Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-02-08
FLORIDA.
The Decision Of the Electoral
Commission.
Views Of the Leading New York
Journals.

NEw YoRK, January 8 The. decision
Of the electoral commission in the case
Of Florida is the subject Of the leaders
to-day in the several journals. The
Tribune says: The decision is a great
victory for the friends of Governor
Hayes, masked, however, in such = way
that the Democrats feign ts regard It as
not quite a crushing defeat Of Tilden. 1t
has still to be decided which OF the three
sets of papers contains the electoral vote
Of Florida, but there cannot be much
difference Of opinion as TO what the de-
cision will be. The frat Of the three has
all the conditions Of regularity. With the
contest narrowed to lines marked out by
this decision all the most elaborate pre-.
parstions of the Democracy come to
naught. The testimony which D Dudley
Field has been trying to smuggle into the
courtroom falls to the ground, Bullying OF
witnesses has bean in vain, Little6eld and
Maddox lied for nothing, Governor Wells
ceases to be an object Of interest, and
Tilden's attorney from the Seventh diS-
trict Of New York exhibits himself to
mankind az the noisiest and mos con,
spicuous failure of the Forty.fourth con.
gress, for of course all attempts TO i'm
peach the vote Of Louisiana now are
useless, The regularity Of the Hayes
certificates from that State is manifest;
indeed is not seriously disputed. There
is no reason to suppose the commission
will take any other view of the extraor-
binary performance of the Oregon Dem
ocrstic electoral csllege Of one than has
been taken by all people Of impartiality
and common sense"
Tue Tunes says: The only thing
which remains for the commission to de
eide is which certificate contained the
votes Of those electors whom the State
of Florida appointed, and on the face of
the contents Of the certificates there is
hardly room for any doubt as to what the
decision will be. The decision OF the
commission to consider the eligibility Of
Humphreys does not seem Of any essen
tial Importance in the Florida case. OF
its force as a precedent it is too soon to
judge"
The Herald says: I'm the immediate
eagerness to know the practical conse-
queace Of any decision in this case,
opinions are reached by very hasty pro-
cessss, and opinions Of this sort already
contemplate this judgment as a point
gained for the Republican candidate, and
we hear, consequently, OF discourage.
ment Of the Democrats. 1t is not GER
tain that the decision given, as viewed
in all its possible applications, will be
advantageous to Hayes"
From the Sun; The evidence to be
considered was described by Mr.. Ferry
in transmitting it as documents purport.
ing to be electoral certificates. 0bjec-
tons made thereto in joint aession and
the accompanying papers, the proceed.
ilgs of the canvassing board, cannot lie
inquired into
From the World: Whatever the re.
suit may be in the Florida case the pub
lie will hardly adopt the conclusion that
the commission is incapacitAted from
considering facts aud testimony taken
by a convention Of the two houses, or
that it is shut of from the methods of
inquiry practiced en- all former occa.
sions. When any inquiry was necessary
to such a degree that it can avail itself
Of no information except such as may
be filtered through the president Of the
senate, nothing Gao be clearer than
that it is the duty of the commission to
fnd out not who has got certificates, but
who was duly appointed, nor can it be
disguised that a rumer that the judges
of the Supreme Court on this occasion
have divided. According to party con-
nectiOns it has awakened some surprise,
a'arm and distrust ia the public mind"