The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-02-03
THE OREGON CASE.


Ia spite of the persistent attempts of the
republican press and leaders TO whistle dowr
the winG" the Oregon case, the indications
are that it may yet cut very important fig
urc in thc decision Of the presidential ues
ti.n. 1t is barely possible that the JOINT com
mission established by the electoral bill jus,
passed may take the radical view OF the ques
ton and refuse to go behind the returns in tht
case of Florida and Louisiana, and accepting
the Governors certificate as conclusive
count those states for Hayes in spite of the
Idisgraccful returning board frauds. But
when the Joint commission reach Oregon q
very different case Is before them. Here, nc
more than in the case of Louisiana Or Flori
da, can there be any question as to the regu
larity of the Governors certificate To i'm
peach that the tribunal must 60 astcp fur
ther, and inquire whether the constitution
and all the forms of law have been complied
with in ruling out Watts and appointing
Cronn; and that inquiry they can only make
after having first decided that all the forms
of law have been complied with in the ap
pointment of the electors in Louisiana and
Florida. Having made that decision, (cer.
tainly hard one to make in the case of Lou
lsiana, where the election law wasvoated
in hundred instances by the rturping
board, then the Oregon case will present 1t
self in shape somewhat like this:
There is no dispute in regard to counting
the votcs-no dispute in regard to the const
law of Oregon says: "The votes shall be
canvassed by the Secretary Of StateIin pres
ence of the Governor. The Secretary shall
then prepare two lists OF the names of the
electors elected and aflix the seal of the state
to the same Such lists shall be signed by
the Governor and Secretary, and by De latter
delivered to the electors at their meeting or
the first Wednesday in December" All this
was rigidly done. Only, when the Governor
and Secretary of State canvassed the vote for
electors, they found that one Watts post
| MASTER and therefore under the constitution
of the United States ineligible, had received
FOlCS W CICIt MIN nav hC D0u CllBl-
BILE, but not being so, the vote cast for him
was treated as nullty and the nams of Gro
min, the next highest candidate, placsd in the
list of electors elected, and this list handed
by the Secretary of State to the electors when
they met on the first Wednesday in De.
cember, &c.
The first question TO be decided by the
commission will be, were the Governor and
Secretary justified in treating the cote for
Watts as a nullity. On this point thTe is no
room for doubt. The books are full of deci.
sions that vote cast for man no. legally
eligible is a vote thrown away. The second
question will be-admitting that Wits was
ineligible and therefore not elected vas Gro.
min, the highest man on the Tilden tiket, but
who received fewer votes than Watts, elected ?
On that head, there being no law ofOregon
to meet the case, and there being nCrue to
go by but the English common Law, which
Oregon recognizes, the whole current OF de.
csions Is in favor of the election of Cfonin.
But should the commission decide otherwise,
then did the non-election of either Cronin or
Watts create such vacancy as the other two
Hayes electors could fill? In Rhode Island,
where postmaster was elected on the Hayes
ticket exactly as IN Oregon, the case was sub
mitted to the Supreme Court, and that tribl-
nal decided that there could no vacancy occur
where there had been no election; that there
fore the other electors could not fill the va
cancy, and the only thing to do was for tn.
legislature to meet and appoint the missing
elector, and that was accordingly done. In
Oregon no legislature was convened to cue
the difficulty, and if Cronins election IS he'd
to be void, then all there is OF it is, that Ore-
gon has cast but two votes, leaving the vote
between Hayes and Tilden q ,ie-each having
| lSi-in which case there Is no election by
the electors, and the House of Representatives
will elect the President and The Senate the
Vice President. This, in case the electo.al
tribunal refuse to go behind the Florida ana
Louisiana returns, but do go behind themin
the Oregon case purely on the questions of
law involved, it now appears must be he
inevitable outcome.
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SENATOS FAWCET PLUMB.
Ever since Col. Ralph Plumb squelched