The Election of 1876
This is a fictionalized (well, with the presence of furs in this story, of course it is) account of the Election of 1876 - a great perversion of democracy and an especially poor event for the lives of black men and women in America. At one point, this election was the low point of our history, but now, 140 years later, we have a new threat to democracy with the Republican candidate for President threatening to refuse to accept the election results should he lose the election. So, while we witness the destruction of democracy threatened by a major party candidate who would also jeopardize the civil rights of millions of citizens, we must remember: We've been down this road before.
EDIT 10/24: Corrected historical inaccuracy
November 18, 1876 - Jacksonville, Florida
American democracy has reached a new low. Democratic candidate Samuel J. Tilden was the undisputed winner of the popular vote. This means that he should be the next President, right? Apparently not. See, America has a very odd system of electing its Presidents. It's called the Electoral College. In a nutshell, voters in each state do not directly elect the President. Instead, they vote for electors who represent their state, then these electors vote for the President. Previously, this backwards system caused the election of 1824 to go to the House of Representatives, who voted for John Quincy Adams rather than popular vote winner Andrew Jackson. Apparently, now, it has led to a new issue - the results in the states of Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oregon have been contested, meaning Tilden could not be declared the winner despite having won the popular vote.
I have a lot to lose from this contested election. You can call me Jack. I'm an anthro gray wolf. I was born into slavery on January 4, 1850. Slavery was very much an institution maintained in America by the white man, but my master was a human of African descent. I look back on my childhood with dread; I was forced to work until I collapsed, and not only was I whipped for failing to work as hard as my master pleased, I also frequently watched in horror as he did the same to his fellow negro. The day slavery finally ended was the best day of my life. When I was finally free, I taught myself how to read and write, eventually becoming a successful engineer. My civil rights here in Florida are protected by the presence of federal troops enforcing civil rights laws. I just heard about a plan to give all contested states to Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes, at the cost of having these troops withdrawn. I will get President Ulysses S. Grant to stop this from happening, with a plan in place to move to New York should I fail to do so.
"Jack," a voice called. "Your train to Washington is going to leave. You should get going."
That was my girlfriend, a white human named Susan. Our relationship remained a secret; the two of us could face harsh legal penalties for being together.
"Yeah, I'm going," I said. "Just had to get the last of my stuff together."
I brought my last bag outside, putting it in the carriage and then giving Susan a last kiss before leaving.
"I don't know if you can convince the President, but I wish you luck." "I have to try. If this deal goes through, the Southerners will once again be allowed to violate my civil rights. I have to push for some deal that will allow me to remain protected." "Even if it means Tilden becoming President? But you voted for Hayes." "This isn't about that. Tilden won the popular vote. Not only do I have to prevent a deal that would allow Southern Democrats to start violating my rights again, but I have to make sure Grant will uphold democracy." "But is it really democracy if women can't vote?" "I know. It's pretty stupid that women can't vote. I've been advocating for women's suffrage, but getting things to change is pretty hard." "Yeah, it sure is... But, again, wish you luck in Washington. Love you." "Love you too."
I headed my way towards the train station, getting there just in time to catch my train. Of course, the conductor made me sit in the "Colored" car, which I reluctantly did. There was really no rational basis for segregating the train cars, but I couldn't be getting myself arrested before I even got to Washington. Once I sat down, I lit a cigarette. I was sure to have a long week. I opened a book, expecting to enjoy a quiet train ride, which ended up being disrupted when a man sat by me.
"So," he said. "Any reason you're going to Washington?" "Meeting with the President. I have to make sure the right man gets in the White House on March 4." "But how would that help?" "I've discovered that the Republicans intend to strike a deal with Southern Democrats, in which Hayes gets elected at the cost of the federal troops leaving the South. Our rights are at stake here." "But can you get Grant to stop it?" "I have to try. I've already planned to move to New York should I fail to convince Grant. I should be safer there." "I doubt you'd be treated better in New York, but I wish you luck."
Finally, the man left me alone, and the remainder of my trip was uneventful.
November 24, 1876 - District of Columbia
I stood at the door of the White House, prepared to meet with the President. I felt pessimistic about it, but I had to try my hardest to prevent this deal from going through. Not only would this deal allow the civil rights of me, colored people, and of my fellow furs to be violated by the Southern Democrats once again, but it would be a perversion of American democracy sure to be seen as the lowest point of our great nation for well over a century.
The door opened, and I was greeted by President Grant himself.
"Good afternoon, Mr. President," I said. "I'm Jack Greeley. I've come to talk to you about the compromise." "Ah, yes. Please come in."
The President let me in, guiding me to his office. There, he sat at his desk, as I sat in a chair across from him. "Mr. President, I would like to ask that you reconsider this deal. It puts both civil rights and democracy in jeopardy." "Mr. Greeley, if I understand correctly, you voted for Hayes. Is this correct?" "Yes, Mr. President." "And you are aware that Hayes would remain dedicated to fighting for the civil rights of freedmen like you?" "Yes, sir. That's why I voted for him." "Then may I understand why you want this deal to stop?" "Because not only would putting the popular vote loser in office constitute a gross perversion of democracy, removal of the federal troops from the South puts the civil rights of freedmen like me in jeopardy. I don't know what a Tilden presidency would do in the short term, but I do know that the removal of troops from the South would be absolutely devastating for the rights of freedmen in the long term." "I understand your concerns. However, the contested electoral votes need to be resolved, and I want to make sure our country gets a President who would continue to uphold civil rights." "Again, Hayes' commitment to civil rights is why I voted for him. However, any deal that involves turning a blind eye to atrocities committed by the Southern Democrats is going to be absolutely disastrous for freedmen and their descendants in the long term." "Do you have a different proposal?" "In fact, I do. I would like to request instead that the Republicans concede the election to Tilden, on the grounds that the troops in Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina stay. This deal would both prevent democracy from being ruined and prevent civil rights from being violated." "Hmm... I'll think about it." "Thank you, Mr. President."
I left the White House, feeling no better about the situation. I felt like President Grant just wanted me out of there, and that he wasn't giving my proposal any serious consideration. I got back in the carriage and started to write out a letter to Susan:
Dear Susan,
I just finished meeting with the President. He said he would consider my proposal, but I do not feel good about the situation. I have to head to Albany now; I need to get out of Florida before the federal troops leave. I hope you'll join me soon.
Love,
Jake
March 4, 1877 - Albany, New York
I never heard back from Susan. The only things I heard about recently were an act of Congress giving the election to Hayes, with the federal troops leaving Florida pretty soon afterwards. So now, on the day of Hayes' inauguration, I sat at a pub, drinking, smoking, and moping about how I couldn't save American democracy or the civil rights of freedmen in the South.
"You've sure been here a lot," said the bartender, a female gray wolf.
"November was hard on me. American democracy is dead and so are the civil rights of freedmen."
"Yeah, I've heard this election was pretty bad. Tilden won the popular vote, so he should be in the White House right now."
"Yeah, exactly. I voted for Hayes and now I can't be happy with him in there."
"Well, at the very least, future voters will remember this election and make sure this never happens again. Although I'm not sure I could say American democracy was ever alive, given that women like me can't even vote..."
"This is true... It's truly stupid that women don't even get to vote."
I paid the bartender and got up to leave,
"Hey, wait, I wanted to ask you something."
"Yeah?"
"Um... Are you married?"
"No, and I haven't heard from my girlfriend in months."
"Well, can I come by your place tonight?"
"Oh... Sure."