The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-03-09
EVERYTHING ALIUNDE, WITH
THE REPUBLICANS.
Remarks of Hon. 8. s. Cox, in the U. 8
House Of Representatives, in Rela-
ton to the Electoral Com
mission.

Mr.. Cox.--Mr. Speaker, after many
years of active service as member OF this
house, recalling all the vicissitudes of our
politics for twenty years, L cannot feel
responsible to. day that after the verdict of
the American people it should prove
fruitess verdict In 1864, on the 18th of
MAY, presented a resolution to this house
which passed. ItIelated to the regularity
and authenticity of the returns of electoral
votes aud for law to provide for the juris-
diction as we'll as the course of proceeding
in case Of real controversy" The ju-
dietary committee took no action at that
time. Allow me to quote the resolution.
1t is a compend of the situation:
RESOLVED, That the judiciary committee be direct
ed TO take into consideration the propriety OF
reporting bill providing for the decision Of any
questions which may arise as TO the regularity and
authenticity OF the returns OF the electoral vote
for president and vice president OF the United
States, or the right Of the persons who gave the
votes, or the manner In which they ought to be
counted and that such law provide for the jurs.
dictiOn, as well the course OF proceeding, in a
case OF real controversy.
Peril gives the lessons Of years in day.
Unless danger is followed by diseased and
gloomy misfortune, It's lessons are medl-
cine and its teaching light. All the RENE
dies for human ills do not come from
political society; nor do all the splendors of
the heavens cure the remediless. Hope
buoyed up the soul Of great people dur
ing fifteen years of wrong. Ii still sus-
tanned them after fraud had tainted and
pestilent wrong had shrouded the verdict
of an uprisen people. Hope itself almost
persisted in view of the events since the
election, and especially those which this
congress has witnessed.
The people Of the United States, desir-
ing unity and peace, honesty and rejuven-
escence. spoke in all legal forms provided
by complicated system of electors in ia
vor of a party whose traditions, ,prin-
ciples, and history Of honorable
service have rendered it deathless,
ard against new party OF expedients and
pretensons. 1t was Enthusiastically called
to the high places of the land. 1t matters
not who were its select opponents or can
didates and it matters not now what were
its shibboleths and platforms Whether
wise or not, far sighted or not, just to all
races and sections or not, prudent in
economy, provident in matters of tax and
fsc or not, organic and faithful to the rules
of construction applied under the gen.
ius of our peculiar polity or not, the un-
questioned popular majority OF three
hundred thousand pronounced for relief
and change, and for the Democracy as
the directing organ of that relief and
change.
By the system of state and federal au-
thority this federal change and relief was
TO be certified by certain state organisms
and verified by certain procedure under
our federal constitution.
1t was early made clear by certain man,
euvers and devices of politicians that the
voice of the people of two if not three
states was to be mufhed, or rather that q
false voice was to be heard in the land
proclaimiug that which was not for thai
which was, 1t was the siren voice oil
Duessa and not the blessed voice of Una
1t was voice which sounded high for
state rights like that OF the actor through
the Grecian mask, hollow and knocking
while at the same time it seemed to pro
coed from some hero or demigod raised
to unusual height by the tricks of thu
stage.
Nor, sir, do feel responsible for TIT
steps which were wisely perhaps, or un
wisely, but certainly with view to pru
dence, taken in framing the electoral bill
That bill is the law. We know what it is
what its provisions are. | knew and fel
that some virtue had gone out of tint
house when we had passed it, but / die
not exactly see where the virtue haC
alghted. Laughter, | knew the ole
privileges ofthe commons had departed, bu
in the interest OF peace l gave reluctan
vote for the bill.
1t was voted in a spirit of confidence
aud in a moment of peril, and under terro
Of force and revolution which speaks NOR
for the caution than for the pluck of on
people Still it was voted. We are bounC
by its decisions, but not by its reasons
The faith of those who voted it was stron,
in the integrity and purity of their case
aud next in the fidelity and independence,
of the tribunal. We placed our faith il
the ermine. The little animal which
wears its fur and is too dainty to be soled
and would rather be caught and killed
than to be bedraggled in the mire, has a
last lost its reputation, and becomes one il
the future with the returning board o.
partisan politics.
But one strange thing about the bill il
this: that while We are permitted to vot,
in this house. yet after all it is a sort O
post norton vote. Laughter. Although
we are permitted to argue, it is a drgu
meatum al post Jdctunl Although, sir
there is some utility in the dissection Of
the dead and although there may be some.
thing gained bv the dissection of the lv
ing, laughter, yet it seems to me to be
proper now TO lock at one particular clause
of the law before | state my reasons fol
making protest against this measure.
We are graciously permitted under this
bill to argue after the matter is accom-
plished, and although we vote and although
we carry our vote in the house we are
gone Laughter. We gain nothing.
We are permitted 10 talk ten minutes
after the counting and the conclusion. Ii
is the old Virgillan line over again about
Rhadamanthus judge of he'll dstigatQut
audit que dOIOS the old rule of hanging a
man and trying him afterward. Laughter. I
That is our condition to. day.
And what is it we try? Why, sir, every
thing as to testimony and facts, and for
gerry and perjury, and force is aliunde-
Outside-not to be considered. Truth and
justice and morality and fair dealing
dLiunde. The house is dliunde. Laugh
ter. All It's acts and the acts of its com
mittees and their reports, all the facts
gathered in these southern states-dIiunde!
Laughter. Nothing to be considered but
the bare, naked fact of certificate, based
upon what? On forgery and chlcanery.
On returning board, which returned the
fact that l0,400 Democratic votes were not
counted; and the supervisor of registra-
ton of Louisiana whose business was To
transmit the votes, but who failed to trans.
NIT 1900 Democratic votes, and after
they came only four hours were left