The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-06-23
President Hayes ana the Presidential Fraud


,tar, and ,6air nrnc,rc.s In the las, Prr,iden
: ,;aI n,on,;cr ,rat rnci,el nv the LEADING sneak
: ars ~ ,In ,,aat,r,ieIf an Monday nirht IN
,hn Naoi,r,,n C7rL - ionrr of Mr. Hen.
in;ci, In, tI.,. c,r,,.. me ,,rr,pltirL 10 ~.
var. ,i.. f,-cn = thu, Indictment rg,,m their
r,r.y or',.rizatfnn against which II will be
Irr,..,, tx tbr mora, sense ot tie American
nco,.t. and ~ bpii,,'c /, into q mere personal
,rrIIrnme,. If the A,nljni.tyat,on. Sull less
can jIey be permitted to msrepvescnt the
t.ntr,f -, winch Democrats PROPOSE to deal
Xix ~. ar,nr' rrii,,ra, situation N mis-
country, That ,oiri,was accurately and fully
eynre..oG nv NIr. Hendricks when he said
The Democrat, viii make no factious oppo.
sutton nor will .bey seeE 10 ctubarrass the de
f,,,o Administrator. They will sustain il in
what is ri,ht because il Is right and for the
welfare of the country. and not at all because
of any .ea,iy t. The party that stands defeated
and condemned biz the Deaple." The Demo
cratic party has 10 Intention Of allowing
iiseIftD be ielnded INTO deserving lis unassail.
able position. on the high GROUND OF morals
and JrIighf for Il doubtful contest over mere.
y ,eral issues. Il has had some experiences
and has learned some useful lessons No
we,.intormed and carMd man N this coun
try to-day believes that Mr. HAYES was chosen
president; ly q msioritv of the American pco.
bic or BY an honest majority Of the Electoral
College; but it is both absurd ana mischiev-
Gus TO Ge2v that as a mater Of fact he is now
the Chief NagIstrate of the Union according
- the forms Of law. Technically speaking
he is not ONLY Ge ftct2 but de juYs President
# we restrict the latter term, as we ought 10
do. to is legal and not to its moral sense; for
he holds the Office and performs its duties,
while nobody has disputed his title IN the
courts, and nobody in his right mind dreams
] Of
the presidency, and il is silly as well as scan
dalOus to charge him with doing so; he did
not actually buy it; he did not capture it by
force. What he did was 10 receive II, al.
though he mad no adequate assurance OF his
right to i, al the hands OF the two houses of
congress, acting after what they had de!iber-
a;eIy declared was constitutional method Of
deciding upon his claims. In what sense,
then. can he be properly described as q .raudu-
lent President? The answer IS simple. His
title is Fraudulent, when morally considered.
because tie electoral votes of Florida and
Louisiana. which were actually given 10 Til.
den, were dishonesty certified for Hayes
This was the basis Of his clam 10 the presi.
dencv and this was the fou.est piece Of politi-
cal kngvery IN our annals The plot through
which ltwas consumma;Cd was contr:vcd and
carried out by the Republican leaders, and
Mr. HAYES, it not an actual aCCCmDIiCe in the
villa;py, as there 5 70 reason 10 suppose he
was. II least looked on coDsent;rg where 4
hirh.sOulel and selfresHcctiur man could
not have tailed indignantly to protest. His
title Is fraudulent. when morally considered.
because tie wrongful conversion Of the cleo
toyal votes IN Florida and Louisiana was
made effective through threats of revolution
airy action, which resulted in forcing through
Congress the comnr,se known as the Elector.
"a, Commission The radical Republicans
announced their determination n maintain
By force If necessary the right Of the Prcsi. !
den, Of the Senate 70 count tie votes for Presi.
dent and Vice. President. and troops were con !
centratcu at WASHINGTON to give meaning 10 !
their threats. ! few If the more Cuuserya.
i've Eepub,icans, who were committed as
LAWYERS against such an alsurditv. and who
as patriots dreaded is evil consequences,
sought az alliance win the Democrats IN
Congress, and with their consent and help
formed the Electoral Tribunal. We earnestly |
opposed the formation Of this alliance At the |
time. AID plainly warned the Democratic par.
tv Of it, almost inevitable result, thinking il |
the part Of men ~ meet wrong and repcl Il !
when its coming ! plain. rather ',lan 10 re. |
serve pro,ts, and Inclination iii, the evil !
thing has been cOnsummated, and the inter.
ests Of great communities have adjusted them |
selves 10 the condition Of affairs which i Gre
ates
It's but lust to say. however, that the mis-
chief done by the Electoral Commission is |
,raceab,e no; 50 much 10 It's Theoretical de.
fec,s "a 10 The conduct Of the men who were
nut uDon il bv lis republican authors In |
Inc cUppOsitiGn Of this body the Renublicans |
secured a majority. which voted steadily on
y Marty basis and il il fms rsaiorl,v which |
l. res5Crsihle for the Anal action of the com
mission. The RenubIlcans selected n.en who
were expected to decide and who did decide
that the United States had no Dower IN In. |
cu1-c wbetle- M Uaves han or hal M, IN. |
famed the votes Of f,orisja, FLORIDA and
South Carolina b,. fraud or whether sunGrv
electors n those states and elsewhere had or
had not any constitutional right ~ vote al
AN The rtfsc, Of mis- decision was 10 main. |
tam mat an uninvr.firateI t,,le tainted with
allegation, Of ;,IcgnIItT and .rauG WAS as wood
a. any Other This drci ,ior ryqrv Dem6cra,
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