The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-01-31
The Arbitration ToIan.

The debates and votes in the Senate
on The Arbitration plan show how much
the Democrats lost, and how completely
they have surrendered the advantage
ground which they occupied, by the
adoption Of that measure. which owing
to the political complexion of the board,
will give to say the least Of it the defeat
ed party an equal chance with the win
ming party in the final decision. In sup
port of the surrender, it was pleaded
that the Republican Senate claimed for
the President Of that body the right to
count the votes and that they would
press that claim in the event of a dis
pute over the returns, to the lighting
point. But it has transpired that the
Senate would not have made such a de-
mand. Edmunds, Conkling, Freling-
huysen, and other leading Republican
Senators speaking for the majority of
their party, argued that the presiding
officers Of the Senate possessed no such
power \ majority of that party stood
with Edmunds OH this ground and they,
with the Democratic Senators, would
have constituted an overwhelming ma
iority against the prepOsterous assump-
ton Of Morton whose buster frightened
the expedency men from their propriety.
A remark by the President shows how
much more the Democrats have yielded
than the Republicans in adopting the
plan. He said that the Republicans are
not united in the belief that Hayes was
elected, while the Democrats are unani-
nous in the opinion that Tilden was, and
that even if Hayes was inaugurated I'M
der such circumstances he would receive
divided support from the Republicans
and be regarded as a usurper by the
Democrats. Why? For the reason that
Mr. Tilden is known by every intelligent
person in the country to have been
elected. The question then is asked why
was the plan consented to by the Demo
cratic House? 1t is answered by the
highest Democratic authority on that
! side, Mr. Hewitt, Chairman of the Ma
tional Democratic Executive Committee,
who in his speech advocating the plan
spoke as follows
| MrHewitt thought that the bill transcend
! ed in i'm pOrtancc any measure which was
! likely TO come before Congress during the
| present generation. After the election he had
/ believed Tilden and Hendricks elected, and
nothing had occurred since that time ,chtcb
could other}gjSe than strengthen that c0HU(cttOR.
| He had been asked why, holding that opin-
! ion, he should agree to depart from the an
/ cient way in which twenty two Presidents
/ had been dcclareed elected, which, if it had
! been adhered to, would have resulted in the
| Inauguration Of the Democratic candidates.
! This question he intended to answer fully,
! clearly, and without reserve. The main OD-
/ position which the Democrats had to meet,
/ was the irftuence Of the Administration.
! After the defeat of the Republican party ~
! November, it SLu remained intact and
| claimed the election OF its candidates and
/ attempted to strengthen that claim by
| Returning Boards aud military interference
| and by declaring that the Vice Preside ut
| had the right 10 count the votes. The
| scheme was Thus completed for counting
| Tilden ont and Hayes in He 1odS confident
dGt the project ,c0ltld be executed TO the litter
eaI. The President OF the Senate would
count the votes and declare tne result, and
the President of the United States would
deliver up his high Office to the person Ge-
clared so elected, and by the use Of troops he
as3ujd ~ dl:3g tndugaTdted.
In short, Mr.. Hewitt was confident
that Mr.. Tilden was elected; but aban-
deued the Constitution, the "anciel 1T ways
in which twenty-five Presidents had been
declared elected because tie Radicals
in the Senate intended that the presiding
officer of that body should overrule the
judgment Of the people and count in
the minority candidate, and that the
President would use troops to inaugu-
rate him. What a miserable crawling
down And after all, the reason upon
which has action was based, was a mere
fgment of the brain. The speeches of
Edmund5, Conkling and their followers
show that majority of the Republicans
did not claim for the President of the
Serate the power 'tto count in" their
candidates, and even # there was ground
for the fear that the President of the
United States would use troops" to ex-
ecute palpable usurpation, it was
base treachery for the accredited repre-
sentative of the people and of the victo
riQug party to make it the basis of his
action. Let the arbitration result as it
may, we shall ever maintain that he
and his associates transcribed the bounds
of their authority and betrayed the trust
which the people had reposed in them,
when they abandoned the ancient ways
and imperiliei the FRUITS Of an election
which the Chairman o. the National
Democratic Executive Committee declares
had been carried.