The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1875-12-23
NEOrfOn's Preamble and BkeSO-
rnE1On.


Nort0n's Preamble and Hkeso
luton.
After the war between the North
md the South had terminated, there
were, in both branches of Congress,
men of the most malignant feelings
toward the section which had already
been devastated by the war. NothlnS
short of extreme measures TO degrade
and punish the "rebels" would SUIT
their views of a just policy Ill the
plau OF reconstruction. The most
conspicuous OF these rebel haters and
vengeful lawgivers were Beast Bat
Ter. Tha6. Stevens, Lovcjoy, Schenck
and Cullax, of the House, and Cha'.
Sumner, Wade, Brownlow and Nor
ton, of the Senate. Except Old Nor
ton, of Indiana, none of these eX-
trenIests now occupy seats IN Con
gress, and when his present term
shalt expire-4th of March, lSl1-we
have the best assurances that his place
will he filled by II who will have
no respect for his predecessor.
The forty-fourth Congress con-
vened and organized on the first
Monday in this mouth. Old Morton,
with his unappeased sectional hatred
and malice still ranking in his breast,
offered in the Senate the following
preamble and resolution. Action ON
them was deferred, and it is not yet
known whether or not they will be
adopted but we are inclined to think,
from the political complexion of the
United States Senate, that it will
sanction and authorize Old Morton's
scheme:
Whereas, it is alleged that the late
election i'll Mississippi for members OF
Crongress, State officers and :nem-
bers of the Legislature was character
lied by great frauds, violence and III
timidution, whereby the freedom OF
the ballot vas in a great measure
destroyed, a reign of terror establish
ed, ballot boxes stuffed, spurious tick
cts imposed POI voters, 50 that a
popular majority of more than 10000
was overcome, and in its place was
given All apparent but fraudulent ma
joritv OF more than 2o,OOO; and,
Whereas, the Legislature thus cho-
sen will have the election of a Senator
to represent that State in this body :
and,
Whereas, if these allegations are
true, a great numUer Of the citizens OF
the United States have had their
rights, under the Constitution and
laws Of the United States, wickedly
violated; therefore,
Resolved, That Il committee of five
Senators be appointed 10y the Char
to investigate the truth OF the said al
legations and the circumstances at
tending the said election, with power
to visit said State to make their in
vcstigations, to send for persons and
papers, and to use all necessary pro-
cess III the performance OF their du-
ties, and ~ make a report TO the Sen-
ate before the end OF this session OF
their Investigations and findings.
The above resolution, in our opln-
ion, has a graycr significance than is
generally given to il. Ii adopted, the
committee that it creates; with Ola
Morton as chairman, will have ample
time 10 visit Mississippi, make the
pretended Investigations, take down
testimony and atiidavits damaging
10 the Democracy from the most men
dacious and INSCRIPTIONS scoundrels,
coucoct an. ultra partisan report, and
have it ready for circulation by the
time the Presidential campaign opens.
Of course, II Of its objects is TO fur
nish material to keep alive Northern
prejudice till after the next Presiden-
lial election. But there is another
object i'll view, more ~portentous, es-
pecially if he a demonstrate TO the
Northern Republicans that frauds and
intimidations carried the election i'll
this Stale last November.
The present (44th) Congress, as it
is now constituted, will have TO count
the electoral votes for President and
Vice-President, in February, 1877.
The Constitution provides that these
votes, after having been duly ballot
ed, sealed and directed to the Presi-
dent OF the Senate, shall be counted
III the presence of Doth Houses Of
Congress. The power TO count car
rles with it the power to reject, Tor
fraud, intimidation, ETC., the electoral
votes OF any Slate, or any electoral
vote. Although the two bodies are
brought together on such occasions,
a joint vote of the two Houses, under
any circumstances, is unauthorized
by the Constitution of the United
States. Each House votes for itself,
and II is rs potent in determining
any question as the other, though one
may be unanimous in opposing what
the other supported by a majority of
one. This being the case, the Senate,
having in it a majority of Republic
cans, can defeat the counting of the
electoral votes Of any State for which
a pretext of fraud can be raised.
Thus it is shown that the electoral
votes of Mississippi, by the machina-
tons of Old Morton and his coadju-
tors, can be ncutralized by the United
States Senate, if a contingency should
arise to make it essential to Radical
success. The investigating commit
tee, which Old Morton proposes to
raise by his resolution, will prove,
even if it has 10 be done against all
the respectable testimony in this