New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-26

settle the anticipated settlement by Act OF Con-
grcsS. The defeated candidate, according 10
this plan, is to be empowered to sue Tor inc
Presidency before jury i'll any Clrcult court
of the United States, and the court
is 70 be commanded to DO what inc
Commission has declared unconstitutional
that is. 70 90 behind the returns and review
fine official action of the sovereign States. The
Democratic candidate of course is estoppcd IN
honor from resorting to any such remedy. Az
the demand of his partisans court OF arbltra-
tion was created to decide the very questions
which Mr.. Field now proposes to submit 10
one of the Democratic judges and Demo
cratic Jury (thc claimant having the rght 10
select the place of triaD. That court has de-
cidcd and here, if there is any such thing as
conscience left in the Democracy, the dispute
must STOP But although this consideration Is
not likely to prevail with the extremists,
there are other olijectiODs to the bill which
we trust will prevent the Democratic House OF
Representatives from entertaining it.
If it should become law the title to the
Presidency must remain in dispute for the
greater part of n year, and might be contested
for an indefinite period. -Four months couid
be consumed in bringing the cause to trlai'
and as every possible question connected with
the validity and honesty of the returns, the
action of canvasscrs, &C., would come up, us
evidence must be gathered from various States,
and an immense number of witnesses exam
incd-Littlciield, Maddox, Wells, kcnner, ana
all the rest--inciuding of course an endless
array of white gentlemen who did not see any
intimidation in Louisiana, and an endless array
of coored gentlemen who saw plenty OF IL,
such suit might easily rival the 1lchOorhe
,rial in length and having been at last decided
in the Circuit Court it would then be taken 10
the Supreme Court and argued all over again.
During these long proceedings the Govern
ment of the United States would remain I'M
settled 1t could have no policy. foreign OF
domestic, political or financial. There couiu
he no efiectunl reform of abuses, and no SET
Element of the Southern problem Rival Gov
ernors would still stand menacing each 0ther,
with their forces under arms, their Legisla-
lures barli..ded, their treasures empty. Com
mercc would halt Capitalists would continue
to hoard their money. Corporations would
earn no dividends investors would suffer,
landlords would collect no rents merchants
would 90 into bankruptcy. Universal distrust
and uncertainty WOulu N;lJ upOh l1t inSuO w
the suit, and the end might well find Us III
the midst of a worse than Mexican disorder.
The trainers of the Constitution resolved
that so grave a question as the title TO the
Presidency should be settled promptly and
finally by tribunal wherein delay was out OF
|, the question. They made no provision for
review of the action of Returning boards, OF
an appca from the count which was to be per
formed in the presence Of the two houses OF
Congress. And they were wise For worse
disaster cannot easily bcfall Il nation than
prolonged uncertainty respecting the title to
its chief magiStracy, and it is better that the
Office should be awarded to the wrong man
than that il should be tossed to and fro III
DISPUTE. the shuttlecock of lawyers and fac
tons. We need a settlement. We need peace.
Hottest men in Washington must tolerate no
more compromise with the party of disorder.
Honest men everywhere must let thclr voices
be heard in this crisis and make their rep
resentatives realize that the country will
brook 10 more tlilinS. The business men of
New-York have often gathered i'll public
meetings to express their sentiments on national
concerns. If they were to speak now they
might do the country Il service.