Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-02-07
Mr.. Kasson's Argument.

Alter recess, kaSSOn addressed the
commission. lie said what is the
case before us? First a certificate
comes to congress as required by the
constitution and laws OF the United
States, in conformity to the statutes
of the state of Florida, certifying the
electoral vote of one of those states.--
That certificate is first opened and
read. There is second certificate
opened in the joint meeting of the two
houses of congress, in which the per-
sons signing tic same, prcectlc their
certiticaiIDn b, u certificate signed by
an officer not recognized by the Ia ws
of the United States nor by the stat
utcs of Florida rs Il certifying officer,
being the attorney generAlpf Florida.
Second, he ccriiiics tina. there is no
provision oil the law OF Florida,
whereby the result Of said returns
can be certified to The executive of
said state, admitting by that ccrtif-
cate, if it has any force at all, that his
action is without law and without
function by the statutes of the state.
Third, that the electors certify to their
own action--to their own qualitica-
tions-they themselves notified the
governor Of their election. That is
certificate no two-a certificate of I'M
certifying persons in view of the law,
state and national. That certificate
was presented and opened. There is
a third certificate still more cxtraor-
binary, still more wanting in the cle-
mcnts of notification, also demanding
consideration. 1t is certified by an
officer not in existence until the ftnc-
tons of Office had been exhausted, a
certificate which recites the proceed
ings in tribunals, subordinate and SUI
perior, to The Judiciary Of the state
q certificate which the canyassing
board might, under some circumstan-
ces, report to state officers, but which
has never been sent to the congress of
the United States, or to the president
of the senate during the hundred
years. The proceedings in court re-
cited in it are all subsequent to that
time, which, by the constitution and
laws Of the United States, is the time
fixed for the performance of judicial
function. Those two certificates are
wanting in all the elements of consti-
tutional and legal validity which
should give them place before the
Furthermore, il certifi-
cate No. is the constitutional and
legal expression of the vote of Flori-
da, of course that question being set
tied in favor of certificate number
one, obviates all necessity for consid-
cring certificates number two and
three.
The objections to the first certifi-
cate are substantially one, namely
there was fraudulent return; that
it was fraudulently issued, not by
reason Of anything which appears in
the action Of ccrtification or present.
ing of the certificates, but because of
the action Of other people. Kasson
here referred TO the frauds in jack
son, where he said the republican
vote was rejected, and spoke of case
where railroad train full of passen-
gers got oil and voted the democratic
Ticket and said / don't believe that
This commission, by the constitution
A. law, was ever intended or has pow
n to go to the extent that could be
'equired to probe these mutual alle-
cation on both sides, TO the bottom.
kassOn argued at great length
against the power of the commission
% 60 behind the returns, and said, 1