Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-11-17
CONTEST RECALLS
ELECTION OF 1876.
Long Uncertainty Over Hayes
TIden Vote.
CLOSE MARGIN DECIDES

Az In This Election, the Fight Between
Hayes and TiIden Was Long In Doubt.
Cleveland Blaine Race In 1884 Also
Similar-Returns Very Late In Ar
irving.
Close national elections always recall
The historic contest Of 1876, when
Rutherford B. Hayes, Republican, was
declared elected president by a margin
Of one electoral vote over Samuel j.
rilden, Democrat, almost four months
after the election. On election night
In November, 1876, Tilden's election
vas announced in the first editions of
all the newspapers and at 1:30 o'clock
was conceded by the Republican lead
ers.
Decided by Close Margin.
The other memorable instance Of
close national elections was In 1854,
when 1t was not known until Friday
after election day whether Grover
Cleveland or James G. Blaine had been.
chosen president, and then the contest
was decided in New York state by a
margin of LOO votes. 1t was at this
election that John Y. McKane, the
Democratic boss of Coney Island, who
later went to Sing Sing for o~verzealous
political activity, gave the Cleveland
ticket a plurality in Gravesend that
exceeded by 1900 the total number Of
men, women and children in the town,
which was 5000.
The contest of 1875, which brought
wholesale charges of fraud, gun play,
intimidation and murder, some of
which were also proved, started on
election night when it became appar-
emit on the returns not to be doubted
that Tilden had 1874 electoral votes and
Hayes 165, with twenty votes doubt
full. One hundred and eighty-fve were
necessary for a choice. The twenty
doubtful votes were distributed in Ore
gon, Louisiana, Florida and South Car
DINA.
Republicans and Democrats started
after these twenty votes. If the Re-
publicans got them all it meant that
Hayes would be elected by a margin
Of one electoral vote.
Theft Of Election Charged.
It was freely charged that Tflden
had been f~raudulently deprived of sew
eral electoral votes and the election.
His popular vote exceeded that of
Hayes by 250,935. AS in the election
just passed, the doubtful states were
California and some of the middle,
western states, notably Nebraska.
Florida remained a puzzle for a long.
time. In those days the south was
not solid when it came to voting be-
cause of the punitive measures en-
forced by the north after the civil war,
which restricted suffrage in the rebel
states.
For a day or so after the presiden-
tial election in 1892 there vas consid-
cradle doubt as to the result. Many
Republican papers claimed that Benja-
min Harrison, Republican, had been
reelected over Grover Cleveland, Dem
ocrat, by a comfortable margin. Indi-
ana and Illinois were claimed by both
sides, and it looked for awhile, judg-
ing by the scattering returns, that Har-
risop would carry both Delaware and
West Virginia.
The second day, however, proved
Mr.. Cleveland's election for a second
term with a handsome majority in the
electoral college, his vote being 277
against 145 for Harrison.
But the ace was so close for awhile
that the newspapers of New York sug-
gested that tie next president of the.
United States might have to be elect
ed by congress.