National Republican., 1877-02-22
OREGON REPORT
or TINE SENATE COnMITrTEE.
The Summary Of their Conclusions rs Repre-
sented to the senate Yesterday.

| Yesterday by Senator MITCHELL, lisa yoluminous
tImony TAKEN at considerabio length. Tho Com
| mittee summarize their conclusions OF fact an.
| law as follows:
| I. John W. Watts was, at the date Of tina
election, November !. 1879, postmaster at La.
| fayette, Yam Hill county, Oregon, Of the fourth
in 9ho power nS' Sf he FOs
master. General. That such Office is one Of trust
and proht under the United States.
cevipg and forwarding their mali through this
| postofhcc did not exceed one hundred.
was not ss scnersy s 'i known IN IN the State any
part Of II, outside OF his own precinct until sew
sral days aiier his election nor did y appear
qualified him rom being appointed an ciector.
tth; That his IWattsl majority in the State
sth: That Watt, resigned his once as as post, S,:
successor r. was % appointed @ on The Of
tho same month. Watts resignation was ac-
ss & snS On Ss ss
underwood, Special Agent OF the Postofnce De-
partmsnt, took possession Of the once under
At which day Watts ceased to discharge the
Q. That on the t,h Of December, 1879, the See.
retary of State, who under the laws oil Oregon is
the CanynssinE Oficer, casvassed the votes for
Presidential EioctSr IN the presence q the Gov;
that Odeil, Cartwrith Mt and Watts, the Republi.
can candidates, had received the highest number
:. That Gov. Grorer issued his certificate to
Odoll, Cartwright and Cronin, instead of to Odell.
Ssrtwright and Watts; the pss,oIn;,, p.In,, whom @ the
celvcd the highest number Of votes
9. That the Governor placed such certia.
trpllcstc, each copy containing the three nanes,
Odoli. Cartwright and Cronin, a short time be.
s aS dsI snd q be sas Cn tRe
cred all three thereof to sail Cronin, who re.
fused, although repeatedly requested 70 do so by
tlhcntes, or ary OF theT.'o Odell and Cartwright,
or either Of them. or exhibit them for Inspection
y That upon failure and percmp,ory re-
fu,al upon the part OF CroEin to either deliver
or exhibit tsuch -ccriihcste. or any Of them to
organization or the college or TO The Electoral
College aftcr the same had organized, aithougn
TO DO 50 Sy the IndiydSa
came bad organized, and also by the president OF
the college In pursuance OF vote Of the college.
Said Watts rendered his resignation as aa elec-
tor, which resignation was accepted by the col.
lego then constituted by Odell aud Cartwright;
whereupon, and upon the withdrawal Of Cronln
and organize q college or his own, the electors
present Odell and Cartwright, allied the va
plurality OF votes, by appointing John ". Watts
such olectort that the college thus organized
voted by ballot for President and Vice President
Of the nited States, resulting in three votes for
Rutherford y. Hayes, 9i Ohio, for President
and three votes for William A. Wheeler, OF
NEW c1k. LOT ' NlCc-ITctluCnt,
10. That CrOnin, after his refusal to deliver or
exhibit the certificates OF the Governor, and be-
fore Odell and Cartwright had appointed watts
to I'LL the vacancy In the oice OF elestor, with.
drew to a further corner Of the room, occupied by
the electors. and declared. or attempted to de-
clare, two vacancies in the once OF elector anl
Immediately hlled them, or attempted to MI
them by the appointment Of !. N. T. Miller, and
John Parker, two Democrats, neither Of whom
the election on the Ith Of November after which
these three, Cronln, Miller and Parker, claim
ing TO be an ELECTORAL college cast two votes for
two votes for William A. Wheeler, of New York,
for yice.Presidcnt, and one vote for Samuel ].
for Thomas A. Hendricks, Of Indiana, tor Vice.
President, said Cronin voting for Tilden and
Hendricks, and Miller and Parker respectively
ii. That conspiracy was entered into among
leading Democratic managers In New York, Cali.
he majority The people &c. eS State Of SreFoS
Of their choice for President and Vice. President.
and securing one electoral vote for the Demo.
cratic candidate for President, by the refusal upon
the part Of Governor Grover, to issue certi.
hsate to Watts and by issuing It to Cronln, re.
o. ny OF as Eh 81 the
by the refusal Of the Governor to issusto Watts
certificate and BY his issuing It to Cronln.
u ~ monev Mesc ., sons an 10
Democratic managers in New York, and al the
request Of tho Democratic managers In Oregon,
gold coin, ofsuch moneys having been paid 70 and
ssd nsyyna Sy .S S,.S p.s sS p0 DURHAM e Gs
their Services as lawyers, but IN fact, 70 sabsdIo
Newspaper Of the State, claiming 70 be Repubii.
can, and Of which W. l.. Hill, one Of said law
hrn is editor, into defence Of the action sought
| to be accomplished, through such conpsiracy.
| That this conspiracy to deiraud the people Of
state and nation out Of their choice for Presi.
| Rtpp Dy intrigue. pOrruDtiOn and fraud
ting aside law and precedent, ignoring in It's in.
eeption and execution the grandest Idea upon
joriy as expressed at the ballot boz, had its orl
gin In the family of Samuel J. Tilden, the Demo
Ser rthat famy W. tqPe T. PetOn who wa, %f% si.o
at the time, Secretary Of the National Demo
cratic Committeeman Il Samuel J. Tildcn wa.
Scheme then Il n must I BE- SAID that he wa,
ignorant of what was transplring In his owr
household In reference to an action which was In
tracy Of the nation, as most, II not all, the dis
patches addressed to, and sent by W. T. Pelton
asGs e ri ssd Il .nS cut
own nephew, member Of his own family
besides II must also be said II he was not party
that he was ignorant ofa dispatch sent TO hitI
from Portland, Oregon, on December LIST, pur
which was In the handwriting OF J, II. N. Patrick
| In tho same clDher used by Patrick, FELTON, an,
| others, informing MN tlllucnD tiN Nnys IN al
vance that the action Of Governor Grover would
be Just what 1t proved to be when the six days
had elapsed.
| As conclusions Of law the committee Ind
| l. Conceding watts to have been ineligible
be appointed an elector. II is clear this fac
could not, under any possible state OF circuu
| stances, much less under the circumstances 0
this case, operate TO elect Cronin, minority can
didate.
2. That Governor Grover, In assuming to de
termne this question OF the inelgibility 0
Watts, acted without his Jurisdiction, and hi
act was ultra nires and void.
| ., That the certificate Of the Governor Il u
part Of the appointment OF an electori that It |
simply evidence Of an appointment, but not
conclusive one, and may bo inquired into by tn
counting tribunal, and disregarded or set asld
elther in whole or In part, for mistake or fraud.
4. That the college represented BY Odel an!
Cartwright was the only and true Electoral 20
lego in Oregon, and the votes cast by 1t 70
President and Vice. President should 20 counted
0. That the action Of the Secretary Of State, 1
canyasslng the vote for electors, and declarin
who had received the highest number OF vote
is In this case, under the laws OF Oregon, cor
elusive as to the persons appointed electors, an
cannot be questioned, either by the Governor Ii
issuing esrtihsate, or by any other tribunal.
the Senate through the certificate Of the Colleg
Of Electors represented by Odell, Cartwright
and Watts, the persons declared by the SecretaI
OF Stute to have received the highest number
votes, 10 conclusive upon the point ;as to whcthe
there was any yabaney in the College, and as
was hlled, and cannot now be questioned by th
President Of the Senate, either House Of Cor
gress, or the Electoral Tribunal,
!. That admitting Watts TO have been lncll
gible TO appointment as an elector, having n
eeived the highest number Of votes and hayin
| taEau aeafi m ha aiaNtnraI TnllaUp nartic