The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-05-25

of the Watchman and Journal had the 1oi
lowing:
It seems TO have been decided by those parties
who running the Democratic Ponucal m s.1.
on the converting Of the Legislature, to thwart the
plainly expressed will OF the people, and, through
an extraordinary exercise OF power on the part OF
the Governor and Council to secure majority OF |
democrats In the Senate. This course b ls been
decided upon, we informed, against the advice
of the Ibest legal minds in the party and despite
the protest OF large number OF the best men OF |
that political faith, and we can readily believe IL
TO be so, The grounds upon which they rely to
perform this trick are purely technical, and are
unworthy the consideration of any political organ
ization who believe in government by the people.
The above brief paragraph is about as
full of lies as AN egg is full of meat, just
before Matching. The Watchnaan must
haye been reading the "slosh" and mis-
representations of the Boston Journals
r, F." (fddle-faddle) Concord CORE
spondent. 1t is not the PLAINLY express
ed wilp' of the New Hampshire people to
let House of Representatives IN which
Grants office-holders pretend to have Sc
cured nominal majority by sending there
bogus members, elected on bogus bases
of representation in some twenty towns,
choose minority candidates for State Sena
tors. For instance, in District NOD, where
the Democratic candidate, Hon. John
Has PLURALITY VI NObC6 ONCl
Todd, Republican, and lacks only twenty
or thirty Of majority over both him and
Deering, Prohibition, they propose to elect
Todd on joint ballot in the Legislature
And when the Democrats contend that, as
Deering is ineligible, the Governor and
Council should reject his votes, as the laws
of the State expressly require, the Watch
man has the consummate check and assur-
ance to call this 'thwarting the plainly
expressed will of the people,! That will
do to tell to the marines neither the sail
ors, or people of common sense, will be-
lieve it, Article 80, of the second part Of
the Constitution of New Hampshire, among
other things. declares that mo person
shall be capable of being elected Senator
who shall not have been an inhabitant OF
the state for seven years Immediately pre-
ceding his election" At the late meeting
of the Governor and Council sworn aft
davit of the Rev. Arthur Deerlng, of Pitts
field, was submitted to them, in which
he declares that he was the candidate Of
the Prohibition party as Senator to rep
resent the Fourth District in the Senate
''of New Hampshire,a at the election held on
''the ninth day of March, 1875; that he
''had never been q resident, citizen or in
''habitant of this State until February or
March. 1871 that at the date specified
below he had not been a resident in the
State for the term of five years. Now
is it not the plain Constitutional
duty of the New Hampshire Execu-
tive to throw out the forty or fifty votes
cast for Deering, thus securing Proctor s
electiOn2 Yet the Waterman has the as
surance to call this "a trick, purely tech
nical and unworthy the consideration Of
any political organization who believe in the
government of the people" Out upon such
drivel 1t is just what the WdtchnlGn
own party, especially in Massachusetts
always has done, and always will do, under
similar circumstances.
AS to Gen. Heads case, section s, O
chapter %, of the general statues, is il
these words:
The full christian and sur name OF every person
voted for, with the initial letter or letters of tn
middle name, and the usual Authorization for jun
ior second, third and the like shall be written 0
printed upon every ballot; and every ballot no
thus prepared shall be regarded as a blank and no
counted.
1t appears that Gen. Head has the mis-
fortune to hail by several different Chris
tian names. He was christened Nathan
iel, and so voted for as Moderator of tn
town of Hooksett, where he resided. !
was Matt. Head" with two is and pc
Rod, that the Republicans voted for. Tn
check list of HoOksett bears no such nam
only that of Nathaniel Head, " the Moo
orator. Now, supposiug they had vote
for Chat Head, or "Shoofy Head,
would there not be just as much sense
the Governor and Council issuing certif
cate to Nathaniel Head" under such eli
cumstances, as there now is to Nat
Head? The law is clear and plain abol
the matter, as given above,
When the Waterman states that tt
Democratic leaders Lave decided on the
course against the advice of the able
minds in the party, and despite the pr
test of large number of the best men
that faith, it simply repeats falsehoC
manufactured out of whole cloth, and Ell
tirely unsustained by giving single nam
which originally appeared in the ConcoI
"iddle-faddle" correspondence of the Bo
ton Journal. So far from this being tru
the leading New Hampshire Democrats al
united to a man in opinion on these que
tons. But it is true that some of IL
ablest legal minds on the Republican sic
have published written opinions, contend
ing that the Executive should reject bot
the votes for Deering and Head, One
these is Hon. Asa Fowler, one of the able
Republican lawyers in the state, former
Judge of the Supreme Court, who W;
the Republican Speaker of the House
1873. Another is that of Hon. George 7
Sawyer, also prominent Republican Law
yer, and formerly Judge. Hon. Abe
r. Hatch, late Speaker Of the House, al,
gives third clear and we'll sustained wri
ten opinion, concluding. as follows
I, That votes cast for persons known to be inc
gible, are thrown away, and not to be counted
2 That votes for person as senator who has
sided in this state less than the seven years requr
by the constitution, must be presumed toh have be
cast Intentionally, and with knowledge of his d
ability.
g. That 1t is the duty OF the Governor and Cou
ell In counting votes for senators to observe I
statute, which requires all votes not conta ming
full christian and surnames Of the candidate to
rejected.
4. That by the constitution, the Governor a
Council are made judges of the election OF Senate
In the first instance; and that they may exami
the returns of the Town Clerks, and hear eviden
to determine who are really elected.
The official returns, as certified by Il
Council in the two disputed Senatori
Districts, are in the I'd District, Jam
Priest, Democrat, 1884: Matt. Head Rae
cal, 3,77l; Joshua G. Merrill, prohibitio
IS; scattering 6. 1t will be seen that Prize
has plurality of SO over Head, and on
lacks 20 votes of majority over all. TIL
if the Legislature could elect Head, it won
be- defeating the will of the people, "abo
which the Radicals talk so glibly, and
would be minority Senator, like e
Smith few years since whose VIC
changed the party balance of power in t
Senate.
In number 2 Jobn Procfor Douoor,