The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1877-03-03
EXTRACTS FROM THE
SPEECH OF
HON. b. WILSON,
OF WEST VIRGINIA,
In the House Of Representatives on
the Decision fine Electoral
Continuation.


Commission.
Mr.. Speaker Will the American
people accept that iniauitous decision
rendered by tho electoral commission,
founded. as it is claimed to be, upon The
technical ground Of want Of power to
ing uiro into the existence Of fraud.
conceded by the record, which are The
uos, infamous, glariug, aud offensive
| ever perpetratcd upon free people
Tho returning board Of Louisiana is
under tho law Of that State oloao cor
poration, authorized 10 psrpo.uatc itselI
in power BY filing say vacancies that
may occYr among its members. The
four members Of that Soard who ofioia.
ted in counting the vote at the late
presidential election arO men who have
been shown in repeated investigations
to DO Of the most depravsa, despicable,
aud abandoned characters, and have re-
ceived the meri,sd condemnation Of
both Houses Of Congress and of,he en-.
tire country. Their proceedings in
canvassiug the returns at tho late cleo
ton are shown by inoontrovertibla evi.
dence to have been conducted without
any regard to truth or justice or law ;
and the result which they reached sus.
tanned AZ it has been by partisan ma.
jority Of tho electoral commission, will
select the President Of the United
States; il is conceded by every fair
man to be d willful Justification Of the
actual vote Of tho State and q wicked
and deliberate liz.
The counsel before the commission
representing the Democratic party, in b
formal offer Of evidence. proposed To
prove this, and more thun this. They
proposed to prove that certain of The
paperD upon which the board profcsscd
to act we're forgeries, conceived and de-
signed by the board itself. and porpe-
trated BY men they had employed for
tba. purpose. They also proposed to
prove that the afidavi,s upoa which the
board protested to act were deliberate
perjurles, committed by men engaged
by that board and their co.copspirators
to commit them. They also proposed
to prove the board transcribed even the
broad limit Of tho Louisiana statute BY
which it was created and acted without
any Jurisdiction whatever. They also
proposed to prove tina. the members oil
this board went into the opes political
market, and offered to make up the re-
turns in the interest Of either party
that would pay for them.
All this evidence the commission re-.
fused to hear, alleging that it was With.
out power 10 examine into auy Of the
questions to which 1t related, admitting
that, although true. i! would not affect
their conclusions, aud thus proclaiming
to the world that the great Republic Of
the United States was compelled to hug
the fraud Of these villains 10 its bosom,
and accept as its Chief Magistrate \
man whose claim 10 the presidential po.
sitiou was founded upon this fostering
iniquity. Such q conclusion will DO 4
disgrace to the country, the conscious
ness Of which In the hearts Of the peO-
pic will make the administration con.
nected with 1t hateful TO every honest
man, aud present US to the civilized
world as \ disgraesd and dishonored
Government.
Our coantry can stand against the
world in arms, and neither foreign at.
tack nor reckless interuecine strife can
give US any just cause Of alarm for tho
p 'rmauency Of our institutions but
when the vile ou.casts Of society 10 an
unfortunate State Of tho Union arc up.
held 10 their possession Of political
power, and their frauds in u prssiden-
iiul election arc accepted by tho Fed.
eral Government as justly controlling
the election, we have abandoned all ad.
heSion to those great moral principles.
the Observance Of which can alone pre-
serve tho form or substance Of Ameri.
eau freedom.
The decision Of Ibis commission Is 4
libel upon the Government mud a do.
liberatu Justification Of iu laws and Of
its powers; ind the high aud diStin.
guished men who made It will find
that It has power enough TO drag them
and their characters down to the level
II the miserable wretchrs whose notion
hey approve and commend. 10 the
better days Of the Republic Judge stO.
y said. 10 solemn opinion III the Su.
irene Court Of the uuited States:
"Fraud will vlliats AM, even the most SOL
Inn, transaction; aud an asserted title 10
ln.N nna., 4 ID,