The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1877-02-22
PREsIDEN EIAL.
Plain Talk in the House.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22.-The striking
and memorable efforts of the day were by
Prof. Seelye, Henry Watterson, Levy OF
Louisiana, and Mcmahon OF Ohio, Ihese
speeches, delivered with deep and lmppas-
stoned force, stilled the house TO perfect
silence and elected laundering applause.
As it was Louisisna's day, Ellis, OF tnat
state, controlled the debate. lie came IN
when it had gone on for an hour or more
and said, with great emotion:
Louisiana, by the voice OF 1O,OOO ma
ioritv of their people, voted for Samuel j.
Tilden for president, but | find to-day, by
the voice Of this commission, her electoral
vote cast for Hayes. In arriving at
that decision, in overthrowing the will of
the people OF Louisiana, that commission
decided in the first place that they would
not examine into the unconstitutionality
of the law creating this returning board.
In the second place, it refused to go into
the question of fraud, and in the third
place, having sworn to decide according to
the constitution of the United States, they,
the chosen ministers and high priests OF
that constitution, sat and closed their ears
against the expressed voice and will OF
that constitution, against any proof as to
the ineligibility of two of these electors,
well known, undisputed, and undoubted.
The returning board violated the election
law, and no lawyer has ever doubted it.
No lawyer will ever dispute it. 1t is a
principle of law familiar to every neophyte
in the profession that whatever is done ID
opposition to the declared will of the peo-
pie through their constitution is an abso,
lutte nullity. But again, sir, they refused
TO hear any proof of fraud. Fraud! 1t
obliterates, it vitiates everything. 1t
upclasps the clutches of the most skllltully
drawn mortgage act around real estate,
1t vitiates even the sanctity OF the mar
rage tie, and yet this great government,
which was able to summon three millions
in its defense. which was able to
shake the world by the earthquake
of its agony and struggle for self
preservation, must fall hopeessly paralyzed
before the fraud conveyed to it by four men
whose acts are black with crime. whose
souls are scared with perjury, aye, blacker
than Judas Iscariot, and whom it were
base flattery to call men. As to eligibility
of these electors under the constitution,
these commissioners who had sworn to de-
eide according to the constitution, as J
said before, sat there, these high priests,
these chosen ministers. with the sword
which is held by this house and by the
senate placed in their hands to guard the
constitution, and to guard this government
against the illegal vote OF this electoral
college. yet they sat there and refused to
hear the most positive and convincing
testimony Of the inehgibility of two of
these electors, Sir, the deed is done,
The crime is accomplished, For four
years from the 4th of March next the Re
publican party will hold the shadow of ex
ecutive power. l say the shadow, because
the substance of usurped power is Ovel
and can never be realized. The immorta
pencil of Gustave Dore has illustrated the
legend Of the wandering Jew. You have
all seen it, in all that dreary march OIL
years he found no rest, no resting place
from his crime and its memories
Whether amid the busy haunts Of men oil
in the dim aisles of the forest, whether
upon the mountain top or amid the roar
and spray of the ocean storm, there was
ever the memory Of the crime of the Jew.
the pale suffering face of the Redeemer
and the accusing voice forever in his ear
So it must be with the Republican party
and the unjust judges Of the commission
The spoils of Office will not compensate it
The splendors of the presidential re
ceptions and levees cannot Danish it,
presence. The silence aud gravity of thu
cabinet meetings will not Danish or husi
its accusing voice and in four years NOR,
this great American people, this wronged
outraged people, will rise in their majest
and will hur these drunken guests OF tn
feast from power everywhere, and bran'
with the indelble brand of infamy Thea
men who have aided, countenanced
abetted, and defended this monstrou
crime"
These well.weighed and resonau
sentences were electrical in effect an
carried shame and confusion to the tw
gnilty commissioners, Hoar and Garfield
who sat in visible embarrassment unde
the shaking finger Of the impassioue
southron.