was found that many OF these dispatches be-
tween Dem ocratic politicians had been in cipher
and few Of them were sufficiently translated
! 70 indicate that there had been a corrupt Demo
/ cratic conspiracy 70 purchase the vote OF one
elector IN the state Of Oregon. There the matter
was, perforce, permitted TO rest. Congress being
unable 20 decipher the mass OF the dispatches
| But n the summer Of 1873 the Editor of The
| Tribune. Mr. Whitelaw Reid, determined to take
| Up the work which Congress had laid down. and
| accordingly a great mass OF the Democratic
| cipher dispatches were placed in the hands o.
| two members OF the Tribune staff for them II
decipher. II was a perpIexing and arduous un,
| dertaling, from which Congressional COMMITTEES
! and the shrewdest party managers had recone(
| in despair The two Tribune men, however
| undertook their chiefs commission with a zes
ana q resolution which assured success
These two were John R. G. Hassard and VIII
fam NJ. Grosvenor, both now long deceased the
IN the prime OF their physical and intellectual
powers and in the forefront Of the newspape
profession Of the metropolis. Hassard. at tha
time managing editor Of The Tribune, for year
the unrfvalIed musical critic and the authorita
tive successor OF Ripley as literary editor
brought 10 the task OF unravening the puzzle
and OF presenting the results TO the public
brilliant and triumphant initiative, a fecund i'm
/ agfnation. rnasterful intuition and penetratio
and unsurpassed powers Of expression whethe
IN explanation. raillery. sarcasm or righteous in
vective. To him the task was Welcorne as
first reading OF Poe's Gold Bug or q followin
/ Of the ratiocinatIons Of Monsieur Dupin whil
exposition Of the results OF his studies was,
. his sincere and chivalric spirit, high and hol
duty Grosvenor. for many years the chic
financial editorial writer OF The Tribune and a
, [ unsurpassed authority on national pollcs, con
! tributed 10 the work an encyclopedia knowledg
Of men. an exceptional genius for mathematics
analysis and computation and a forecasting tai
ent not far removed from actual prescienct
Two men more admirably fitted 10 compemer
each others work as co-laborers could not haE
been found, nor could any have performed III
task more accurately, more completely or NOR
. effectively.
The time for the disclosure was well chose
and the need OF II was great The "Republica