The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1876-12-20

Nevertheless, certain State officers
Of notoriously-bad character have con-
spired among themselves and with
other evil-disposed persons to hinder
and prevent the appointees of the
people from performing the duties as
signed to them by their constituents
to organize an electoral college COM
posed of other persons having no au-
thority except what they derive from
the fraudulent favor of the conspira-
tors themselves. ALI this is done to
the extent and with the design that a
false vote, concocted by bogus body,
may be sent up, cast and counted rs
if it were (what it is known not to beg
the true vote of the State, certified by
the true electors. If it be so received
and treated by the other States and
their representatives, then q rule is es-
tablished which takes the power of
choosing our chief magistrate out Of
the hands in which the Constitution is
supposed to have placed it, without
reservation, to any combination of
swindlers who may, by fraud, or force,
or accident, get the machinery of a
State government into their possession.
If this be submitted to without oppo-
sitIon, and as wrong for which there
is no legal remedy, it is not probable.
We will ever have an honest election
again.
" hat have here said is very
moderate statement of the case as al
legged by the Democrats of Louisiana,
and by other perfectly reliable gentle
men, who have carefully Investigated
the subject. They declare that they
can prove the averments here made,
with aggravations tending to deepen
very much the criminal coloring of
the acts done. and contemplated by
their adversaries. I-assume that they
will in due time furnish 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 frightful wrong can be
remedied. If the Constitution has
not given to somebody the right to ar
rest fraud before it defeats their
known and legally expressed will on
such a subject then they have retained
it in their own hands, and they must
compel obedience by their own physi-
cal force, or else surrender their right
of selfgovernment altogether. A con-
struction of the law which logically
leads to such a conclusion can not be
the true one. In England a disputed
title to the crown can only be deter
mined by civil war. But surely our
wise forefathers did not intend to put
themselves or us-their posterity-in
that forlorn condition. They certain
ly meant that spurious claim to the
presidency should be set aside in some
peaceable way by judgement whose
authority all must respect, and without
a resort to the ultima ratio reyln,.
In opposition to this view of the
case there are those who seem to ex-
pect that Gen. Grant will take it up
on himself to settle the controversy
with the aid of the army. In ordina-
ry times this notion might be treated
with derision. But our president for
the time being has superintended
State elections with the bayonet, seat
ed governors who were not elected,
tumbled legislative bodies out of their
halls, and done divers other things
which show that he has very curious
views Of his own powers and duties.
Still it is not likely that he will carry
things to the point of making war up
on the people for electing Tilden, or
upon their representatives for refusing
to count fraudulent votes in favor of
Hayes. On the contrary, it is to be
hoped most devoutly that when Til.
den is declared by the proper authori-
ty to be duly and constitutionally
elected he will cease entirely from all
lawless meddling with the business,
and respond favorsbly to our earnest
and heartfelt prayer for peace. 'Let
US have peace"
Those who desire to make this par.
ticular fraud successful, and to estab'
ll.h precedent which will make fraud
omnipotent hereafter, take the bold
ground that any paper purporting tc
be a certificate of the electoral vote Il
sent up to the president of the Senate
and by him opened in the presence Of