The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-09-17
BRADLEY's CONFESSED INF1MY.
Internal Evidence Enough In his Letter to
Convict him Of the Charge.

ffDm NE ~ linus finee
Judge Bradlcy's letter to the Ncirdrk Ad-
reiiiser which we published yesterday. is an
extremely curious production. The ostcnsihlc
purpose Of writing II was to show that his de-
csion as Il member Of the Electoral Tribunal
was MOI, the result of outside influences.
We assume that he did express opinions to
Judges Clifford and Field during the progress
of the case. 1t has been said by one or both OF
these Judges that he did. and Bradley only says
that he has no recollection OF having done so.
This Is enough on that point He adds that If
he did express any opinion II would not have
been other than hypothctically." or course
il could not have been other than hypothetical.
The opinion expressed 10y his vote was the only
one that from the nature Of the case was not
hypothetical. Blu, there was only one. and could
be- only one hypothesis. The question WIS not
onr Of the credibity Of tcstimony-of the guilt
or innocence Of any person or pcrsOns-of the
gVnuinencss or spuriousncss OF any document
before the trihunals-that IS. there was no dis
pute as to the documents having been signed
10y the parties whose signatures they bore. The
election returns were impeachcd as false and
fraudulent. and the Democrats merely asked
that evidence as to their character might be
heard by the Commission. Tho Republicans
resisted this because they know the returns to
he false and fraudulent. In fact thore was no
room for any hypothesis in regard TO the qucs-
tion before the tribunal. Had evidence ON both
sides been heard. doubtless there would have
been. but what the tribunal actually did was TO
refuse TO go into the case at ALL The contro-
vcrsy has not been fruitful OF hypothesis.
There has been. and there is but one, to wit:
that the Electoral Commission has furnished
theme for tho most infamous page in our
history.
According to His own account he did not
know whit to do or which way ne would 20 up
to the last moment e wrote" he says. and
rewrote the arguments and considerations on
both sides as they occurred to me. sometimes
being inclined 70 ono view ON the subject and
sometimes TO the other" Hero is strong cir
cumstuntial evidence in support Of the state
ment that ne communicated one view 10
judge Field. How was anybody go know that
he had written out an argument and come TO
conclusion AT one time in favor OF Tiidcn If he
had not told II himscltY We would also nsk
whether. if he had written an argument in his
chamber on Haycss side. he would have cast II
away and eXtempori2nd ono In the presence OF
the impatient Commission? 1t Is certain that
he had made out II Tildcn judgment in black
and white. and exceedingly probable that he
never put pen to paper in favor OF the other
side. until he wrote out the " short opinion
and the decisive one while sitting on the judg-
ment seat
II he composed similar lucuhrations there Is
no evidence Of il. He gave no limitations to
that effect TO Justice Strong or Justice Miller
his confcdera,cs Ii Is passing strange that his
condolences should have been impaired to the
Democratic Judges. or TO one of them. and is
Ineligible only on the hypothesis that up to
the last moment their view OF tho ease and his
view OF the case were Identical There is inter-