The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-09-06


warmth of his grasp with an Ungloyed hand
| that the Joshua of the Manhattan Club bids
| the sun to STOP and the planet to cease re-
! volying, until Cronins vote is counted that
| clowns and harlequins in paints and feathers
| the mock savages of st. Tammany, brandish
| ing war clubs stuffed with sawdust, wifi
| long talks Of de iure and de facto. magnify
| the wampum they might have captured if then
braves had not all proved to have been pale
faces.
The legal title of the President to his Office IL
unquestioned. There is not only no mode OF
means by which it can be brought into ques-
ton, but there is no ground on which it could
be assailed. In his Inauguration, every theory
Of constitutional law, no matter how variant,
was fully satisfied. The certificates containing
the electoral votes were opened by the Presi-
dent of the Senate, in the presence Of both
houses of Congress: the votes were then count
ed and result declared. They were counted by
the presiding officer of the Senate with the
concurring authority of both houses, acting
under law passed by Congress and approved
by the Executive providing the mode by which
the count should be made, and the result ascer-
tanned and declared. In case of dispute con-
corning the electoral vote of State from which
but one certificate had been made and forward
ed, the vote as certified, it was provided, should
be counted unless both houses concuTred in re-
forwarded, the question what votes should be
counted as the votes of that State was referred
to a special tribunal-the Electoral Commission
created by law for that purpose, and empow-
cred to decide every question arising before it,
as fully as by law Congress itself could do
whose decision it was by the law of it's crea-
ton, enacted should stand as the decision of
the two houses, unless oyeruled by their joint
dissent.
This law was passed by Democratic House
and a Republican Senate. 1t was supported
by every Democratic Senator but one and by
the great body of Democratic members of the
House. with almost the like unanimity. 1t was
advocated on all sides as a measure which
would insure not only q peaceful, but salts
factory, settlement Of the threatening contro-
versies which had arisen in reference to the
result Of the Presidential election and to that
end abundant assurances were publicly given in
debate that whatever might be the decision Of
the tribunal it would not only be accepted, but
acquiesced in, as conclusive and incapable of
being questioned.
And yet what do we now see? An attempt
to reopen, for partisan discussion, the whole
question of this Presidential settlement, not
only as to it's correctness in point of law, but
as to it's good faith. IknoW of nothing meaner
or more unmanly in our party history. The
spirit and determination Of this reckless and
INSCRIPTIONS opposition became manifest in
the course of the Presidential count; and
when it had become apparent, from the
decisions of the Electoral Commission,
that the hopes of a favorable result to the
Democratic candidates must be disappointed, an
open and combined effort to defect the proceed
ing, with whatever consequences to the peace
and Wel-being of the country, was revealed and
even proclaimed in violation of the law, on the
part of large number of Democratic members
a -. r. L e \ "a
as long as they thought it would secure them
party advantage How they can reconcile such
course to a nice sense of personal honor is
problem for themselves to solve, if they con-
slider it of any Importance. The country owes
much, in the defeat of this revolutionary at
tempt, to the firmness of Mr.. Randall the
Speaker, and to the parliamentary skill, and the
patriotism of MIR. Fernando Wood, land to the hon
orable and manly resistance of many Southern
Democratic members. Conspicuous on the side
Of the disturbers of the public peace were most
of the Democratic delegation from this State,
particularly those who, at the last popular cleo
ton for congressman, had failed to obtain the
Endorsement of their constituents, and who.
during their Congressional career, having made
but little, if any, reputation for useful abilities,
seemed determined, at least, to demonstrate
that they had talent for mischief.
1t is alleged, in extenuation of their attempt
cratic politicians, that the Electoral Commits
sion was a purely partisan body, deciding every
question in accordance with the party bias of q
majority of its members. 1t is, indeed, true
that all material decisions of the tribunal were
rendered upon votes on which the Democratic
members voted one way and the Republicans
another. But the controversy was political in
its nature. and the differences between the par
ties, it ought not to be denied, were honestly
.4c-I T. L. L.
at that Republicans should believe their own
party to be right than that Democrats should be
subject to similar infatuation? But the COM
plant is unjust and puerile. 1t ought to have
been made if st all, against the very constitu-
ton of the commission itself, for the very prin-
ciple of its organization was to divide it equal
~ in membership between the two parties TAX
ing five from the House and five from the SEN
ate, and four from the beach Of the Supreme
Court, with a fifth Judge, to be the fifteenth
Commissioner, selected by agreement of the
four Judges already chosen, and who, of
course, had to belong to one or the other of
the two parties. If this choice had fallen on
Democrat, there is no expectation that the de-
cisions would have been less partisan than they
were, though there is reason to suppose that
the Democrats would not then have been the
complaining party.
But it is said that the commission refused to
u6dI 0FIuGuCO WAtC1ls JuGy were DOuuU TO re-
ceiye But the question Of whether it was
competent for them, by law, corrective and hear
evidence was one of the very questions the tri-
bunal was organized to decide. The title of
the act was, To provide for and regulate the
counting of votes for President and Vice Presi-
dent, and the decision of questions arising
thereon" etc. 1t provided, in the case of two
conflicting returns from any State, that they
should 9 be submitted to the Judgment and de-
cision as to which is the true and lawful vote
of such State Of the commission constituted
thereby. The returns and papers accompany
ing them, and the objections thereto, in all
such cases, were required to be submitted to
the commission, which shall proceed, says
the statute, I" to consider the same, with the
same powers, if any, now possessed for that
purpose by the two houses acting separately or
together, and by a majority Of votes decide
whether any and what votes from such State
are the votes provided for by the constitution
Of the United States, and how many and what
persons were duly appointed electors in such
State, and may therein take into view such pc
titions, dispositions, and other papers, if any,
as shall by the constitution and existing
laws be competent and pertinent in such con.
sideration." The Democratic directors and
counsel offered to submit certain testimony to
impeach the validity of the Republican returns
from certain States. This was objected to as