The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-12-30
FLORIDA.

spiracy after the Indiana October election, tc
rlsh in HAYES in spite OF the will of the pso
pie were the conspirators seized with
greater CONSERVATION than last Saturday
when it was announced that the Supreme
Court of Florida had decided against the le
pality of the work of the returning board OF
that state, and had ordered new canvass to
be made showing the state OF the vote as &C
tualy cast. Such count, of course, would
not ONLY elect all the democratic state officers
but give the state to Tilden by d decisive
majority.
As TO the power of the Supreme Court OF
Florida TO make this order there was no
question. Tht constitution of that state eX-
pressly gives the court supervisory power
over the returning board; ncr could there be
any question as to the righteousness Of the
Cour,'s decision, for the laws of Florida eX.
pressly declare the functions Of the return
ne board to be purely ministerial, while the
board had really exercised unwaIranted and
high.handed judicial powers
Gov. Stearns, though 1t cost him his polltl-
cal head recognized the binding authority
of the decision, and the returning board,
without hesitation, signihed their purpose to
obey the mandate Of the court.
But were the bold conspiralors, who imMe.
dlately after the election in Florida had sent
the dispatch to Gov. Stearns and the carpet,
~, g a. cto IN m a them
that Florida must be counted for Hayes
soldiers and money will be scnt-Chandlci,'
to be banked by a little contretemps like
this? He must have a conception simple and
childlike indeed of the demOniac resolution
of the conspirators who imagined they were
unable to devise some desperate eXpedlent to
overcome q difficulty like this. Chambers
decision was prompt as it was gross and I'M
blushing. He simply sent his dirty scaven,
ger, ex-A,torney. General Williams, TO Flori-
da with orders to the bought up and paid for
carpet.bagCer members of the returning
board--to iety the mandate of the court, and
trust to him and Grant for the consequences.
What If the court did lmprison them for con.
tempt? Was there not federal judge found
IN South Carolina base and craven enough to
release the returning board of that state, un.
der like circumstances, on hdbeaS corpus, and
are not Grant and Chandler supplied with
creatures equally obsequous and vile in
Florida?
So on Wednesday, when the board me, pur-
suant to the mandate of the court, the two re.
publican members refused 10 make the can
vass as directed, but proceeded to re-affrm
their former count; while the democratic
member of the board, Attorney General
Cooke made the lawful canvass alone, and
duly placed it on file in his office, where,
whatever congress may hold in reference TO
It so far rs 1t touches the electors, it will be
recognized rs the only true return in Florida
and the democratic officers elected in puIsu
ance of 1t VIII be properly installed.
OF course the defeat of an honest count of
the Florida vote by bold game like this
can only make the case more desperate for
the conspirators at Washington. The first
ground they took after receiving the stun
ming blow on Saturday, that however the new
count may affect the state officers in Florida
1t could NJ longer affect the electors, as they
had cast their votes and were tuActuS oficiO,-
was certainly more sensible than the reso't
to this bold, infamous game This last S
only confession of guilt. If an honet
count would give the state to Hayes, thee
was no occasion to send a scavenger like
Williams to Florida to put through this LAT
bold desperate, but vain piece of scoundrd-
ism.