The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1876-12-22
One Eepu5tEc0I. OBJECTS.
HORACE WHITE OF CHICAGO CONDEMNS THE
RADICAL. CONSPIRACY TO MAKE
HAYES PRESIDENT.

Mr.. Horace White formerly editor of the
Chicago Tribune, universally recoGnized III
the West as the leading kepubilcah Journal
west Of the Alleghenies, resigned that po-
sition year or two ago because OF Ill
health, but is still n large stockholdor IN
the paper. AS editor and public man MIR.
Whites opinions have been quoted as rep
resemting the sound Judgment of tie best
elements in his party. What ne mas to say
in the present juncture, therefore, Is not
only important as the views OF prominent
Republican writer and politician. but as
representing the sentiment of men like him
i'll his section. MIR. White is at the Buck
ingham Hotel, and yesterday freely con-
versed with H0rid reporter upon the po'
litical outlook.
From such attention as You have given
to the Louisiana case, Mr.. White, may L
ask your opinion of the Returning Board
action?" was the first question.
II have given 40 other attention to the
Louisiana case," was the reply, than TO
carefully read the reports given 10 the
public ~ both parties. MyopiuIon is that
the Returning Boards action Is an at
( tempted swindle, but that it will fail of ac-
complishing its object. If, however, Its
object should be accomplished and be acqul-
eSccd III 10y the people, 1t would amount 10 a
subversion of our system OF government.
do you think that intimidation took
place in Louisiana ?''
There has been no legal evidence of it
furnished as yet, and | presume 1t VIII turn
out very much as it did after the election
of 1874, when the same Returning Board
threw out enough votes to reverse the re-
! suit in the State, and a committee vi Con-
gress-a Republican committee OF Re-
publican Congress-investlgated the mat
ter and reported that the charges OF lntirn
idation were false from beginning TO end.
Nv hat committee was this ?''
The committee of which Mr.. Hoar of
Massachusetts was Chairman. 1 presume
that the charges of intimidation lave no
better foundation now than they had then,
but however that may be, there can be no
law for thrO wing out the votes oi a, Is, Z,
and ID because l. has intlmdated +, except
ut the expense of subverting our system OF
government and inaugura:ng cbavs Ia Its
stead.
Nv hen you give to a Returning Board
the power TO enter into the Ttcesses OF the
human mind and inquire what motives
were operating there when the votes were
Cast, and To substitute their own notions
of how the people would have voted If The
circumstances had been different, III place
OF the votes actually and legally cast
VIXEN you do this, | say, you have annihi-
lated and destroyed The foundations of
| a Democratic republic. 1t Is iiniraterlal
what the law OF Louisiana is, or whether 1t
has been rightly administered by Lue Re
! turning Board. This is the net IeSunl tina.
/ the American people have To face, ior 1t is
not to be supposed that SO cheap :. method
/ OF carrying elections will be long confined
| 10 louisiana. We came very ned. having
! taste of it in Chicago three or iDur weeks
! ago, when our Returning Board threatened
| TO throw out some 3. 900 votes, and would
undoubtedly have done SO if they lad uot
been restrained by wholesome public
| opinion"
| You believe that both Tilden and
/ Nichols had fair mGjorities in Louisiana r''
That Is the Inference | draw from the
! fact that the opposite result has been
achieved only by throwing out six or eight
| thousand votes, aud also from the fact that
/ III a similar case two yeais ago the throw
! ing out of votes to reverse the result WAS
ascertained to De arbitrary, unfair aud
! Illegal"
| at is claimed that although the throw
| ing out of votes may be arbitrary, unfair,
and illegal, yet there is 10 power to go be-
| hind the action of the Returning Board ?''
'Of course, some such claim this is
! necessary to complete the overthrow of the
! American system OF government Its latest
| refinement Is mat the presiding officer of
| the Senate is returning Board of one for
! the whole country, and that there is no
| power TO go behind him. If that function
| AIRY should declare himself elecGed, Instead
of either Hayes or 1ilden, probably power
! would be found to go behind him with a
! boot. The theory that there is no power
| to eliminate falsehood from the electoral
vote of the nation is precisely the theory
! that the people are HOW called on either to
/ acquiesce III or to repudiate and stamp
under their feet. If they acquiesce in it,
! they will have sanctioned radical and
vital change in the character of their Gov
| erument, But IL is important they should
! know the logical effect and consequence of
what they are called on TO do. | think
| they will soon find out what it all signifies
! You think, then, that Congress has
| jurisdiction of disputed votes III The Elec-
toral College?'
Certainly | do. 1t has always taken
| jurisdiction, and must necessarily have it.
! Thc doctrine that it has no jurisdiction
was never heard of before. The Cunstitu-
/ tion of the United States had its origin in
| tue necessity of enabling the general Gov
| crnmont to reach and deal with indiyidu-
ais, instead of dealing with the States AS
/ independent soverignties. Under the old
/ Confederation the general Government
! could only deal with the States, and had
! consequently fallen into bankruptcy, feeble
ness, and self-contempt. The real and
vital difference between the old Confeder-
alton and the present Constitution is that
| the latter enables the Government to deal
directly with individuals in matters affect
/ ing itself. instead of operating in Ia round
about and uncertain manner through the
| States, To say that it may not deal with
individuals in ascertaining who has been
! chosen TO it's own Chief Magistracy is The
! n.ost alarming assertion of State rights |
ever heard of. Calhoun never went SO far as
/ this. nor body else till the present year,
Have you read Senator Shermans re-
( port to the President on the action of the
! Returning Board ?''
Yes, | have read with surprise and pain
that one holding SO important and influen-
tial position Senator Sherman could
call the ex parte afidavits in the hands of
/ the Returning Board proofs, when every
lawyer knows they are not proofs and
that he could spend much time telling
( us what took place at the election in Louis.