The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-03
NEW ORLEANS, NOVEMBER ,, 1877.
We notice that DR.. d. Warren Brickell, who
has been absent for several weeks, has re-
turned to the city.
THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY.

THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY.
Hon. Geo. w. Jones, of Tennessee, has
furnished the New York San, q letter from
Hon. William Strong one of the Associate
Justices Of the Supreme Court of the United
States and a member Of the Electoral Com
mission. Mr.. Justice Strong voted in the
Commission to count the votes Of the Hayes
electors from this State, and his letter to Mr..
Jones explains the grounds upon which he, a
Democrat. cast this vote His letter reads as
follows:
''WAsHINaToN, February 26, 1877.
''Hon. George w. Jones:
NM Dear Sb--I was Democrat when you
and / were In Congress. ] am q Democrat
now hold to oil the opinions the State
which the acknowledged leaders OF the party
have avowed up to the present winter never
more clearly than In 1878 to 1876.
II do not believe that Congress has any
cunstitutloiml.righ to inquire into the State
elections for State electors
Congress has of late years interfered quite
too much with the States. The Electoral
Commission has no more power than Con-
dangerous usurpation were 1t to do what the
States alone have a right to do even to cure
what fear was q great wrong Of the Louisi-
ana Returning Board.
II cannot doubt that such will be your
opinion when you reflect to what the asser-
ton of such power would lead. IL would
place the right of the States, respecting the
choice of electors, at the mercy Of the Fede
raj government, and be the greatest stride
ever made towards Capitalization.
Better suffer q present evil than open
such door, better than abandon all the
time-honored principles of the Democratic
party.
w. STRONG"
We shall not deny that the position as
sumed by Mr.. Justice Strong in this letter is
correct. We are ready to accept the doctrine
of States rights In it's widest and EXTREMIST
sense, and certainly there are great arguments
to sustain 1t as presented by this eminent
jurist. 1t may be, indeed, that the only crime
committed by the Federal authorities was the
interposition of bayonets to prevent a free
election in this State and TO protect the Re-
turning Board In its fraudulent count Of the
votes That Congress has no constitutional
right to inquire into State elections for State |
officers as this letter asserts, is in our opinion,
the very soundest doctrine. But had Con-
gress, had the Electoral Commission, no au-
thority to recognize the fact that the Presi- |
dent had throttled the State and prevented
that freedom of election or Of utterance to
which, under the broad doctrine of State
rights, Mr.. Justice Strong has enunciated, it
was entitled2
But, be that as it may the country, nay,
the world, now very clearly understands that
in the manner in which the result of the cleo
tion In Louisiana was declared great crime
was perpetrated. We and the country gen.
orally are now quite willing to accept Justice
Strong's statement of the law and the doc
trine upon which the Electoral Commission
finally counted the vote Of Louisiana for Mr..
Hayes But in accepting this theory Of the
case, 1t is as clear as the sun in Heaven that
the achole responsibility of the fraud, of the
crime-the crime of the century--falls upon
the sovereign State of Louisiana and that her
authorities are under solemn and sacred OBJ
legation to the other States of the Union to
bring to prompt punishment the guilty par
ties.
Congress and the Electoral Commission
have clearly and formally established the
doctrine stated in Judge Strongs letter, that
Congress has no constitutional right to inquire
into State elections for electors. Henceforth
the certificate Of the Governor of State in
such matters is to be final. There is no power
outside Of the State to punish State officers
who perpetrate frauds in counting votes or
compiling election returns; there is no author
ity outside Of the State to interfere with and
break up conspiracy of corrupt officials to
defeat the will of the people and prolong their
own power. The State must protect itself; it
must enforce its own laws punish its own
criminals. The Federal government has no
more power to take cognizance of election
frauds In Louisiana than it has to take cogni-
zance of similar frauds in England or in
France. The States officials, its Governor,
Judges, juries and law officers are alone COM
petent to pronounce upon such matters and
to punish perpetrators of election frauds. If
the Executive of the State, its judiciary and
other functionaries combine together to re-
verse the expressed will of the people, and the
people are thus cut off from civil methods of
redress, their only recourse is revolution,
their only step is to seize the conspirators and
hang them.
Under this theory Of the Union, which we
honestly believe is the correct one, the duty
of the authorities of this State plain. Either
the great mass of our white people are ruff
fans. false witnesses and murderers, or four of
our public officers have perpetrated an infa- I
nous crime cognizable and punishable only
f,v the laws Of Louisiana. The magnitude OF
this crime is SO great that 1t has attracted the
.trant,on Of the whole civilized world; its
Consequences have been so far reaching that
fIev have changed the whole policy OF the
crrernment and in its nature it was so infa-
SGas,s that all men who were concerned IN II
@aabiects Of public contempt and ioathlng.
oIves upon Louisiana TO punish tne
liz committed this crime; her honor
Iae OF her people require y, ana me
- and liberty demand Y. ]