Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-12-13
From the New York Herald.
The. Oregon ManGuyrO.

The warmth with which the democratic
press defend the action of Governor Grover
and maintain the legality of the Cronin
Electoral College betokens their belief that
the election OF Mr.. Tilden depends on the
action which may be taken in relation to
the Oregon vote. We suspect that they
are leaning on broken reed. The only
thing which can be accomplished is to
compel the Senate to 60 behind the face
OF the certificates. The democratic ex-
pectation seems to be that when they have
thus forced open the door the certificates
from the three disputed Southern States
will come in for review as we'll as the GER
ti6cates from Oregon. Conceding this
we do not see that it will help Mr.. Tilden.
1t makes very pretty political sensation,
but democratic hopes founded on it will
prove delusiye. To be sure the same rule
must be applied to Oregon and to other
States. but it must be applied with the
same limitations. Nobody will contend
that because the certificates from Oregon
may be reviewed the certificates of Mas
sachusetts or New York may also be re-
viewed. The peculiarly of the Oregon
case is that two certificates will be sent,
and the question to be raised is which of the
two is regular. A decision to go behind
the face of the certificates for this purpose
would include only States in the same pre-
dicament. The investigation would be
confined to the one point of ascertaining
which Electoral College was entitled to
act in States where two assembled. Ore
gon and Louisiana are the only States in
which this happened. 1t did not happen
in South Carolina; not in Florida; not in
any State besides Oregon, with the single
exception of Louisiana. An inquiry to
ascertain which is the legal Electoral Col
lege where two met and voted will be very
limited in its scope. The inquiry cannot
be pushed any further in one case than in
the other. As there is no pretext for 60
ing behind the official count of the votes in
Oregon there can be none for doing so in
Louisiana unless it rests on some other
principle than uniformity ofproceeding In
analogous cases.
In Oregon the whole difficulty relates
to what took place subsequent to the Off
cial count. But in Louisiana the subse-
quent proceedings were regular if the
count was correct 1t is farcical to pre-
tend that McEnery is Governor of Louis-
ana. Both houses of Congress have rec
ognized Kellogg as Governor the seal of
the State can be affixed only to documents
which bear his signature the laws of the
State for the last four years have been
made valid by his approval. Everything
done in Louisiana subsequent to the adj
journment OF the Canvassing Board has
been perfectly legal and regular.
The Governors certificate merely au-
thenticates the list of Presidential electors
Governor Grover certified that two repub-
lcans and one democrat were entitled to
seats in the Electoral College. The title
OF two republicans was unquestioned, and
they formed majority of the College
The proceedings of such a body are con-
trolled by its majority. 1t is for the ma
jority to decide whether there are vacan-
cies, and TO fill them if they exist. Even
II Cronin was duly chosen an elector he
had no authority to organize the College
against two others whose titles were as
good as his own. The other two members
did not resign. did not absent themselves,
did not refuse TO act as electors, did moth
ing to forfeit the claim to act as such
which they derived from the vote of the
people and the Governors certificate. AS
. majority Of the College they had right
to organize it and to control its proceed
ings. Cronin's vote for Tilden was not