Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-01-06
Nr. Wheeler interviewed.

iTlden by which he is to be elected President by
the House and YOU Vice President by the Sen
ate I"
"Such statements are necessarily absurd, - he re-
piled, in his quick, sharp. rugged way chow can
there be any compromise do not believe that
the sufirages of the American people can be made
the subject Of decker or barter. What night have
any men to ferestail the constitutional settlement
of the question by bargain, arrangement or com
promse-call it what you will As to my sub
hitting to serve under Governor Tllden 5 Pfesi-
dency, if he is lawfully elected, what can do but
to submit cheeIfuly and respectfully may
have my Individual preferences, but If Governor
Tllden is lawfully summoned by the House to the
Presidency by failure OF the count and II the
Senate elects me Vice President | would, of
course yield to him that ready and hearty alegi-
ancc with which every American citizen should
submit to the lawfully chosen President, be he
who he may.
LET me ask YOU whether You believe that you
are already elected by the people =
There was pause Mr.. Wheeler then slowly
and solemnly said 81 do not conceal my conYic-
ton that | am elected.
"And can this election, asyou regard II as such,
be reversed by the action Of the House IN throw
ing out the Louisiana or Florida votes 2
CONGRESS NOT RETURNiNG BOARD.
at il nv firm conviction that Congress can
never be constituted a national canvasslng or re-
turning board. The Congress cannot 70 behind
the returns beyond the mere question of the reg
ularity of the certificates. ndersaud me clearly
for il Is a point on which / would not Ike to be
misunderstood. The Congress cannot lnve,tigate
whether Louisiana has gone for Hayes or lIlden;
the action of the Returning Board on TINS point
has been final aud conclusive.
"And who decides as to regularity OF the re-
turns-Congress or the Vice Presidents"
This is a question on which do not want to
express myself too freely. | will not assume to
say whose function this Is. The act OF l792 and
the subsequent acts the subject leave the duty
of eecting the President entirely to the States.
| The whole theory of the constitution Is that the
people of the several States and not Congress
sional board of national canvassers elect the Pres
| idept. Now mind you, | have never seen the
| northumberland for all | know they may all be
| irregular aud may have TO be rejected-but If
can trust the newspaper reports that these cettih-
Gates aye regular, then can freely say that be-
lieve Governor Hayes TO have been legally hon
estly and fairly elected by majority OF the Elec-
toral College"
"And how is Congress to arrive at this result in
the count when the Governor Of Oregon has GER
tilted democratic elector, and the House will
probably Try to throw out the votes OF Louisiana
and Florida Is this loss to be offset by throwing
| out Iildens votes from Alabama and Mississippi,
| as is now limited in some quarters :"
Mr. Wheelers face assumed an expression of
contempt, which was trustworthy guide 10 his
views.
AS have already told you do not admit the
right OF either or both branches of Congress to
cany ass the votes. The action ofthe State return
| ing or csnvas.ng boards being final and conclu-
sive, and malorlty of The electors legally chosen
ha ling voted for Governor Hayes, the only ques
tion before Congress i is that fact LOCALLY
certified ? If it is, the question is settled"
And the Oregon diftculty-how is that to be
| metf
at is not worthy of serious consideration. The
| face of Cronin's certificate shows that the three
republican electors were chosen by the people,
and two being majority, they could legally fill
tb..y hy ha N m pf an
"And Florida and louisiana"
The CASE OF LOUISIANA.
81 understand that Florida has been conceded
to the democrats far as the Guber Oral vote
is concerned. However, the main fight will be over
Louisiana and it is my honest belief that if there
bad been a free aud fair vote, unobstructed by in-
tmidation or fraud, the republicans would have
carried the State by at least $4,000. In the five
bull-dozed' parishes the very registration shows
that these parishes belong to the republicans"
GLOW do you arrive at that fact, Mr.. Wheeler =
"Why everybody knows that 10 the South, and
more particularly in louisiana the blacks are re-
publicans. Now in these parishes the registra-
ton shows that the blacks are in great numeri
cal majority and yet the democrats claim 10 have
carried them
The democrats claim that you yourself, as a
member of the last investigating committee, have
stgmatized the Louisiana Returning Board as
great rascals 7"
Mr.. Wheeler became thoroughly aroused at this
and replied with much earnestness 81 know that
they have Piled this charge as great handle of
attack. But it Is utterly untrue. | never
charged and never said in my report that either
Governor Wells or Anderson was dishonest or
acted from bad motives. | defy any man to find
line in my report in which impusned their mo-
tives. All did say, and meant TO say, was that
they had msapplied the law; that is all. The law
required them in cases of intimidation to take the
ahdayits in the parishes, at the several polls and
then and there to attach them to the returns, while
they failed to take such afiidavts and subsequent
| ly threw out votes on charge of intimidation with
out having complied with the letter of the law.
have the highest opinion Of the personal integrity
| OF W ellis and Anderson. Both are native Lonls
| ianians. Wells was faithful Union man, who
was hunted with dogs through the swamps by the
rebels, while Anderson fought biayely ON the Con-
| federste side"
"llow about The negroes in the Returning
| Board p
81 do not know SO much about them"
WHAT WOULD BE "REvoLUTIoN p
"Do you anticipate any violence or trouble in
case the Vice President announces Hayes elected
and the House elects Tilden 7"
mo, my friend, have too much confidence in
the judgment antisthe good sense vi the American
people. What good would resistance do I What
can Mr.. 1ilden do without Senate : lie cannot
even have Cabinet without it. The House can.
not, IN my opinion, create the contingency which
would enable it to elect the President. Ii il could
i
ton as long rs the House could set aside the re.
suit and proceed to elect the PRESIDENT The
House may do it lawfully, but if it does so after
tue constitutional authority, the Vice President
has announced the legal result, then it is revolu
tlon-nothing more or less. As to any uprising
armed violence, there won't be a bit of 1t. The
democrats will undoubtedly protest to the last !;
there VIII be much noise and camor, but nothing
more
PARsIMoNIoUs PATRIOTS.
"You do not think a democratic army could
capture the government Z"
With nimitably dry humor Mr.. Wheeler re-
piled, 81 have never knowu,an amy to accomplish
much by subscription" Mr.. Wheeler laid an
unctuous emphasis upon the words "by subscrip.
ton which made them sound very funny. II
know very few men who would defray their own
expenses or buy their own horses and arms to Put
Mr. Tllden into the Presidential chair. do know
two or three men in my own town who want to 90
to Washington with their muskets to see that Mr.
Iilden is inaugurated; but they are generally
men who do not 20 out after shutdown. THEY'LL
fight vaantly for post Offices, but that's about ALL
Mr.. Wheeler's face as be said this renamed
perfectly s:olid, and nothing disturbed its Puritan
severity.
my friend he continued earnestly, "our gov
ernment is not going TO be wrecked on such
shoa as that. 1t is very natural that the demo-
cratic party, having been out of power SO long
and having come so near success, should be tre-