The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-02-16
THE FLORIDA CASE.
The Grounds Upon Which the Electoral
Commission Render Their Decision.

The Grounds Upon Which the Electoral
Commission Render Their Decision.
The Electoral Commission state the
grounds of their decision in the case of
Florida as follows That it il not compe-
tent under the constitution and law, as IL
existed at the date of the passage OF the
act constituting the commission, to go
into evidence aIiunde the papers opened
by the President of the Senate in the
presence of the two houses to prove that
other persons than those regularly GER
tilted to by the Governor OF Florida, nc
cording to the determination and DECLARE
ton of their appointment by the Board
of State Canvassers prior to the time re-
auired for the performance OF their
duties, had been appointed electors, or
by counter proof to show they had not,
and that all the proceedings OF the
courts or acts of the Legislature or OF the
Executive of Florida subsequent to the
casting of the votes of the electors ON the
prescribed day are inadmissible for any
such purpose. AS to the objection made
to the eligibility of Humphreys, the CON-
mission is of the opinion that without
reference to the question of the effect of
the vote of the ineligible elector, the evi-
dence does not show he held the office of
Shipping Commissioner on the day when
the electors were appointed. The COM
mission also decided that, as conse-
quence of the foregoing, AMI upon the
grounds before stated, neither of the
papers purporting to be the certificates
of the electoral voters of Florida are the
certificates of votes provided for by the
constitution of the United States, and
they ought not to counted as such.
The Democratic Objections.
The objections to the decision inter-
posed in the House recite
First-That the decision determined thatthe
vote cast by Charles H. Pearce, Frederick G.
Humphreys, William H. Holden, and Thomas
W. Long as electors of President and Vice
President of the United States on behalf Of
Florida, is tho true and legal electoral vote Of
the State, when in truth and IN fact the vote
cast by Wilkinson Call, James Z. Yonge, Robert
L. Hilton, and Robert Bullock is the true and
lawful vote of the State.
SecOnd-That the commission refused to re-
ceive competent and material evidence tending
to prove the first-named set were not appointed
electors in the manner prescribed by the Legls-
lature of the State, but were designated as
electors by the Returning Board of the state
corruptly and fraudulently, in disregard Of law
and with intent to defeat the viii of the peo-
pie.
Third-That the decision was founded upon
the resolution and order of the commission pre-
viously made.
Fou,1h-That the decision excludes all evidence
taken by the two houses of Congress, by the
committees of each house, concerning frauds,
errors and Irregularities committed by persons
whose certificates are taken az proof Of due APP
pointment of the electors.
FifHt-that the decision excludes all evidence
tending to prove the certificate OF Stearns Gov
ernor), AZ also of the Board of State Canvassers,
was procured or given in pursuance of fraud
ulent and corrupt conspiracy.
SiJth-That the commission refused to recog-
nize the right of the courts of the State to re-
view and reverse the judgment OF the Return
ing Board or Board of State Canvassers rem
dered through fraud without jurisdiction, and
rejected and refused TO consider the action of
the courts in case lawfully brought before the.
court which had jurisdiction.
Sece,aut-That the decision excludes all EVIL
dence tending to prove that Florida, by all the
departments of the Government, legislative
executive and judicial, had decreed as fraudu-
lent all certificates of Stearns (Governor), as
well as that Of the State Canvassers, upon which
certificates the commission has acted, and by
means Of which the true electoral votes Of
Florida have been rejected and false ones sub
stituted.
Eiglah-That to count the votes of Pearce,
Humphreys Holden and Long az electors for
President and Vice President would be in vio-
lation Of the constitution of the United States.
The objections are signed by Senators
Jones (Fla.), Cooper, Barnum, Herman,
Salisbury and Mcdonald Representa-
tives Knott, Field, Holman, Tucker,
Thompson Mass. }, jerks, Finley, Say
Ter, Ellis, Morrison, Hewitt On. " and
Springer.