The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-01-25
THE PLAN OF THE COMMISSION.


The conference committees plan is so
| novel as to deserve such title as il usu-
| ally given to works Of fiction. Every
| individual inhabitant of the land who
has come to the years of discretion, and
is III full possession Of his or her facul-
| ties, knows that the electoral colleges of
| the States have met, voted, and adjourn
ed; and that Hayes has received 1876
electoral votes against 184 for Tilden.
Everybody knows what the legitimate
vote of every State has been, and what
the spurious vote is. Everybody knows
that the final, official, completing add
| ton to be made on the second Wednes-
day of February must show that Hayes
has 1876 votes to Tilden's 184, else falsify
one OF more of the counts which each
State has made for itself. Therefore
to devise a plan which puts the result,
of the ultimate count at hazards to de-
wise a plan the outcome of which may
defeat the decision already made by the
people for themselves, according to~the
express mode provided in the Constitu-
ton. The new plan does not merely COW
er the process of enumeratiDg the cleo
toral votes, for the purpose of ascertain
ing in a formal manner the exi3.eoce of
a universally known fact, but virtually IL
wolves the holding of a new election for
ating a tribunal to revise the returnes
and determine whether or not certain
States shall bh practically disfranchised.
Congress hasno uthority to confer upon
any tribunal whatever the powers re-
posed by the Constitution in the States
alone. Where i'll that instrument is to
be found an atom of authority to con-
stitute of five Representatives, five Sena-
tors, and five Justices of the Supreme
Court returning board, with just such
| powers over the electoral votes of all the
States as were exercised by the Return
ing Board of Louisiana over the local
returns there Congress has power, in
set terms ''to make all laws which shall
be necessary and proper for carrying
| into execution the foregoing powers in
| the Constitution and all other powers
vested by this Constitution in the gov
eminent of the United States, or in any
department or officer thereof ;" but the
power to revise or reject the action of q
! State in appointing electors was never
/ conferred upon the United States, and
of course cannot be carried into effect
without usurpation. The act for such
purpose only Iegalizos revolution.
However we'll meant the compromise
may have been, it amounts to an asser-
ton that there is serious doubt as to
whether Hayes has been elected. 1t is
equivalent to saying that the Democrats
have the right to contest the Legitimacy
and validity of the vote cast for Hayes
by Louisiana, even after the State has
made its own decision, declared its own
will, and certified it's own electors, in
the mode provided by its own laws and
pronounced constitutional by its Su-
preme Court A question fully adjudi-
Gated and thoroughly settled in the only
way authorized by the Constitution Of
the United States is to be referred to an
extra constitutional returning board, to
| be reopened, to be resifted, and to be
settled over again, perhaps in opposition
to the clearly expressed will of Louisiana.
This State is the only disputed point
remaining in the controversy. Long
ago the Democrats became heartily
ashamed of the Oregon pretense, and
have abandoned this absurd claim
| Florida and South Carolina are now adj
mitted to be for Hayes beyond q perad-
venture, the returns on their face being
| against Tilden, whether counted by his
! friends or enemies. Louisiana is quite
as certain, and Congress has no right to
class it as doubtful. Uncertainty was
ended when the Returning Board made
its decision. That was the only settle
ment of the dispute known to the organ
| ie law of the Union or of the State itself.
| It would be both unreasonable and I'M
| just to turn over to chance what was
never subject of chance, and what has
already become a legally established
fact.
Compromises are always of doubtful
policy, and III this case can only tend to
darken the public mind To pass the
measure would be to acknowledge that
the bloody intimidation in the South
was an exaggerated picture, or Pigment
of the Imagination. It would convey
the impression that the Returning Board
of LOUISIANA had acted fraudu1ently, and
that its conduct demanded official soruti-
ny, perhaps reversal The Republican
party would stultify itself, discredit evil
dence, belittle facts, tarnish truth, rem
der certainty doubt, and jeopardize the
will Of the people. This compromise
plan does not grasp the Presidential
difficulty by its smooth handle, but by
it's handle which is reGhct-Iiate1-
| Ocean.
JOHNSTON VEAL, a Hollander, at work
for w. D. Chesbro, of Chester, Dodge
county, got lost On Horizon marsh last