Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [2959]

“But doesn’t Tilden deserve to be elected? I mean, isn’t it usual to grant the office to the man who gets the most votes?” Possibilities of a play on the verb “grant” in this particular context occurred to me, but I let them swiftly go. We are all of us so trapped by the desperate struggle for power that any sort of wit is a kind of blasphemy. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 2959

Note

This passage reveals a pivotal moment regarding the protagonist’s views on legitimacy in the electoral process, contrasting prevailing norms with personal ideals and highlighting the tensions of the narrative.