Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-08-24
SPEECH
SECRETARY SHERMAN,
ANsFIELD. OHIO.
FRIDAY EVENING. AUGUST Il, 1917.
-DELIvERED NJ

rasrouNs 70 vour Invitation am here 70 night 70
Haats TO You my views Of what has thus Iar Deen
Gone By the present Administration In us eoluuo'
q public Affairs. In doing so wish 1t dislDotiy
uEdorstOod that speak for myself alone' as ol'-
sssn Of Ohio. to you, my fsllOT-citiEens ana ny
nSghbors. TO whom am under the nlehess DBL
sations Of gratitude and duty.
TIE PRESIDENT
Authorized me 20 say one thing, and one thing
only for him. and in hs name, and that is that all
reports that impute 70 him any participation
vhaIsVsr in the nomination OF candidates on your
STATE ticket or any desire or purpose 10 influence
IN any way the Senatorial contest in Ohio. are
utterly Ero1ndless-
These are your matters, and can assure you for
him. that he has not and viii not interpOse in any
such contest between political friends.
For all else say to you, neither be nor my old
and honored friend, Judge West, is responsible.
You all know that am now, and have been'
warmly attached TO the Republican party. be-
hsve IN its principles and honor its work. With
ny strong convictions could not conceal my par
tisan bias, or my earnest hope for the success Of
the Republican party, but the subjects OF Ehich
say mRoh OF former political struggles or 10 nRht
oar cid battles over again, but chiefly 70 discuss
ACTUAL ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTIONS
OF the day as they have arisen since the 4fh Of
Rarch last ana in all OF which you alike inter-
"
loans or Democrats AS TO these questions wish
.fafrly 70 appeal to the cannor and good Judgment
Of honest men Of both parties only asking for the
AdministrstIon Of President Hayes that consider
ste charity Of judgment which must be extended
&C all human agents.
Btares In the full and uneon tested exercise Of all
the powers Of States in the Union. In two States
only there were contests as 70 who was Governor.
Both contests had existed from January to March,
1871, while General Grant was President
In South Carolina, Governor Chamberlain
elained 10 have been elected on the Republican
ticket, and General Hampton on the Democratic
ticket The President is rot made the judge Of
20 exercise such power would be plain act OF
me Con nstitution of South Carolina is much ike
thst OF Ohio. The cOunt Of the vote was TO be
made By she General Assembly Of the State. Un-
foreunatsly for Chamberlain controlling question
IN tbs contest had been decided AGAINST him BY
Repubiloan Court, and he was only kept in pos
session Of the stateBouse by the actual prese nee
ef United States troops in the building. BE had
appealed again and again to President Grant to
recognize him as Governor and to give him the
aid Of Federal troops in the enforcement Of his
claim, which General Grant had refused, and
sought only 70 preserve the public peace. Whom
anita were called 10 Washington, and both were
patiently heard, and the questions presented were
patiently and carefully examined The President
held that case was not presented in which, under
the ConIutution and the laws, he was justified in
using the army OF the Uuited States In deciding
purely local election contest
TIE SOLDIERS AND BKToEErH
OF the United States were then withdrawn from
the State House-not from the State, rOr the Capt.
tai Of the state-but from the building in which
the Legislarure, tnat alone could lawfully decide
this contest, must Meet. This was all that was
done by the President, and Governor Chamberlain,
without farther contestlnR his claim, abandoned
TISy to you now that, strongly as desired the
lIean party In South Carolina, the President had
not shadow Of right to interpose the power Of
would have been rash and ebortive ss well ss
without legal right
THE CASE OF LOUISIANA
Was far mora difficult. The local returning
officers Of that State bad, after full examination,
certified 20 the election of the Legislature, show
ing Republican majority in both houses. This
had been done BY excluding from their return the
votes Of certain parishes and counties wherein in
timldEuOn. violence and fraud had prevailed
70 an extent sufficient to change the
af the request of General Grant, to wit
mesa the count, and assure you, as 1 have said
ofioially that the proof Of this Intimidation, viO-
Ience and fraud, extending to murder, cruelty and
outrage in every form was absolutely conclusive,
showing q degree OF violence in some Of those par
Isbes that was more revolving and barbsrous than
anything could conceive Of It was plain that
f6s returniuR officers had the legal right to pass
Gpon and certify in the first instance who we're
elected members Of the Legislature, and that they
were justified by the evidence in excluding bull
6oEed parishes but It was equally clear that their
return was not conclusive upon the members
elected, and that each house had the CoDstitu-
eional right 10 pass upon the returns and cleo
ons Of its members, and to set aside the action Of
she Returning Board.
Inc two houses, when organized, mad RlR0 the
power TO pass upon the returns Of the election Of
Governor, and they alone, and no one else. Meth
or the President OF the United States nor the Re
the election Of Governor. And here the difficulty
IN the Louisiana case commences.
Governor Packard contends that majority Of
tne two houses, as duly returned, did pass upon
the election Of Governor. and did return that he
Governor Nichols. This vital point was strongly
EsseIted and denied Dy the adverse parties, ana
the Legislature Of Louisiana divided into two hos
bOClen holding
BertiDR Its legal power aud denouncing the other
e. rebels and traitors
GOVERNOR PACKARD AND his LEGIsLATuRE
called upon President Grant for the aid of the
Ermy to put down tnsurTeetion and domestic Vio-
lsnce; and here confess that II had been Pren-
Dent instead Of General Grant, would have rec
oSnlzsd Pscksrd and sustained him with the fuII
power Of the General Government. Ny INTENSE
feeling caused by the atrocities in Louisiana may
havs uDduly Influenced me. But General Grant
did not think this was his duty. do not oritiolse
his action, but only stare the facts. BE would
Packard as Governor, but know, what is now an
open secret, the strong bent OF his mind, and at
one time bls decision was to withdraw the troops,
20 recognize Nichols and thus end this dangerous
contest He did not do this. but kept the peace
SuE5us e1ess Les .HO 1le " nn9s S9nui
The government Of Packard had dwindled away
until 1t had scarcely shadow OF strength or su-
thoritY, except at the Slate House, where It was
upheld by Federal bayOnets-
THE eoTERNMEKT OF NICHOLS
Had extended its authority over the State and
81 Louisiana, supported by the great body Of the
white men and nearly all the wealth and 1ntelIi-
genOe OF the State, and by the tired aoquieseenoe
0f largo portion Of the colored people, some of
whom deserted his Legislature and entered that
Of Governor Nichols The delay ana hesitation
Of General Grant had been fatal TO Pack
ard. and when Hayes became President the
practical question was greatly chanRe1. One
thing was clear. that Legislature had been duly
eleoted in November previous, and was then in
existence, though separated into two parts. II
the members lawfully elected could be convened.
they alone could decide the question Of who was
Governor without the intervention OF troops, and
their decision could be supported, II necessary, by
the General Government.
The most anxious consideration was given 70
th1e question. Days and weeks OF anxious delib-
GRAFTON were given to 1t by the President and his
Cabinet But one way seemed open for
PEACEFUL SOLUTION,
AND that WA to gather, If possible, q single Leg
islature who could be recognized as the deposi-
tory Of the representative will Of the people Of
Louisiana. II this could be done IL had the
uuquesnoned right TO decide who had
been elected Governor, and ell other questions
would settle themselves To aid in this object
commission OF the most eminent men, high IN po-
EitIon from different States and distinguished for
judicial impaTtiaty, was selected, and the result
is known TO all. They went to Louisiana, and
with great difficulty brought together these hostile
Legislatures which met organized, promptly set
tied the questions In dispute in favor OF the gov
ernment OF Nichols, and thus ended this most dan
gerouB controversy No other change was made,