The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-02-23
FRAUD WINS.

the Louisiana Board, and declared that the
electsrn Votes Of Louisiana should be
Counted for the man who WAS defeated by
majority of ten thousand. In other words
the Electoral Commission decided that
HAYES was entitled to the electoral votes of
the State.
nthe Act creating the Electoral Com
tencc,:g
III oddii;on 20 Nr papers aud proofs which
my BE- rsierred - uid Tribunal, Mey shall
hare poiosr u se,,d .tor persons aud papers, TO
compr, otf,hd rice Of piiacsses a,,d cause tcsti-
seony 10 he 'rkea.
Let Us see how the Commission used the
powers hereby conferred.
The adoption of a motion made by Mr..
Hoar Of Massachusetts,, virtually decided
the result ii reads As follows:
Ordered that the eritence be not receirea:
This pithy order, adopted by a vote of s
to Z, tells the whole story. No evidence
would he received. Mr.. Abbott of Massa-
chuset,s offered several substitutes but all
were defeated by the ssrno strict party vote
of 8 T. The frat favored the reception of
evidence to show tho unconstitutionality Of
the Returning Board and its acts the second
to show il was not legally constituted the
third, to show its alleged frauds the fourth.
to show it had not jurisdiction to canvass
the votes for electors the fifth, to show that
it acted upon false, fabricated, and forged
atfidavits in the rejection of over 10 900 votes
and the sixth, to show that it was guilty of
false pretences in the compilation aud can
vsss Of tho votes. Senator Bayard, of Della
ware. offered a resolution to take evidence as
to the ineligibility of certain Hayes electors
and Mr.. Justice Field one in favor of admit
ting evidence upon the several matters which
the Democratic objectors had offered to prove
but both were rejected by the same vote, s
to- Z. resolution was then adopted that
the Hayes electors were the lawful electors
of Louisiana, and that their votes should be
counted. This decision is based upon the
ground that it is not competent to 20 be.
hind the certificate of the Governor SO far
as it is founded upon the action of the Re.
turning Board.
A report drawn by Miller Bradley and
Hoar states that the Commission could not
receive any evidence to show that an elector
was ineligible on the day of election, ON the
ground hat it was not essential to show that
any elector was eligible on that day, so long
as he was eligible when lie cast his vote in
the Electoral College, and the fact appears
that the alleged ineligible electors, Brewster
and Levisse, were chosen to fill the vacancies
caused BY their own absence from the col.
lege, and there was no allegation of inelgi.
bility at the time they cast their vote.
Two Justices Of the Supreme Court and
lawyer from Massachusetts, are willing to
spread before forty millions Of intelligent
people, as their formal legal opinion, such
an unworthy and contemplate effort to evade
the plain intent of the Constitution. Par.
tisan recklessness can no farther 10.
Each member of the Commission, before
entering upon his duties took aud subscribed
the following oath:
i Isolemniy s,cear that ,cW inpartially er-
anime and consider aH questions submitted "a
the Commission, Of which 1 am member ana
a true judgment gire thereon agreeabty 10 III,
Consultation md Tie tdws. 80 help me God.
Now read the fret order adopted:
Ordered, tAat the evidence be not received!
Does that look like an impartial examin,
alton and consideration of all questions sub.
mitted? Does it not look much more lik,
perjury? ls it not u shameless evasion O.
The only plan to ascertain the truth
The case in its simplest form stands thus
A commission consisting OF five members
the House, Eve Senators and five Justices O
the Supreme Court, were given the fulles
confidence fthe whole people and entrusse,
with the decision OF the most importan
public question that has ever arisen in tn
century which limits the existence of tn
nation they were expected fairly and i'm
partially to inquire into the facts of tn
case and decide, not on petty legal techni
calities nor with partisan bias, but truly
justly and honorably, which one of two me-
was rightiully President OF the U nited States
They accepted the trust with all its dutie,
And yet eight OF the fifteen members of tha
Commission, false to their oaths, false to tn
nation, false TO their own honor, decided b
party vote not 10 do any Of those Miaqs 10
uhich they icere appointed. That is the ca,
in nutshell, and no specious plea basedlo
conforming to the letter OF the law will say
them from the contempt OF their fellow me,
They have in effect said that the people
the United States are powerless to prote
themselves against the frauds of two or thr
desperate seoundrels on a Returning Boar
provided another scoundrel in the Goyerno
chair will lend them the sanction OF
~-Aet us look at the men who voted to 81
tain fraud. They are, Bradley, Edmun
Treiinghuysen, Garfield, Hoar, Miller, NJ
ton and Strong. Bradley and Strong W
two railroad lobbyists in Washington, wo
ing In the interests of New jersey q
Pennsylvania roads, respectively. They W
put upon the Supreme Bench by Grant,
the purpose Of securing reversal Of Cl
Justice Chase's decision in the legal ten
case. AS Grant announced beforehand t
he would appoint no one not pledged to
reversal, it is fair to suppose that his
pointees went on the Bench with h
opinions in their pockets. This is why
railroad attorneys occupy seats which G
the purest aud ablest lawyers should
Garfield is well known to fame, prineips
however, in connection with the DECO
pavement fraud, son years ago, wherein
made more money than reputation. II
neither lawyer statesman nor gentlems
but simply very bad style of partisan
ilcian. Both he and Morton bitterly
rosed the Electoral Commission bill,
pronounced II unconstitutional, and a