The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-01-30
HAYES-TILDEN CONTEST


contest the United States has ever expert
enced, when a dispute arose over counting
the electoral votes for Rutherford B. Hayes
and Samuel ]. Tilden, candidates for
president. 4ps
Tildeh, Democrat had 1874 undsputed
electoral votes, while Hayes, Republican,
had 165 But duplicate returns were
made from Florida, South Carolina, Louis
lana and Oregon, with 20 electoral votes
certified by conflicting state authorities
In order to win the election, Tilden needed
only one of the disputed votes, while
Hayes needed them all, 185 being neces.
sary to a choice.
Finally, after much wrangling, Con-
gress passed a special act, creating an
electoral commission, composed of mem
bers of the Senate, House and the SUI
preme Court, Is in all, to decide the is
sue. By strict party vote of to 7, all
20 of the contested electoral votes were
given to Hayes, and he was declared
elected
Key West, Florida, n and particularly
the third ward, playedlahDdmpertan part
in this ELECTION. AS matter Of fact if the
third ward had not Been IL thrown out by
the RepublieanoretlsEhingl board ataTalla-
hassee, Tilden instead.fefq HaSeen' would
have been named the president of the
United States.
Hon. Jefferson B. Browne, in his book
"Key West the Old and the New, dilates
on this interesting subject, and we quote:
in the presidential election of 1876
Monroe County was one of the determin-
ing factors. The morning after the cleo
ton the Republicans realized that Mr..
Samuel J. Tilden had defeated the Repub-
iican candidate, Mr.. Hayes, by 33 electoral
votes, but that by fraudulently changing
the result in South Carolina, Florida and
Louisiana, they could elect Hayes by one
majority. Instructions were sent to the
Republican governors of these States to
change the Democratic majorities into
majority for the Republican party, and
men of great ability, although I'M
scrupulous partisans, were sent to each of
them to formulate plan to carry out the
proposed fraud. Monroe County key
West), which had given large Demo-
cratic majority, was one of those selected
to be contested. The third ward at the
time was almost solidly Democratic, Mr..
John T. Barker's family being the only
Republicans living therein. The vote of
the third ward was Asst for the Democratic
electors and three for the Republican.
''The returning board at Tallahassee
eliminated the vote of the third ward on
account of alleged fraud, although the
machinery of the election being in the
hands of the Republicans, they alone could
have perpetrated the irregularity. Never
theless, the third ward was thrown out
and the State given to the Republican
party by majority less than the Demo
cratic majority hiThiss ward 3or rs
Party fgefpH{ssys S a. high .Bhygha. IA even
threats of another civil war were .,nheard,
but calmer counsel prevailed, Tilden him
self advising his 'adReren& Is Accept the
finding of the commissionD> which was
approved by Congress in joint session on
March 2, 1877, and Hayes became presi-
dent.
People took their politics seriously 60
years ago. Campaign rallies were marked
by monster torchlight parades, with many
bands and uniformed marchers. and men
frequently fought and sometimes died
through zeal for their favorite candidates.
Now it is hard to get fifty per cent of them
out to vote.