The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-03-08

pcamucc Of uuduc haste. much less OF
fraud, I'm the punishment of the most
hardened criminal, IS carefully avoided
hv every well-constituted court, and yet
there are people clamoriug tor the dvcl,
sion Of this great Presidential ease. sur
rounded rs it Is hy thousand inJgvu.
tious Of fraud and foul play, vi d q de-
gree Of haste such as Was thought uu.
secmly ia the trial Of Joe tuhuru ln the
| Court Of Sessions, We suggest tu our
Republican friends that they may Hud
before long that although the matter
which now appears oi supreme iurur
| tanco 10 them Is to have HAYES counted
| into oihre, the real thing 90 uv done lslu
show that he is the man entitled 90 OF
ice. They are IN q hurry tn put him iu.
to the Presidency when they should bee
chiefly anxious 20 prove that ho has a
right 10 be put into lt Ii they make
| him Chief Magistrate Of the nation, and
| the common sense Of tho country Jua-
rludvs. ancr due dehberation. that they
have acted without regard 90 truth or
Justice, and placed the Government ln
| tle hands uian usurpcr. both they and
he Will become Infamous, They have
thus far driven heAdlong Go their object
they have almost reached the goal Of the
White House with their candidate, and
vet at every stride they have taken they
have only made 10 palmer that his u,ic
90 possession is fraudulent one based
on dishonesty and only defended 10y
trchniealIt!vs. Under such Ciryumstau-
crs a little Of the grand leisure Of justice
would be- appropriate. We are not in
desperate straits 10 pick up u President
by the 4th OF March. ANY mlddlc-aEed
American taken at random nom the
streets would serve our purpose ID the
right 60 the Office Is not TO be consider
el. What good citizens seek 20 UsrvT-
| tain is who MAS elected by the people
| hast November. and though We have,
unfortunately, delegated the task OF vN-
amining the matter 10 a commission
which has abdicaled its duties, We are
not prccludcd irom considering Whvth-
| er its members are or are not perform
ing the work 5lg which they were ap-
pointed, or observing their oath Of ui~
| dce. The commission So iar has pre-
| scented such strange and m0nstruus con-
| clusious in law and equity that there is
A natural repuguaucc 10 swallowing
| them on the part OF every healthy and
wel.organilrd mind The grueulV Vrin.
! ciple of the validity uf fraud laid down
| hv the commission in all the judgments
! which il has thus 9ar rendered is So
| essentially immoral that sensible men
| see il 10 be dangerous 20 society; and the
| decisions have been marked by such
sloyenly haste in the work Of railroads
ing Hayes into the White House that
| the details are tall Of Inconsistencies. IL
| would have been better 20 have gone
| more slowly aud more securely li iu~
| deed there be any way OF walking surely
| without walking upTightly. On the 9th
| Of February the commission rendered
| lis decision in the Florida case in favor
Of the HAYES electors, and said
| The ground Of this decision stated
briefly as required by said set Is as fol-
lows That IL is not competent under
| the Constitution and the law IS it ox-
isted at the date OF the passage Of said
act, 10 60 into evidence aliun8e the pa
pers opened by the President of the
Senate in the presence ofthe two houses,
10 prove that other persons than those
regularly certified 10 by the Governor Of
| the State o. Florida in and according 20
the determination and declaration Of
| their appointment by the Board OF State
/ CanyasSers OF said State prior % the
time required for the performance Of
their duties, had been appointed elcc-
/ tors "
Six days afterwards the commission
| rendered q decision in the Louisiana
| case, anJ stated its inability 70 20 be-
hind the Governors certificate based on
the canvass, in exactly the same laR>
4 guagc. with the exception Of the phrase
certified TO by the Governor OF tho
State" instead OF certified 10 by the
! Governor Of the state Of Florida" But
there is remarkable change OF phrase.
ology in the decision Of the Oregon
case rendered on February sd. Il
4 runs
"The brief ground OF this decision is.
! that il appears, upon such evidence as
/ by the Constitution and the law named
in said act ofCongTeSS is competeu, and
/ pertinent 20 the consideration Of the
! subject, that the befOrr>mcnti1ned cleo
tors appear 10 have been lawfully APP
I pointed such electors Of President and
| Vice President OF the United States for
the term beginning March {, 4. II. lS-7,
/ Of the State Of Oregon, and that they
| voted as such at the time and in the
manner provided for blythe Constitution
Of the United States and lhe Law. And
they are, further Of opinion that bv the
laws OF the state Of Oregon the duty Of
canyassing the returns of all the votes
given At an election Of President and
Nice-Prcsident vas imposed upon the
Secretary Of State, and upon no one else
That the Secretary Of State did canvass
these returns in the case before us. and
thereby asCer,ained that j. c. Cart
wright, W. II. Odell and J. ". Watts
had n majority OF ali the votes given for
electors and had the highest number Of
votes for that office, and by the express
language OF the statute those persons are
deemed elected"
Here there is no flourish about the
Governors certificate, and further on
the declaration is made that the failure
Of the Governor 70 give any persons so
deemed elected" a certificate, did not
have the effect Of defeating their ap-
pointment" Thus the commission de-
clares in two decisions that the Cover
nOr's certificate is essential 10 the legali- !
~ Of the choice Of an eleCtoT, even when
a canvasslng and a returning board pass
upon the question before him, but where
be is associated with Secretary ofState !
in the canvass, and acts rs q check upon /
that official, his certificate is pronounc
ed useless. The important admission is |
also made that the appointment Of Watts /
consisted in his receiving the most votes |
whereas the Constitution expressly de- |
olarss that he was ineligible when voted I
for. In the case Of the Vermont Post /
master, the Republicans claimed at first /
that his appointment rs elector vas not +,
completed by the mere act Of election, |
but by the Governors certificate. How /
ever, lie! Us continue our citations. In 1
the Florida decisi9n Of February the |
said.
"As TO the objection made to. the oligi-
bility Of Mr.. Humphries the commits
sion is Of opinion that without reference
TO the question ofthe effect Of the vote
Of an ineligible elector, the evidence does
not show that he held the Office of Ship
ping Commissioner on the day when the
electors were appointed"
There Is nothing aliunde here but on
February 10 the commission in the
Louisiana decision, treating the same
question, said:
THE commission by a majority oil
votes is also Of opinion that it is not
TO prove that any ofsaid per
,ons - appointed electors as aforesaid
ield an Office OF tsgg, or profit under the
Jniied States at the tims ghen thcy
we're ineligible under the laws OF The
'tate, or any other matter offered TO be
,royed aliunde said certificates and pa
,ers"
Thia uss iB lirsct ,,ioIat;o,, ,r a.,