The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-12-21
Horace White, of Chicago, Condemns
the Conspiracy to Make Hayes
President,
New York World.l

Mr.. Horace White, formerly editor of the
Chicago Tribune, universally recognized in
the West as the leading Republican journal
west of the Alleghanies, resigned that pesi-
tion year or two ago because of ill-health,
but is still large stockholder in the paper.
As editor and public man Mr.. Whites opin-
ions have been quoted as representing the
sound judgment of the best elements in his
party. What he has to say in the present
juncture, therefore, is not only important as
the views of a prominent Republican writer
and politician, but as representing the senti-
ment of men like him in his section. Mr..
White is at the Buckingham Hotel, and
freely conversed with World reporter upon
the political outlook.
"From such attention as you have given
to the Louisiana case, Mr.. White, may ask
your opinion of the Returning Boards ac-
ton ~ was the first question.
81 have given no other attention to the
Louisiana case," was the reply, than to
carefully read the reports given to the pub
lie By both parties. Ny opinion is that the
Returning Boards action is an attempted
swindle, but that it will fail of accomplish
ing its object. If, however, its object.should
be accomplished and be acquiesced in by
the people, it would amount to subyer-
sion 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 it will turn
out very much as it did after the election of
1874, when the same Returning Board threw
out enough votes to reverse the result of the
State, and committee of Congress- Re-
publican committee of Republican Con-
gress-investigated the matter and reported
that the charges of intimidation were false
from beginning to end"
"What committee was this?"
"The committee of which Mr.. Hoar of
Massachusetts, was Chairman. presume
that the charges of intimidation have no
better formation now than they had then,
but however that may be, there can be no
law for throwing out the votes of A, B, c,
anG D because E has intimidated +, except
at the expense of subverting our system of
Government and inaugurating chaos in its
stead.
"When you give to a Returning Board
the power to enter inte the recesses of the
human mind and inquire what motives we're
operating there when the votes were cast,
and to substitute their own notions of how
the people would have voted If the circum-
stances had been different, in place of the
votes actually and legally cast--when you do
this, say, you have annihilated and de-
stroyed the foundations of Democratic re-
public 1t is immaterial what the law
of Louisiana is, or whether it has been
rightly administered by the Returning
| Board. This is the net result that the Amer
lean people have to face, for it is not to be
supposed that SO cheap method of carry
ing elections will be long confined to
| Louisiana. We came very near having
taste of 1t in Chicago three or four weeks
ago, where our Republican Returning Board
threatened to throw out some three thou.
sand votes, aud would undoubtedly have
done so if they had not been restrained by
wholesome public opinion"
"You believe that both Tilden and Mich
oils have fair majorities in louisiana"
THAT is the inference l draw from the
fact that the opposite result has been
achieved only by throwing out six or eight
thousand votes, and also from the fact that
in similar case two or three years
ago the throwing out of votes to reverse the
result was ascertained to be arbitrary, unfair,
and illegal"
at is claimed that although the throwing
out of votes may be arbitrary, unfair, and
illegal, yet there is no power to go behind the
action of the Returning Board?"
"Of course, some such claim as this is
necessary to complete the overthrow of the
American system OF government. Its latest
refinement is that the presiding officer of
the Senate is a Returning Board of one for
the whole country, and that there is no
power to go behind him. If that function
ary should declare himself elected, instead
of either Hayes or Tilden, probably power
would be found to go behind him with a
boot. The theory that there is no power to
eliminate a falsehood from the electoral vote
of the nation is precisely the theory that
the people are now called on either to
acquiesce in or to. repudiate and
fhair fhou
quiesce in it, they will have sanctioned a
radical and vital chapge in the character of
their Government. But it is important they
should know the logical effect and con.
sequence of what they are called on to do.
1 think they will soon find out what it all
signifies"
aYou think, then, thi Congress has juris-
diction of disputed votes in the Electoral
College?"
"Certainly 1 do. 1t has always taken
jurisdiction, and must necessarily have it.
The doctrine that it has no jurisdiction was
never heard of before. The Constitution of
necessity of enabling the General Govern
ment to reach and deal with individuals,
instead of dealing with the States as inde-
pendent sovereignties. Under the old
Confederation the General Government
could only deal with the States, and
had consequently fallen into bank
ruptcy, feebieness, and self-contempt.
The real and vital difference between
the old Confederation and the present
Constitution is that the latter enables the
Government to deal directly with individu-
ais in matters affecting itself, instead of
operating in a roundabout and uncertain
manner through the States. To say that it
may not deal with individuals in ascertain
ing who has been chosen to its own Chief
Magistracy is the most alarming assertion
of State rights 1 ever heard of. Calhoun
never went so far as this, nor anybody else
till the present year"
"Have you read Senator Sherman's re-
port to the President on the action of the
Returning Board"
"Yes, 1 have read with surprise and
pain that one holding SO important and
| Influential position as Senator Sher-
man could call the &c purte atfidavits
in the hands of the Returning Board
proofs, when every lawyer knows they are
not proofs and that he could spend SO much
time telling us what took place at the eiec-
tion in Louisiana eight years ago, and say
nothing about what happened at the cleo
ton two years ago, when, according to the
report of the committee OF Congress, of
which Mr.. Hoar was chairman, the President
of the Louisiana Returning Board, ex.Gov.
w ellis maQe an anQdVlL OIL lnIlmlQatlOn IN
| certain parish where he was not personally
present, and where there was, in fact, no
intimidation.--the result of which was the
throwing out Of the returns of that parish,
and the reversal of the political complexion
of one branch of the State Legislature.
Since Senator Sherman has gone at great
length into the election of 1868. and since
he has given quasi Endorsement of
the individual members of the Louis.
lana Returning Board, eandor should
have required him to state the facts of
recent elections as well as of remote ones, if
anything in the past is to be brought up as
furnishing presumptive proof of facts IN the
present. For these reasons Mr.. Sherman's
report, in my judgment, is not entitled to
respect among iair-minded men,"
What is your opinion of the plan to re.
fer this matter to the Supreme Court?"
"Ithink it would be perfectly turtle. II
We have lost the power to count votes and tc
tell what is a majority, tie Supreme Court
cannot enable us to recover that power
Moreover, the Court needs to have less
politics infused into it rather than more
To make the Supreme Court national Re.
turning Board would ultimately break down
the Court without in the least degree purify
ing politics. If the Court should steu
one inch outside of the arithmetical result
of the election, its decision would be scoffed