The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-02-17
THE OpD.MAN COMMISSION.

. of that state to Hayes. lhelr decision, 10
reached on Friday evening, after hot DIS
cussion among themselves that had lasted 10
hours, was announced IN words, by a vote OF
8 to bradley voting for Hayes-as fol-
lows
) l. The commission exercising powers oil
} both houses under the law and having OK.
, ahmed all the certificates ana papers reierreu
to them, find that they have no authority 10
hear evidence ditunde, or, in other WORDS, 10
hear evidence outside of the certihcate OF ,ne
!, governor of the state of Florida founded
upon the determination OF the cahVassihg
board of the state as to Its vote
2. The commission could not consider as
evidence any act Of the legislature or courts
in determining whom the state had appointed
as electors after the day SAID electors gave
their vote.
3. In regard to the alleged eligibility OF
| +. G. Humphreys, there was not suffclent
proof that he held office on the 7th OF NO
vember.
On Saturday the two houses met in con.
ventlon TO hear the report. The house OF
course objected to it, and under the law es'
tablishing the commission the two houses
then separated to act on it each for itself.
The senate approved the decision of the com
mission without debate. The house was al.
lowed by the law two hours tor debate in ten
minute speeches. The house concluded 10
take Sunday to think over the matter and
have its two hours on Monday, to
which an adjournment was carried by
strict party vote. The speeches against
the decision on Monday were generally
sharp, indignans and bitter. Some mem
beers went even so far as to urge the house to
withdraw its members and to ignore the
whole concern Cooler counsels, however,
prevailed, and the house finally cOntented It
self by filing its 8 Intellectual cbjections-in-
effectual, OF course, because the decision Of
the commission had to stand unless both
houses objected.
After this action by the house, which took
until about o'clock, the two houses again
met in the representative hall to proceed with
the count The commission having decided
| 10 favor of Florida, and one house having
approved that decision, Florida was counted
for Hayes. Then Georgia was called, and
the other states in succession, and the votes
received without objection until Louisiana
was reached. Here the objections dropped
thick and fast. Senator Mcdonald was the
first to rise, followed by Gibson and Wood,
who objected to the returns which gave the
state to Hayes. Another return was read,
signed by Gov. McEnery, giving the electors
to Tilden, and to this Senator Howe submit
ted objections. Then, to the surprise OF eve
rybody, another return was presented, giving
the electors to Peter Cooper! 1t was signed
by "JDhn Smith, Co. G., Bulldosers of Louis.
iana," and winds up with "Such is life-in
Louisiana" The return was quite lengthy,
quite humorous in the mock gravity of its
language, and evidently "a sheer burlesque,
but although repeated objection was made to
its reading, the presiding officer decided that
under the law it must be read, and so 1t was
to the "bitter end" The paper was directed
to be omitted from the proceedings the bal
ance of the papers were handed over to the
commission, and thetw houses separated.
The Louisiana case was opened before the
commission on Tuesday, Senator Mcdonald
being the first to speak against the Hayes
certificate from Louisiana. He took the
ground that the returning board ON whose
count the certificate was based, had not been
legally constituted-had not complied with
the law, and that Kellogg, in making the
certificate. had disregarded the law both of
Congress and Louisiana. Mr.. jerks made
brilliant speech on the same side, and then
Mr. Hurlbut and Senator Howe made speeches
on the other side, upon which recess was
that hour Senator Carpenter took the floor
on the democratic side, making one of the
ablest and most brilliant speeches ever de-
livcrcd in Washington. He was followed 10
a mastery argument by Judge Trumbull. and
to him succeeded Stoughton and Shellabar-
ger, on the republican side, after which the
commission adjourned to Thursday.
On Thursday the argument was resumed
in behalf af the Kellogg certificate by Evarts,
who occupied over three hours, and was re.
piled to In behalf of the Tilden electors by
Judge Campbell, at the close of whose speech
the president of the commission announced
that the public argument was closed. and the
commission went into secret session II was
supposed the secre, session would continue
through Friday, and that the decision
would not be made known until today.
The Democrats have gathered one grain of
hope from the proceedings in the Louisiana
case. While Trumbull was making his
crushing exposition of the Louisiana frauds,
StoughtonIone of tie Hayes attorneys, said
insolently, smiling in contempt at Judge
TrumtuM, Il can't understand the motive of
the counsel taking up the time OF this court
with arguments "a To the admission OF cvi.
deace, when the just decision of the tribunal
ia The Florida case shows that 1t Is time
wasted" But" said Judge Edmunds, benz
iny over suayely "did counsel imeanInr