Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1877-02-07
What Has Been Established.

thirds, have not determined who shall
be President, but they have establish,
ed, beyond all future disturbance or
or denial, u few points Of importance,
which are really worthy Of public at
tcntod.
1.-The proposition that the Constl-
tuition conters upon the President OF
the Senate the power to count the
electoral votes in Presidential cleo
ton, including the power to determ-
inc, when there is more than one GER
tifcato from any State, which Of these
certificates shall be counted, aud to
declare the result, while the two
Houses Of Congress are present mere
ly as witnesses and spectators-this
proposition has now been sub ected TO
an exhaustive discussion, in which the
Constitution and the constitutional
history and practice OF the country
have been thoroughly explored, and
every principle and every fact bearing
upon the subject brought to light !;
and the Judgment is that this propo-
sition is utterly baseless, without any
thing to stand upon, a mere device
and invention trumped up for the oc-
casion and brought forward for par
tisan purpose without any reason, or
fact, or truth, or law, OF precedent to
justify or support it.
lit is established that the
scheme Of counting the electoral votes
of Florida and Louisiana, as certified
by the Returning Boards Of those
States, in favor Of Hayes and Wheeler,
when, in fact, the people Of each State
gave n majority of their votes in favor
Of Tilden 9nd Hendricks, is scheme
that cannot be maintained and carried
through by any means hitherto known
to our laws.
HIT is established that the claim
of the Republicans that Hayes and
Wheeler were elected in November by
the action Of the Returning Boards Of
Florida aud Louisiana is a sort Of
claim that the Republican majority OF
the Senate do not regard as substan-
tal enough to insist upon.
IN.-lt is further established that,
proceeding upon this unsubstantial
and hollow claim, and maintaining
that the frauds in Florida and Louis
lana were not frauds, certain Of the
Republican managers had couspired
to declare Hayes President, to in&ug-
urate him, and to put HIM in possess
ion Of the Government without any
legal or equitable right whatever.
Wit is established that these Re
publican managers had conspired to
do this through usurpation, hy the
President of the Senate. of the power
to pass upon the electoral votes by
virtue Of his own alleged authority
alone, without allowing either Sena,
tors or Representatives to object at
any stage OF the proceedings, Or to
call him to account for his action.
That this was their design is certain,
not only from the universal ayowal of
Republican press and politicians, but
also from the fact that most OF the de-
bates were devoted to overthrowing
and annihilating this pretended power
OF the President Of the Senate.
Wit is established, finally, that
the conspirators had arranged and de-
termined to employ military force to
carry ous their programme, or else
the project of counting in Hayes by
the Senate only would not have been
a thing for anybody to be afraid of
TO this consummation President
Grant was pledged. For this purpose
he had brought troops TO Washington
from distant posts. This design lie
has clearly announced on several oc.
casions. and it has been boldly express
ed in the National Rcpualic0n news
paper, the party organ at Washing
ton. This design and the military
preparation formed the only real, sub
stantial clement in the Republican
case.
Widths conspiracy has now
been decidedly checked. The pre-.
tended power of the President Of the
Senate has been exploded and render
ed ridiculous. The conspiracy to de-
clare Hayes elected by the frauds OF
the Florida and Louisiana Returning
Boards has been defeated, for the
present at least and the scheme of
using military force to put down the
House OF Representatives in revo-
lutionary manner, has been anticipat-
ed and stopped and hence all the