New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-03-09

government of Louisiana, and l do not see |
now to-day, and that is the main point / de- |
sire to present, how any Senator who voted |
in this chamber that the electoral vote of |
Louisians was legally and properly cast |
TOR X. b. Hayes and yourself, Mr.. .Preei. |
dent, is permitted to doubt that 8. B Pack |
ard Is equally Of right the Governor of that |
State. There may be some technically;
there may be some keen form of logic which |
l have not yet heard, and which do not |
think shall ever be able to comprehend, BY |
which man who had nearly 1000 votes
more than the electoral ticket recei we'd was
not elected Governor when the electoral
ticket was chosen, and frankly repeat that
am not permitted to doubt, no man is per-
mitted to doubt, legally, today. Certainly
the other side of the chamber is not per-
mitted to doubt legally that the electoral
vote OF Louisiana was cast for Hayes and
Wheeler. IL was decided SO by the tribu.
nal created by that eide of the chamber
The Senator from Connecticut (Eatopl bows
to me. He and l are guiltless of that tri-
bunal; but with the slight exception of the
Senator from Connecticut, every gentleman
on that side of the cham ber in the Congress
lust closed voted to establish that tribunal,
and it came 10 with peans and shouts OF.
coDgratulation that the day of political
millennium had at last dawned and that we
have now established a tribunal distin-
guished above ali human Observation-Disclosures
Tor impartiality, and to whose decision we
would all bow in q most ready spirit of cor
dial acquiescence. They took the question
into consideration, and heard 1t deliberately
argued, and decided as it believed right.
fully that the electoral votes of Louisiana
belonged to Hayes and Wheeler.
Mr.. Thurman--Will the Senator allow
me to interrupt hint
Mr.. Blsine-Certaisly.
Mr.. Ihurmsu-1he Electoral Commits.
sion decided that it could not go behind
the decision OF the Returning Board.
Mr.. Blaine-Precisely, but 1t did decide
MIR. Thnrman-l am not through. The
decision was that it could not look behind
1t, AMI therefore would receive no evil
dence. But does the Senator say that the
Senate of the United States is not made the
judge Of the qualifications and returns of
its membersl
MIR, Blaine [nterruptng) The Senator is
too rapid. Hm coming to that part.
MIR. Thurman tdisregarding the Interrupt
tion)-That the Senate can not look behind
that Returning Boarda
Mr.. Blsine-I sm coming to that in due
season. The Senator will permit me to say,
however, that the Electoral Commission, of
which he was an hOnored member, did de.
eide that the Louisiana Returning Board
was constitutionally and legally competent,
to count the electoral vote OF that State.
Am l right
Mr.. Thurman-A majority did.
Mr.. Blaine "A majority constitutes the
board. Then ! understand the Senator
from Ohio to admit that the Electoral
Commission did decide that the Louisiana
Returning Board was legal and eonstitn.
tiOnal body, competent to do what they did
do, and that theylwere unable to review or
reverse it, and that the same board, compe-
tent to declare who were the Presidential
al nf hat &Eafa rod oil yb,,
we're the Legislature Of that State, and the
Legislature, performing the mere minis
terlAl duty, declared who was Governor of
thai State; and stand here alone to say
tn at tho honor aud credit aud faith of the
Republican party, in so far as the election
of Hayes ana Wheeler is concerned, are as
lndissUluble in maintaining the rightfulness
OF the return OF that body as the illustri-
Gus house of Hanover, that sits on the
throne of England to-day, ID IN maintaining
the Iigatful ness of the revolution in 1868
You discredit Packard and you discredit
Hayes You hold that Packard is not the
legal Governor OF Louisiana, and President
Hayes has no title to his chair. l say,
therefore, that on the action of the Return
ing b 1ard, which the Senator frnm Ohio
admits was determined by the Electoral
Commission to be a competent, legal and
constitutional body, rests the authority OF
S. b. Packard to exercise the GOvernorship
of that State, and on the authority Of the
board rests the Legislature of that State.
William Pitt Kellogg was duly elected Sen
atOr by the Legislature of that State. Thus
determined, he comes here commission ed as
Senator, bearing the great seal of tine State,
as maintain, aud l do not, unless chal-
lenged upon that point, desire to go into
any of the details of the election.
MIR. Thurman-DO l interrupt the Sena-
tol9
Mr.. Blaine-Not at all.
Mr.. ThuTman-DOes the Senator under
stand that the Returning Board counts the
votes for Governor and declares who is
elected GOvernOrl
Mr. Blaine-The Legislature did that.
Mr.. Thprman-Then the Senator is in
great error.
Mr.. Bjaiue-No, never said any such
thing. But that they we're based on the
same returns precisely, and the same Re-
| tqrniug Board counted the votes for mem
bers oil the Legislature, and also counted
and transmitted to the Legislature the votes
| for Governor.
Mr.. rhurman-Yes.
Mr.. Blaine-That is only one degree of in
lineal descent. IL is the difference between
son and grandson.
Mr.. Thurman-I beg to say to the Sem
atOr that the Electoral Commission never
| decided that the Returning Board was 8
constitutional board for couptinS anything
but the electoral vote for President and
| Vice President
Mr.. Blaine--Do understand the Senator
from Ohio, then, to maintain that the Re
turning Board was good enough to count il
| electors for President, but nos good enough
| to determine who was Governori
Mr.. Thurman-If the Senator asks my
opinion, l say it was good enough for any
thing except to BIO hung.
Mn. Blaine-I believe the gentlemen il
Louisiana whom the Senator from Ohit
represents in his opinions hold that tn,
| Electoral Commission deserve about thu
same thing, or at least eight of them,
Mr.. ThurmRn-A majority.
Mr.. Blaine-I want to hold the Senate
to the point, that the Legislature, the Gov
| ernor and the prPs'd rn'ial electors OF Louis
lana ali derive thelr legality and their RICH
to act from the same source and the sam
count, and that if one is discredited tn
other is discredited. and that the elector
having been accredited by the highest tri
bunal known to the constitution aud laws
he ia preeluded from raising a doubt o.
that question, and it Is therefore that
maintain that without any elaboration q
argument, resting, as MIR. Kellogg does, hi
claim to the Senatorship on as broad basi
and upon precisely the same fouudatiO
that the presidential electors rest upon, h
ia entitled to be sworn in; and l say to tn
Senator from Delaware, whom am Away
DESTROYS of treating with courtesy, that
believe the right of Mr.. Kellogg is just q
absolute as that of Mr.. Morgan, and there
fore could not find that l was under an
obligation to yield the one to the other.
Mr.. Baysrd-I did not signify any Oblig'
ton. II was q mere matter Of practices
! convenience.
Mr.. Blaine-I know there has been greg
deal said here in the corridors Of the Cap
toll, around about in by-plIces and in ing
places of late, that a sale arrangement ha