The New York herald., 1921-08-21
The Hayes -Tilden Election of 1876
William E. Chandler's Own Story of How He Turned
Apparent Defeat Into Victory

train from the North directly from
Richmond had failed to make the con-
nection, so when we went on South we
were far ahead of others-indeed, had
gained time BY going around by
Lynchburg.
When starting and en- route
thought of stopping in South Carolina,
but concluded to go straight on to
Florida Upon arriving at Tallahassee
/ found that the State was very close
and that the canvassing board had
judicial powers to throw out returns
appearing to be or shown TO be er-
roneous. On the face of the returns as
they came in the Hayes electors had
about fifty ma jority in the State. Both
sides. however began to get together
testimony for attacking the returns in
dozen counties or more.
Northern visitors arrived and by the
time the canvassing board began its
wcrk there was a great mass of evi-
dence ready. After tho returns were
opened the Democrats claimed that
regular return should not be accepted
from Baker county, where two pre-
cincts had been thrown out by the
county canvassers. which would have
given Tilden ninety majority in the
State. We conceded that the board
had right to do this If it chose, but
that 1t must also go on and inquire
into the correctness of returns from
other counties. The Democrats said
no, that we must correct the Baker
county error and stop there. The
board. however, composed ofNtwo Re-
publicans and one Democrat, proceeded
to investigate all the contested coun-
ties and finally found a majority for
the Hayes electors of 900, which was
sustained by the final decision OF the
Electoral Commission in Washington,
to Z.
OF course there were many Incl
dents during the Florida canvass.
Francis C. Barlow, who had been sent
there with other Republicans. was
under my direction made our leading
counsel in the canvass, but abandoned
us and tried to induce the canvassing
William T. Pelton, telegraphing from
Mr.. Tilden's house. and Manton Mar
BILE and others endeavored to buy the
canvassing board. as was proved by
the cipher dispatches placed by me in
the hands of Mr.. Whitelaw Reid for
deciphering and for publication.
On my return to Washington Sen
ator Aaron A. Sargent, chairman Of
the Senate Committee on Florida,
asked my assistance when he was
making his report, and / prepared
for him and he adopted statement
of the law showing that the results
as declared by the canvassing boards
of the various States must be accepted
by the Congress when counting the
electoral votes. It also showed that
the Cronin vote In Oregon must be
rejected as the creation of the Gov
ernor and not of the canvassing body,
which was the Secretary of State. This
statement of the law was the first an
nouncement of the view which finally
prevailed in the Electoral Commission.
l speak of it because Senator Sargent
freely attributed to me that part of
his work
While in Florida l was in constant
telegraphic communication with South
Carolina and Louisiana and knew
what the probabilities were as to the
decisions of the canvassing boards in
those States. Returning to Washing
ton i acted under Senator Chandler
for the National Committee in the
of the Hayes case for the
Electoral Commission. All these things
were stated by me in my testimony
before the Potter committee in the
summer of 1873.
am prepared to say that there was
no doubt about the legal title Of Pres
ident Hayes. there was no doubt about
his moral title and there was no doubt
about the immoral and dishonest char
acter of the Tilden canvass. Mr.. Tilden
was worth several millions of dollars
and spent hundreds of thousands of
dollars in his attempt to secure the
election, and his managers attempted
corruption in Oregon, South Carolina.
Florida and Louisiana. Mr.. Senator
Eugene Hale has in his hands the
memorandum book of Senator Zacha-
riah Chandler which shows that all
the expenditures of the Republican
National Committee during the can
vass of 1876 and down to the iraugu-
ration Of Hayes in 1877 were only about
5000, 900. VIM. e. CHANptre.