The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-02-28
A Suspicious Coincidence.

The decision Of the Infamous eight in the
Oregon ease, after their contradictory action
in Florida and louisiana excited no sur
PRISE In fact, 1t was generally expected
STRONG and BRADLEY had gone too far to
retreat, and were forced by the Ring nflu-
enccs which had appointed them to the
bench, to consummatc the iniquity of max
inga Fraudulent President
In Florida they ordered evidence to be re-
ccivcd as TO the eligibility of FREDERICK c.
HUMPHREYS. one of the electors, with a
knowledge that the objection against him
could not be sustained. In Louisiana they
refused to take evidence against two
electors, about whose incligibility there
was no doubt The rule adopted in one
case was exactly reversed in the other,
80 as TO fit the cxigcncics Of the party in
| whose interest these sworn Judges were act
ing. Again, they held in the case of Florida
and reiterated it IN Louisiana, that II was
mot competent unler the Constitution and
the law. rs it existed at the date of the pas
sage of said act, to 90 into evidence oiunde
on the papers opened by the President of the
Senate IN the presence Of the two Houses To
prove that other pcrs ms than those rogu-
larly certified by the Governor of the State
of Florida had been appointed electors"
The principle was thus broadly laid down.
as n reason forexcluding testimony, that tho
HovcrnJr's certificate was the determining
power behind which there was no authority
to inquire When they came to Oregon,
however, this rule was knocked la the head:
the Governors certificate was wholly
ignored, and Postmaster WATTS was de-
a. n ant oil 81,
ly forbidden 20 DE such by the Constitution.
That this plan Of finishing the work was
marked out long in advance Of the vote,
without regard to consistency, good faith or
fairness, is now well known. But there is an
incident connected with the Oregon case,
which foreshadOws So distinctly the action
of BRADLEY, STRONG, and MILLER, that il is
WORTHY OF attention at this time.
DIR. WATTS, the ineligible cector, was In
Cincinnati on the 9Th of February, and there
preiigurcd in an interview the line that was
to be followed by the Commission. which
was reported by telegraph to the Herald on
the 9TH instant in the following words:
1T will he claimed that the law Of the state of oregon
PROVE .,ncus,vy HAT the SECRETARY OF state the
,,furcnc. and that te only duty tla GOV GrovsH had
parties ma, indicated by ts secretary OF state In ease
~ contest To- VIII n Tie secretary should
81, ted. the courts ind nail iutl~ ton ami thts Mere
hDt appealed TO- Gov UuoNsks acton giving c.run.
ed.c 10 ChoNiS was fraudulent and utterly Invalid
This prediction was made sevonteon days
before the Commission acted and we quote
the words of the decision on Friday last, to
show how literally the prophecy was made
good as follows
And further Of opinion that Nv the laws NJ the
state u oregon the dus cauva.,ing tie returns all
THE votes stNru ht election for electors prcsidcr
uhN wee ir-teni wa imposed upon tie secretary Vt
That the ru4ii failure of nc Governor Of Oregon
10 risn the certificate ct the election te persons 80
does not nave ihe effect o defeating their appoint
mat the act the Governor Oregon In giving 10
'HoNN cefthcntc OF his election though he received
thousand votes less than WAr on the ground that the
Inter was ineligible, without authority Of law and
h. Tho rofore void '
That although the evidence shows that " airs wasa
Postmaster al the time ~ hi. election that fact l. ron
t-tsg irmAefial hy ls re,l nation both Postmaster
and ,ecif. and A- subsequent appuiuiu. Ut " III he
Vacancy made hy ~, Electoral College
WATTS could not have forctold the future
more correctly II he had sat in the seat Of
BEAi'Irr "a tirno~u. lilo had roacon for his
confidence. No Democrat on the Commits
sion voted to sustain CRoNIS, but they all
asked that the constitutional inhibition
against WATTS should be carried out and
Oregon be credited with only two eligible
votes. They were beaten by the eight, who
have never flinchcd when wrong was to
be- pcrpetrated or right outraged.