The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-10-30
An Extraordinary Letter from Mr.. JUS
ticC strong,

wa- one OF the fifteen members who consti
tutcd thc Electoral Commission through
whose action ltrrnFRrORD b. HAYES was
declared to Toe elected President OF the
United Stnic-. Had Judge STRONG, ~ "A
member uf that Commission. voted the other
way. Mr.. HAYES would nave been excluded
from the office ~ President. II il therefore
t. the vote of Judge STRONG that Mr.. HAYES
owes his Office. The Commission consisted
of fifteen. of whom. leaving Judge SrRONa
In douht seven were for Mr. HAYES and seven
were against him The grand result de-
pended upon the way Judge STRONG should
,...- &C.. 49,. circumstances. o',i vim
such Consequences hanging upon his
vote. Judge STRONG made up his mind to
vote for Mr.. HAYES.
Ii now appears. however and it appears
by u letter under his own hand that in ar
irving at this conclusion. Judge STRONG was
governed bya strictly technical rule and
that although hc east the determining vote
in favor Of MIR. HAYES for President he docs
not believe. and never did believe that Mr..
HAYES was lawfully elected To- that Office
The view taken 10y Judge STRONG was that
Congress has no right to inquire into State
elections for State electors: that the Flee
tOral Commission had no more power than
Congress had and 50 he voted for II AYES a.
MOuW h. f'dr'd - prom lrrOng hal bc1i pe'-
pttdied by M, L)Uis'upd R,iurRnr BOdrdl
All this fully appears in Il letter addressed
10y Mr. Justice STRONG t. an old personal
friend OF hi-. the Hon. GEORGE W. JoSEs Of
Tcnpesscc. This letter, being entirely upon
Nnhl.j question of ovcrshadowing impor-
tance. has been forwarded Ia IL by Mr.
al, tI..,t
letters, which are "a follows In full
"FrfrrNilr Tenn Oct 49, i-77
Hos CuARifs \ DANA-ij,Y ST. puru- the sitting
Of the Electoral Commission Washington last winter
wrote Nj Justice the United states supreme
Count. and member OF the COMMISSION with whom
had been associated formerly n Congress ll not Keep
aeoiy Of my letter. but addressing hlm wrote IN sub
Stance follow.
when You and wcre in consrc.. tosotcr YOU were
AD,nocrat amt REGARDED e.. ava hunrs' man poypulc
l'sc that r people ol Loul-la cl, e',d or Not or i,
n,Yis electors"
Icnclo.c herewith cop, OF Justice STRONG. letter in
rcspons, omine. Il YOU think his letter worth publish
inr. you At liberty 10 give 1t 90 tlr public
IN IA, reply To- Ju,uc, srilNDs letter wrote rs
the Constitution OF the United states itis provided that
Pre-n, electors shall he appointed such manner
shall hc prescribed D., tie state Legislatures hut the
return. OF tho electoral are b, returned the
President the and shall be- opeuod In the pres
ut he two House. Congress and b, then counted
Congress cl,ar has the right IT, inquire and determine
whether the electors OF tie several had been
appointed IN the manner prescribed b. their respective
States
never write secrets keep copies Of Tie ctt,r.
wuic Ana do not hcc,e that the onical act- o pul
he servants AMI tho their act. should be
gafdcd ~ private and secret Ncr, respectfully ours
&c " JOSH,
WASHINGTON Feb. 20. 1871.
THE Hos. GEORGE W. JoNEs-Ny Dear Nr:
was Democrat when you and | were
together in Congress. | am a Democrat
now. | hold to all the opinions the State
Rights Democrats have always held. and which
the acknowledged lenders Of the party have
avowcd up To the present winter-never more
clearly than in 1873 to 1875.
lido not believe that Congress has any con-ti-
uiional right TO inquire into STATE elections for
State electors.
Congress has II late years iutoricred quite
too much with the States III" Electoral Com
mission has no more power than Congress has,
and think it would bea most dangerous usur-
patton. were it to do what the States alone have
o right to do, even to cure what | fear wns
great wrong OF the Louisiana Returning
Board.
cannot doubt that such will bee your opin-
ion when you reflect To what the assertion Of
su.harowor would lead. It would place the
ri,li If thc Siato~. respecting the choice OF
electors at the mercy Of the Federal Govern
mont. ana bee tie greatest stride eyer mad. to-
ward contrlliDtlon.
Better present evil than open sn q
door. bettortaau noallpn all the t.ue-honorsd
principlf Of inc Democratic party.
lam yours very respectfully.
W. srRoNo.'
Tho lcttor OF Judge SrKoSG il in one sens,
very crodit,Dc To- him, 1t shows that h'
acted from convictions We cannot give 1ul
fl. sent 10 Oh" correctness of his conclusion
TINT we can understand that his view is ou,
which mlpht bee honestly taken by a tochni-
cal lawyer, NOT much adiictol to cqmtl
and 10 going tot the bottom Of things.
The great and molncutou- fact which ap
pears from tine corre-p oudrncc. and which
presses itself. by it, Gigantic magnitude
upon the serious consideration Of IA" whole
country. il that KIrnElHOED l.. HAYES uc
cupies the ollic" Of President OF the Unite,
States by force Of the vote Of n man wh'
does not believe he was legally elected
From this conclusion there Is no escape /
stands forth now, and viii stand forever, "a.
am historical fact established by conclusive
and uuquc-tiouahlc evidence.
No urg, hat every other vote in the Elcc
tornl Commission had tine same potency a.
THAT Of Judge = rluNG docs not AT all dctrac
from the strength of our argument Con
t'fllg flUf. hNtul-p II l- Nudouahlp th'