Year: 1879

What is called the fraud issue"
raises the question whether the Ameri-
can people are more disposed to "con-
done" one alleged crime than another.
The fraud issue is an assumption that
Mr.. Tilden was honestly elected Presi-
dent by a constitutional majority, and
was then dishonesty counted out by a
Returning Board, whose action was
dishonesty affirmed by the Electoral
Commission, and ratified by Congress.
The simple facts are these, in regard to
Louisiana, where the chief fraud is al
legged. The practice of terrorizing the
colored vote in certain parishes of
Louisiana had become so universal that
law was passed authorizing the Re-
turning Board to throw out the vote of
any precinct in which the Board was
satisfied that the vote had been unfair,
either through fraud or intimidation.
In the election of 1876 the one notorious
fact in Louisiana was the bulldozing of
the colored voters in certain parishes,
of which the Cincinnati Commercial es-
pecially contained the most ample and
conclusive evidence. The vote as re-
corded at the polls was notoriously
dishonest vote, as much so as that re-
corded by Tweed in New York in the
election of 1868. The Republican Re-
turning Board threw out the vote of
several parishes, so that the Republican
Presidential Electors were left with a
majority. There was immense excite
ment throughout the country. The
Democrats insisted that the bulldozed
results ought to be received as final.
Frlo ,-otOrtaI thof ha 10,
authorizing the revision was designed
TO defeat bulldozing. On both sides
there were suspicious circumstances.
Nothing was clearer than that the vote
as returned to the Board was not the
honest vote. But il was doubtful, also,
whether the action of the Board was
honest. The result of the National
election depended upon it, yet neither
the Constitution nor the laws provided
an unrhallenged remedy. In this situ-
alton Congress created the Electoral
Commission. The Commission decided
to abide by the general principle that
tie State certificate must be regarded
as final, and Congress ratified the deci-
sion, amid general satisfaction and
relief.


This is the ground upon which the
fraud issue is raised by the Democrats.
But the difficulty in their case is two
fold. In the first place, the presump,
ton is always against them in such a
question; and in the second place, the
Democratic fraud ard violence in Lou
isiana are quite as indisputable as the
fraud alleged against the Republicans.
The truth is that both parties were be-
fouled, and the country is fortunate to
have had peaceful and lawful escape.
But for the Democratic party to hope
to take the position of purity and hon.
esty in the election of 1876, as against
the Republicans, is inexpressibly lu
dicrous. There is no spectacle in oul
political history MUr0 IidiUulvue slIasr
that of Mr.. Tilden announcing solemn
ly from amidst a pile of cipher tele.
grams thht the country will never con-
done fraud. The assumption of the
fraud issue is a general belief that Mr..
Tilden honestly received Constitution
al majority. But there is no such be-
lief. Nobody believes that the election
in several Southern States was an hon
est election. 1t is very easy to say thai
it is only possible to count the vote:
that are cast. But this is no less foolish
than easy, when it is known that a sys-
tenn of fraud like that of last year IL
South Carolina, or of terror as in 1875
in Louisiana, has made the result of the
votes as cast dishonest.


This is so generally the conviction o.
the common-sense of the country tha
we can not suppose it not to be perfect
ly familiar TO the Democratic managers
The cry of fraud has been painfully
maintained by Democratic papers, anC
repeated by Democratic Conventions
but it has failed wholly to impress the
country, which certainly is perfectly
contented that bulldozing did not sue
ceed in carrying Mr.. Tilden into the
White House. 1t is not credible thai
sensible Democrats really suppose thai
they can safely depend upon the cry o.
fraud in 1876 to win the campaign Of
1880. A platform of fraud" infia
ton, and bayonets at the polls would
be an insult to tho intelligence of the
Union which would certainly revenge
itself at the election. n.-Harper'S Weekly