The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-11
1T mo bring your attention 70 certain facts well
and publicly known.
TT " A fDNgpfRAUY

II Is proved. r human testimony con provo
s"y III X Now Now mbcr Ia rrs, duy a" ~ r ""
glar 9Nilpis ma nppvin'Iin"n, %, ,rrhh'tsl
and Hendri ks. al authorized t1rn 10 east the
vote NJ tho Snto. II a. Just ~ conr That the ap-
yo-htmont male by the people WIS %, napgllt
turns pf the rletiun. This wns uir I'd by tho
rrupt agony Of ccrtiin local officers, com
fltS' Who ia iicd them I" it, "ia tod thcr in IT,
Hnl helped Il! ON tOcot. eth che i ia Whit they
o,aI this conspiracy Tnat oTcn"o y defined
a. combination ~ sew raj persons To h' ON
(sh an unlawful pnrp. &C. ny Gonm,,i,n n,
Srnni,ion Persons acting in this way arc nj
wnys treated ns consl traitors md ny t.r law ct
SEVERELY nun shed. Take ono simple and actual
sase out Of thousands thai might h. giy"n;
dofrnud tho llu ted States Of their revenue from
dstillcd spirits, and they ,dih it hy precon-
ccrted scrrs Of false and deceptive returns.
which certain public OIL crs coni'lcrgt 1t with
thom passcl IN IA tru'. This was held Land
Justly held. 20 he n conspiracy, aud some OF the
parties Ia II were sent to the panitnntiary.
Perhaps you do not sec the parallel hut tho
emsa %Sc ycn rdd defend aaS tRs obc o @ c"@m
nation was to cheat the people out OF their right
Of self-government while the purpose Of the
money II this makes any difference i is
greatly against you. for liberty Is more precious
wise men who won tho. indepon1cnrc an built
up the institutions Of this country tho privilege
richest part oil the great nheritancc they LEFT MS.
With full price In blood and tr,9sure th,y
DO not know one tooraby decent American
who would sell even his single right on nny
history Of Louisiana which occurred lust year
Il was especially valuable to her people, for y
furnished them me only Legal, pcacsihne' apa
most corrupt and oppressive Government. The
euccesstul scheme to cheat those people out Of
EIectors Is. therefore. a crime Of the grea,cst
magnitude, and one which reGnir's cheek OF
solid brass TO defend II without blushing. II Is
Of public money Running crooked whiskev
for u lifetime would be an act Of white-robed
innocence in comparison. .
Tho uti mate object of this crime gives u q
H. features. when seen in detail are hiis Gus
bryond expression. Some returns were en-
tircly snppressed. and others were sllc Gro, !;
put in and counted which wore known not to
have been polled. The whole proceeding. vas
portant documents was n part Of u: perjury
and suhornaton Of perjury attended It at every
doned2. Do you expe ( the cheatcd peoplc Of
the nation to say. ike the eight Commissioners.
that this is as good n way as any to elect Pres
THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION.
One o., your allegations ia that I intended TO
convey the false impression That the formation ~
The commission was the result Of a Republican
conspiracy To frnudulently elera President and
your word Tor il. has made himself intercstnc
Nv a public complaint Of the injury TO himself
lid not say this or any r Ike IT, on me
proposed in certain difficult circumstances TO
avoid the dangers which might spring from n
continued and flnal disagreement between the
two Houses and as being accepted by the Demo-
Gratis in the belief that Justice would be done,
and an honest decision rendered against the
fraud. In all this there is nothing about con.
spiracy In the formation Of the commission"
do not know that you misrepresented this
point wilfully II is ono Of your characteristic
Inaccuracies, ikcthat which charges Dante with
the indecencies Of tho Decameron.
No; the conspiracy was not in the formation
Of the commission but in the frauds which
commission refused TO verify the votes and as
certain whether the electors that sent them up
were duly appointed or not, and IN this 1t bit;
grossly violated the whole spirit as well as the
letter Of the law which gave !, being whether
This was mere error, or something worse. rs not
for me YOU 10 determine: but the general
judgment will. no doubt. adopt the charitable
Wow which have given. and say that the fac,
uties Of the majority were too much benumbed
BY party passion to see the facts or understand
Yon lain that tho certificate Of the Return
Ing Board gave you u political advantage; In
this you are certainly right. A party sued for
an honest debt has great advantage oyer his
creditor If he can produce fraudulent or
becomes decisive il the tribunal trying the
cause IS willing 10 accept the false paper give
IN % be 9 r 9s o6 of sa rB u, wdnd
b. right. legally or morally. for the debtor to
take such an advantage
THE PEOPLE ) RIGHT TO EIE'+T.
fraud deserve. notice because il Is almost your
only attempt at reasoning. and because your
conclusion would be fair II your premises were
You declare. In broad and unqualified terms
s P iHg a own c6@f G assr T nS au
right is imbedded in the Constitution or else
where-that on the contrary the trainers OF
The people the right TO elect their own Chlel
Magistrate" anmit tlst this. If true. ends the
troy. "a NtNlF "a IaI
been legally wrong to defeat the attempt which
the people made 90 exercise right from which
they wer" carefully excluded by the Constitu-
tion. But this opinion OF yours IL a total mis-
conception, and will not be adopted by any
human being who has the faintest idea OF ouI
You put your proposition with even more d.
when you say, as you do on the same page. thai
the people Of Louisiana and Florida have not
VI Ths COS 70 the ' root OF I the
matter. II proves logically enough that the
election Mt which the Tilden cand idates were
fixed upon. chosen. appointed. and named n
electors. was a mere abortion-a win effort I,
perform junction ultra rires and merely void
mission were justified in treating II with con
tempt. Ofsuoh an election II was no harm To ial
had no va ne or validity. To forge them wa
ngcrime, for it prem'liced no right.
But il ittrue that the people Of Louisiana and
Florida have no power To appoint electors You
deny the power Of the people 70 appoint hecnus'
lmeaning the Federal Constitution. vested il
thu States, to be exercised in such manner M M
Legislatures thereof may direct" Now ih
Legislatures OF the Two states have directed thn
The power shall be- exercised 10y tho people. an'
this makes their right as clonr rs If the logisla
tive enactment had boon teNtualy inserted II
the Constitution II the United Stntos, No argu
m"nt Is necessary to make this inielligihle 10
man II ordinary sense. There is the COnstitu
zion and there are the laws OF the States; h
that runs may read" though. under the cir
cum-taures. | suppose must not ALLOW M i
g. say that " fool cannot err therein"
RECOGNIZED ny THE cARPET-BAGGERs.
II is hardly possible to imagine anythin
moro pr"poster0us than Your notion that thr-
laws which give the power of appointment p
distinctly and so exclusively to IN" people. Il
MT xiv" II 10 them because a Returning Boar
Is authorized To- collate the votes. add them Ia
gether. and n 'rrtnin what choice the pe0pl
have made: that the power 10 inspect the recur
OF the election and certify tho result IL III
power elect that the right Of the people I
choose their State officers and Pr'Sideutia
electors is only the power 10 send up names I
the returning officer, who may choose them n
rele,t them AT his pleasure; that when the poo
pie have made one appointment ana the Re
turning Board another. the latter Is the du
appointing Mt. and the former no appointmeI
al all.
TIT