The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-01-23
The Texas nimnnltu

The terse, direct and perfectly de-
finite telegram in which the Presi-
dent refuses, once for all, to interfere
in the present political quarrel in
Texas, embodies one of the most
timely and important decisions OF
the present administration.
In 1868 General Hancock, then
commanding the Department of the
South, ordered the election of dele
gates to a convention whose object
was to frame a constitution for the
State of Texas. The Convention met
the lst Of June of that year, and Gre
ated the constitution under which
the present difficulty has arisen.
The constitution provided among
other things that elections should be
held at the seats of the various coun-
ties, and that the polls should be
kept open four days. The reason
for this was that it was feared if the
voting was done by precincts many
Of the freedmen in the county dis
tricts would be intimidated by the
rebels from voting. In the county
seats order could be more easily
preserved and the polls protected,
but as the counties were large, four
days were given in order that voters
from the remote parts ofeach coun-
ty might have time to find their way
to the polls. The constitution fur
ther provided that the Governor
should hold Office four wears from
the time Of has election. Under this
Constitution the first election was
held, beginning on the Sd of Dec
ember, 1869. Governor Davis, the
present incumbent, was elected, the
result officially proclaimed on the 9Th
Of January, and he was inaugurated
on the 28th of April following, un
der an act of Congress passed on the
Both of March readmitting Texas in
to the Union and suspending the
military government under General
Reynolds, which had up to that time
held control of the state. This
statement explains one of the DO ints
in the present difficulty, viz. whether
the term Of Governor Davis expired
on the Sd of December, 1873, four
years from the date Of his election,
or holds over until the 2Sth of April,
four years from his Inauguration.
We come now, however, to the most
serious questions at issue. The last
legislature of Texas past a new e.
lection law under which full State
ticket, legislature and various county
officers were elected on the 2nd of
last December. The State being
quiet.and the freedmen no longer mo-
Tested, the legislature thought that
the balloting might be safely done in
the precincts and so provided in the
law. Each township having it's own
polling place, the necessity for four
days election was past and the elect
ion was therefore ordered to be com
p.eted like other elections in one day.
This, it will be seen, disagreement
between the new election law and the
constitution. Governor Davis ap-
proved the law on its passage, issued |
the call for the election of December |
End, being himself a candidate for
reelection, The result was an over
whelming defeat for the Republicans, |
Governor Davis heinz defeated nv |
$4,000 majority, and the Legislature
Democratic, by "a to 6 in
the Senate and 70 to 90 in the House.
Not the slightest objection was made
to the legality of the election until |
after it was over and its results an
nounced. There is no claim that
there was any disorder or intimidat-
on at any of the polls.
Among the other points voted on
nthis same election Of December Cd