In fact, it was looked upon as a reflection upon the bravery and party loyalty of the Democracy of those States if they could not do what had been done under like conditions in Mississippi.

Hence those States _had_ to be carried, "peaceably and fairly," of course, "but they must be carried just the same." Failure to carry them was out of the question, because too much was involved.
According to the plans and calculations that had been carefully made, no Southern State could be lost.

While it might be possible to win without all of them, still it was not believed to be safe to run any such risk, or take any such chance.

If the Democrats should happen to carry a state that was not included in the combination, so much the better.
Everything seemed to work admirably.

That it was a plan by which elections could be easily carried, with or without votes, had been clearly demonstrated.