The daily gazette., 1877-01-09
a. New Election i'm MAY
Fron IN ItIchmond v ne.


OF all the schemes yet suggested for the
settlement of the Presidential question,
thatproposed byGeneral Grant "a new elec
ton III May, in the event the country
will not consent to be bulldozed by the
conspiratOrs and acquiesce in the inau-
guration of Hayes, the defeated candi-
date, is the most Objectionable.
Governor Tilden has either been cleo
ted or there has been no election by the
people. If elected (and of this there is
no doubt in the minds of fair mem he
should be inaugurated in defiance of all
opposition. If, however, while it is ap-
parent that he is certainly entitled to the
vote of Louisiana, and most probably to
that Of Florida, there has been such in
formality, or we should say rascality,
practised by the returning boards of these
two States as to render 1t impossible to
comply with the forms the law requires
in casting the vote of the State, then
they must be thrown out, in which event
Governor Tilden, having received194 un-
challenged votes, one less than maiori-
ty of the entire Electoral College, and a
decided ''majority of the whole number
of electors appointed" as the Constitution
requires, is elected. Or if it should be
held that the Constitution does not mean
what it plainly says, q "majority of the
whole number of electors appointed"
shall elect, and that majority of the en-
tire electoral vote, whether all the cleo
tors We're appointed or not, is required,
then the contingency will have arisen
contemplated and provided for in the 18th
article Of the Constitution wherein itsays:
-"And if no person have such q majorl-
ty (that is, if there is tie vote, then from
the persons having the highest numbers,
not exceeding three, on the list of those
Unfa6 DraCi1nnf Of
representatives. shall choose Immediately
the President" etc. So that we hold it to
be lddisputable either that Governor
Tilden, if the Contitution is to he respec-
ted, must b. declared elected by the two
houses OF Congress in joint session, or
else, there being no election by the people,
the duty devolves upon the House OF Re,
presentahves to elect a President.
How is this express provision of the
strunent to be defied and its mandatory
language to be deliberately defied? If
so 1t is revolution-as much revolutio on
as the retirement of the seeded States
from the Unien; as muchrebellion against
lawful authority as jeff Davis, Wigfall,
Toombs, Yancey & Co. ever participated
IN and it should, and will be, resisted to
the death by every man North and South
ioyal to the Union and the Constitution.
The true men of the Republic. in and out
of Congresr, should unite without regard
to sections or parties and resolve, come
veal or woe, to stand by the Constitution
and see its provisions enforced if it takes
'all summer" or score of summers to
eight it out on that line"
The friends of the Republic had best
boldly meet the issue now; grapple with
the conspirators at their first advance
and crush them forever, as it will be easy
to do. To temporize with traitors is only
to encourage them, to invite vet greater
lawlessness in the future. Permanent
peace the country cannot have until it is
well understood that no quarter will he
granted those who dare to obstruct the
laws and resist the clear requirements of
the Constitution. Straight forward the
republic should march in its onward
course. never swerving hairs breath or
yielding particle to the demand of the
disloyal; enacting just laws, but enforcing
them with the certainty of death. To
hesitate now is to be lost; to "doubt is
to be damned"
We do not oppose a new election be-
cause we fear the result. On the con-
trary, we believe new election would
result in the loss to Hayes, not only OF
his own State, but of thtee-fourths OF
the States he carried in November. We
object and protest against such settle
ment of the controversy because it
would be confession to outlrws and
n cowardly failure on the
part of loyal men to resist the demand OF
insolent knaves an abandonment of the
Constitution, and the practical over
throw Of the Republic.