Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-11-21


0 an appointment Every one OF ,hes
Q papers purported'on its face TO bo
r mere declaration Of tho appointment
5 prcviousl y madeby the people. Nocan
didate who obtained one Of them eve
: undertook to use il except as cvidenc
4 of pre- existing right derived from
/ popular vote in his favor. The mon
strous doctrine that the returning
board could create title TO an electivl
} Office was never even broached, unlcs
> to be universally condemned as unten
, able. 1t is pity that in your long
frequent and aflectionate intercours,
with the negroes and carpet. baggers a
New Orleans you did not pick up a lit
tic knowledge OF constitutional law.
' .Fa'Iiug 10 6nd' any qualification !,
the law for those who did this deed
you must leave them without an excus,
or find one in the facts of Che case
} Your demurrer is a preposterous sham
and you must answer over, Was tht
true vote Of Louisiana counted or not
The great fundamental fact which
undcrlies all others in regard to Louis
lana is that the State, by her qualified
voters, chose and appointed the Tilden
electors in due and legal form. This
sproved by evidence clear and decisive
enough to strike all contradiction
dumb.
In less than two days after the cleo
tion it was known all over tho country
that in Louisiana there had been full
poll and heavy majority for Tilden,
Very soon afterwards the official count
made and recorded in the several par.
ishes by Republican officers OF the cleo
ton were brought together, and the
exact vote Of each candidate was asccr.
tanned The figures could not be made
to lie, and all parties agreed that the
majority for the Tilden electors aver
cged nearly eight thousand. Now, re-
member, this was a public act not done
in corner, but transacted in the face
of the world and the unoontradicted
report of il carried perfect conviction
along with it. Upon evidence of this
kind the most important fact in the
history of the universe was accepted
true in all parts Of the earth immedi-
alely after it happened, and for more
than eighteen centuries the mos' pow
erful minds in Christendom have stalk
cd upon II their highest interests in
this world and their salvation In the
next. But there was other evidence.
Committees of Congress were sent
down, charged with the special duty
of inquiring into the matter on the
ground, and they reported the true re-
suit Of the election to be as previously
stated, that is TO say, 1869 majority
for Tilden. Even that is not all. The
original documents and records show
ing what the vote was, as actually
counted by Republican commissioners
of election, authenticated by their
sworn certificates and verified by the
oaths of many credible persons, were
produced before Congress and before
tho electoral commission. These were
conclusive proofs; they were submit
ted to your inspection, and, If you do
not know from them that large ma.
ority of tho people at that election
voted for lilden electors and the Dem
ocratic State officers, you are wholly
unfit for your business. But YOU do
know it, and cannot deny IL without
totally destroying your character for
common veracity Forced by the ir-
resistible strength OF the proofs, you
admit, or Ito use your own words) as.
sumo that the majority for the Tilden
electors was ,659 SO, therefore, that
is settled.
There is another point of fact that
is also established The majority for
the Tilden electors was made up by
the votes of legally qualified citizens.
| do not say this merely because the
reception OF the votes by the proper
election officers was per Sc an adiudica.
tion in favor OF the voters right, but
for the further reason that the election
at all the polling places was in the
hands and under the complete control
of the opposing party, who would GER
tainly not permit any Democraticvo vote
to 60 in if they could legally keep it
out. Besides, tho House committee,
when they went to Louisiana with
power TO send for persons and papers,
could not find anybody-not carpet
bapger or q Custom House officer
hardly enough to assert that the Dem
Gratis had poled Illegal votes You
have not denied, and ] suppose will
not, that the majority of 1863, which
YOU admit was cast for the Tilden
electors, was cast by properly qualified
citizens.
Another thing the election was
free and peaceable. The officers re-
ported no disturbance, Every polling
/ place was manned by policemen, depu-
ty.marshals and soldiers IN the inter
est Of the carpet baggers, and all Of
them testify that there was no vio-
lence of any kind which called for their
interference. The same is true with
regard to the registration. That there
could have been no force or intimida-
tion at other places, or times, which
kept people away from the election is
proved by the large number that came.
The vote was the heaviest ever polled
in the State and largerinproportionto
tho whole population, as ascertained
by the census than in most other
States where all the excrtions Of both
parties were used to bring out their
last man.
The necessary result, briefly stated,
of all facts known and proved is this
that the people Of Louisiana, having
the undoubtcd power to choose their
own electors, did regularly, duly and
legally appoint the Tilden candidates
upon a full poll, at free election and
by a large majority and the persons
thus duly appointed by the people
were exclusively capable Of casting
the presidential vote of the State IL
followed, as the day follows tho night,
that the count OF the eight electoral
votes from Louisiana for Hayes was a
false count.
But you say that the officers Of the
returning board, by virtue Of certain
judicial powers conferred on il, could
disfranchisc the majority, nullify their
act OF appointment, and virtually take
the power of choOsing electors into
their own hands. This brings us to
another disputed question of law Is
the returning board law valid and
binding, or a mere pullity because Of
its direct aud palpable rcnsct with
the Constitution. Let us look.
OF course neither you nor anybody
will deny that disiranohiscmcnt OF n
free citizen is severe punishment re-
served by the penal law for the most
l IL ..-a.-I L