Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1916-11-16
CONTEST RECALLS
ELECTION OF 1875
Long Uncertainty Over Hayes
Tiiden Vote. |
CLOSE MAHGIN DECIDES

Az In This Election, tho Fight Between
Hayes and TilGen Was Long In Doubt.
Cleveland Blaine Race In 1884 Also
SimiIar-Returns Very Late In Ar
riving.
Close national elections always recall
the historic contest Of 1876. when
Rutherford B. Hayes. Republican. wa.
declared elected president by Inargin
of one electoral vote over Samuel j
'rilden, Democrat. almost four month,
after the election. On ele tiOn night
IN November. 1876. Tildens election
was announced in the first editions OF
all the newspapers and at 80 o'clock
was conceded by the Republican lead
ers.
Decided by Close Margin.
The other memorable Instance Of
close ational elections was in 1884.
when was not known until Friday
after e..ction 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 overzeaIous
political activity. gave the Cleveland
ticket a plurality In GrareseEd that
exceeded by 1000 the total number Of
men, women and children in the town.
which was 5000.
The contest of 1876. which brought
wholesale charges Of fraud. gun play,
intimidation and murder. some OF
which were also proved. started on
election night when 1t became nppar-
ent on the returns not to be doubted
that Tilden had 1S4 electoral votes and
Hayes 165, with twenty votes doubt
full. One hundred and eighty-6ve we're
necessary for q choice. The twenty
d00DrruT VOTES were uIsrrIuuted ID OrpE
gon, Louisiana. Florida and South Car.
olina.
By sunup Of the next morning both
Republicans and Democrats started
after these twenty votes. II the Re-
publicans got them all 1t meant that
Hayes would be elected By margin
Of one electoral vote.
Theft of Election Charged.
It was freely charged that Tilden
had been frauduJently deprived OF sev.
eral electoral votes and the election.
His popular vote exceeded that OF
Hayes by 25O.935. As in the election
Just passed. the doubtful states were
California and some Of the middle
western states. notably Nebraska.
Florida remained q puzzle for a long
time. In those days the south was
not solid when 1t 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'
tal election In 1892 there was consid.
erable doubt as to the result. Many
Republican papers claimed that Benja.
min Harrison, Republican, had been
reelected over Grover Cleveland. Dem.
ocrat, by comfortable margin. Indi.
ana and Illinois were claimed by both
sides, and it looked for awhile, judg-
ing by the scattering returns. that Har-
rison would carry both Delaware and
West Virginia.
The second day. however, proved
Mr. Cleveland's election for a second
term with handsome majority In tho
electoral college, his vote being PIT
against 145 for Harrison.
But the race was so close for awhile
that the newspapers Of New York sug.
gested that the next president Of the
United States might have to be elect.
ed by congress.
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