The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-03-17
ISt. Louis Republican,


4,3O1 ,S54 votes for Tllden and Hendricks, H.
044 GA votes for Hayes and Wheeler and 03,,
02o votes for other persons, Tilden and Hen.
bricks receiving 2j72f0 more votes than
Hayes and Wheeler, and 14421l more votes
than all other candidates together. So much
for the popular phase of the result.
i Tilden and Hendricks received 1871 undis-
puted electoral votes in seventeen states, lack
ing only one more electoral vote to make the
requisite majority Of 1856. Hayes and Wheel.
er received 1G5 undisputed electoral votes in
eighteen states lacking trenty more to make
up the requisite ma Ority of lS5.
! This Is u naked and concise statement of
the case as presented by the result Of the No
vember election. The disputed votes we're :
Seven in South Carolina, eight In Louisiana,
four in Florida, and one in Oregon. But be-
sides these disputed votes represented by
double certificates from the tour states named,
there were several other votes on the ground
of ineigiblli,y, but not represented by double
certificates, viz: one in Pennsylvania, one IN
Rhode Island and one IN Vermont The dis
pute OF the Florida votes involved two impOr.
tant and distinct ques,ons-first, the right
| fulness of the return, and second, the eligi.
bility of one of the alleged Hayes electors.
The Louisiana dispute involved three distinct
and important Iuestions-first, the rightful.
ness of the return second, the eligibility of
one of the alleged Hayes electors, Brewster,
and third, the eligibility OF another Of the al
legged Hayes electors, Levlsee. The Oregon
case presented two distinct and important
Questions-first, the rightfulness of the Off.
cial return, and second The eligibility of one
of the alleged electors, Watts. The South
Carolina case presented one questionable
rghtiulness OF the official returns. The OBJ.
jections to the three alleged Hayes electors in
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont,
presented three additional distinct questions,
SO that in all there;were eleren distinct and
separate questions, each Of them vital, in
volved in the controversy. To elect Hayes
and Wheeler every one Of these eleven vital
questions OF law and fac, needed to be decid-
ed in their favor. To elect Tllden and Hen
bricks Onlg oAeof them needed to be decided in
their favor. Or to state the matter in another
form, every one of the % disputed electoral
votes had to be awarded to Hayes and Wheel
er to elect them, while only one of these dis
puted % votes required TO be lost to Hayes
and Wheeler to secure the election of Tllden
and Hendricks. 1t was not necessary that
over one of the disputed 90 votes should be !
awarded TO the latter; all that the conditions
of success required for them was that one of
these votes should not be awarded TO their OPP
ponents.
case, 1t must be added that on the face Of the
officially certified returns Tilden and Hen.
bricks were elected by majority Of one vote
one of the three Oregon votes being certified
tor them by the Governor of the stale so they |
had not only an undispued majority Of 257,-
240 of the popular votes cast, but disputed
ma orty of | of the electoral votes cast, as
officially authenticated; and just after the
election all the leading republican journals in
the land openly conceded their election 1t
is not possible to imagine stronger case for
lilden and Hendricks, or u weaker case for
Hayes and Wheeler. 1t Is not possible to
imagine more formidable task tor tribun-
al organized 10 PREJUDICE, than the reversal of
the irresistible presumption in favor of Til.
den and Hendricks presented by the facts as
we have stated them.
And yet, such reversal has been made. 1t |
has been solemnly adjudgcd that Tildcn and
Hendricks had no case at all; that all the |
equIics-all the law and the tacts-werr in
favor OF their opponents; that Tilden and
Hendricks were nat elected, and Hayes and
Wheeler were. The large general popular
majority of I24O in favor of Tilden and
Hendricks has been set at naught; the popu |
lar majority Of 1000 In Louisiana in favor of
them has been set at naught; the popular ma
jority of ninety in Florida in favor of them
ent governor, the present legislature and the
supreme court of Florida asserting this ma.
jority Tor them has been set at naught, the of
fetal certificate OF the Governor of Oregon
has been set at naught Every one of the
eleven vital questions of law aud fact present
ed in the contest has been successfully and
pertinaciously decided in favor of Hayes and
Wheeler; every one of the eleven vital ques
tons has been successfully and per,inacious
ly decided against their opponents; all the
twcnty.three disputed electOra, votes have
been awarded TO them; not one of all these
has been awarded Ia Tildcn and Hendricks
If the eight republican members of the cleo
toral commission, instead OF swearing TO de.
terminc according TO the law and fa:ts, had
taken a horrid oath, washed down-lile that
of the Catilinisn consplrator with a goblet
of bulls blood, Ia decide every point IN the
dispute, and the whole dispute itself, in favor
of Hayes and Wheeler. regardless OF the law 4
and facts, they could not have exhibited a
more shocking defiance cf justice, truth and
pinciplc than they actually have presented.
San Francisco has incubated rather the
most extensive project" IN the line of rail.
way building, lately recorded The scheme,
which we are assured Is beng talked up by
leading capitalists is TO build road. from