The Van Buren press., 1876-12-12
What Will the Republicans do.

he following review of the situatioi
Gas it now presents itself, is from tha
able and independent paper, the st
Louis Republican. Nothing definite vii
be known until the meeting of the two
Houses in February, to count the vote
The ELECTORAL votes AS certified to the
president of the senate will show 1s5 fol
TlLpEN, ls4 for HAYES. The statement
of the vote as it will be announced in the
Joint session on the second "Wednesday
of February leaves ont all the merits of
the question-the frauds of the southern
returning boards, the several eligibility
gu stions and everything else except the
naked returns as the official certificates
will present them. On the face of the
Official certificates. therefore, TlLDEN and
llENpRIcks will be found to be elected
by one majority.
Now, the question is, whether there is
TO be any going behind these certificates.
Three days ago the republicans held
that there could not be any going behind
them; if they adhere to this they are
beaten by the singular turns of affairs in
Oregon, Where one of the three cleetori-
al votes that state is entitled to is certi.
fed for TILDEN. In fact this act Of the
Oregon governor completely rcverses
the position of the two parties. 1t is
HAYES who is heatcd on the face of the
returns and it is from the Republicans
that the challenging Of tie certificates
must come. But how can they challenge
the certificates after asserting over and
over again that the certificates cannot be
challenged? There will be two ccrtif.
Gates from Oregon; but only one of them
will possess the official signature of the
governor, and this will give TILDEN the
one vote required to elect him. II the
Republicans reject the certificate on the
ground that it is false and does not rep.
resent the popular vote of the state, they
break down their own argument. For
there will be unofficial certifcat IS in ia.
vor of TILDEN from South Carolina,
Florida and Louisiana; and if the Re
publican senate shall insist on going be-
hind the Oregon governors certificate
and counting the three electoral votes
of that state for HAYES, they thereby
open the merits of the whole question
aad conccde to the house the right to 20
behind the certificates of the governors
South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana
and counting the 10 votes ofthose states
for TILDEN. OF course, in this case there
would be no argument, and the election
of president would go to the house, and
the election of vice president to the sen
ate. There is but one alternative to this,
and that is the original claim OF the Re
ppblicans that the president of the senate
shall do the counting, and count only the
returns as officially certified by the state
governors-which would elect TILDEN
and HENDRICKS. The Republicans are
cntangled in their own snare, and it re-
mains to be seen whether they will prac-
,tise the submission to the forms oflaw''
which they so authoritatively commend.
ed to their opponents in the Louisiana
ease. TILDEN and HENDRICKS are inevi.
tably elected, not only by large popu
lar majority, not only by the Democrat.
ic reckoning, but BY the Republican
reckoning also, and there is nothing fol
the Republicans to do but submit to the
result, or revolt against it.