The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-12-14
Hon. Jeremiah y. Black Gives
His Opinion About II.
A Strong Document, Which Cuts into the
Rotten Carcass Of the PARTY Of
Moral Ideas"
"a Monntrous, UnInIiigatcd, PnIpabic
Fraua."
To tho Editor Of the Washington Union

cause Of peace, good order and honest
government
By the Federal Constitution and the
laws Of Louisiana the people of that
State in their primary capacity land
they only) have right to appoint elect
ors OF President aud Vice President
This power has been executed at the
time, at the places, and in the way pre-
scribed by law In accordance with the
rule Of all elective governments, the in
tent and will of the whole people AZ n
body is spoken by the majority of the
ballots. They did appoint the rilden
candidates Their decision to that Of.
feet was spoken by large majority in
the prescribed way, with loud emphasis,
Nevertheless, certain State officers Of
VIGOROUSLY bad character have con
spired among themselvesand with other
evil.disposed persons to hinder and pre-
vent the appoiltecs of the people from
performing the duties assigned to thom
b. their constituents--to organize an
electoral college composed Of other per
sons having no authority except what
they derive from the fraudulent iayOrsr
the conspirators themselves. All this
is done TO the intent and with the de.
sign that u false vote, concoctcd by u
bogus body, may be sent up, cast and
counted ns If IL wero (what it is known
not to be) the true vote Of the State,
certified by the true electors, II ii be-
so received and treated by the other
States and their representatives, then II
rule is established which takes the
power Of choosing our chief magistrate
out Of the hands in which tho COnstitu
ton is supposed to have placed it, with
out reservation, to any combination of
swindlers who may 10y fraud, or force
or accident get the machinery ola State
government into their possession, I'll
this be submitted to without opposition,
and as wrong for which ,lelo Is no lie.
gal remedy, it is not probable we will
ever hive an honest election again.
What have here said is very mod
crate statement OF the case us alleged by
the Democrats OF Louisiana, and by
other perfectly reliable gentlemen who !
have carefully investigated The subject |
They declare that they can prove the
averments here made, with aguava. |
lions tending to deepen very much the
criminal culoring Of the acts done and
contemplated by their ahyeHdries |
assume that they will in due time lurn.
ish To Congress and to the country such |
proofs as will justify these allegations
and establish their truth.
The question then arises whether
there is or Is not some legal authority
by which this irightful wrong can DO
remedied II the Constitution has not
sllSsI!'i,iIro somebody the right f0Qrrest
fraud before it defeats their known hli;,II
legally expressed will on such a subject,
then they have retained it in thcir own
hands and they must compel obed-
ence by their own physical force, or
else surrender their right of sclfgoy-
eminent altogether, A construction of
the law which logically leads to such
conclusion cannot be the true one. In
England q disputed title to the crown
can only DO determined by civil war
But surely our wise ioreiathcrs did not
intend to put, themselves or us--their
posterity---in that iorlOm condition
They certainly meant that a spurious
claim to the Presidency should be set
aside in some peaceable way by iudg.
ment whose authority all must respect,
and without Il resort to the Wilma ratio I
regain
In opposition TO this view of the case |
there are those who seem to expect |
that General Grant will take il upon
nm ell to settle the controversy with I
the AID OF the army. In ordinary times |
this notion might he treated with de. !
rision, But our President for the time |
being has superintendent State elections I
with the bayonet, seated governors who {
were not elected, tumbled legislative
bodies out of their halls, and done di. I
vers other things which show that he |
mas very curious views of his own pow. t
ers and duties Still it is not likely q
that he will carry things to the point of t
making war upon tho people for elect !
ing Tilden Or upon their representa-. /
tves for refusing TO count haudulem I
votes ia favor of Hayes On the con. {
trary, it is to be hoped most devoutly |
that when Iilden is declared ly the q
proper authority TO be duly and consti. v
tutionally elected he will cease entirely +
from all lawless meddlng with the bust. q
ness, and respond tavorably to our II
earnest and heartfelt prayer for peace. "
Let US have peace" &
Those who desire to make this pap is
tlcular fraud successful, and to estab. q
liah precedent which will make fraud d
omnipotent hereafter, take the bold ii
ground that any paper purporting TO be p
a certificate of the electoral vote il sent d
up to the President of the Senate md OF
by him opened in the presence OF both ri
Houses, must DO take as inialliby ii
to no scrutiny and open 10 no al
contradiction, This is in square con. d,
lilct with the uniform practice of tho
Houses; It is inconsistent with the rules C,
which they have deliberately adopted n,
ior the exercise of their power and the pr
performance of their duty on such 90. TO
1t isopposed by the opinions of m
great leading men in the past, as well Oh
rs IN the present generations it has no ed
warrant in the words of the constitn. fol
Ion II is utterly at variance with tho
'eason Of the thing, and it grossly vio. :,
ates the right OF the people to be- pro. oF
ected by their representatives against u,
mposture and villainy, n,i
The duty assigned to the president of ~ ~
he Senate is very simple The certi. no
atesa being sent to him, he must keen w
hem, as he gets them, in faithful Gus. III
ody and close under seal, until the IN
,yof opening, and then he must open Ia,
ne mem N the presence OF both houses. mr.
hen that Is done, his special function III,
iinished' Because he keeps the aft
ac,kages containing the certificates, Inc
nd IS authorized to break the seals on tic
day fixed, Is he, therefore, to pass a n
pom thor validity and force the houses an