The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-07-12

VOL. XII---NO. SO.
NAV have conscientiously believed that
the interest of their faction would be
we'll served by Hayes election. They
may have been prompted by (" virtuous
admiration of carpet bag government,
and, were sincerely anxious to save 1t
from Tilden's reform. all. ~. si,eu.
A IT'S PETTIFOGGING.
81 But this decision in favor of fraud,
which so shocked the common sense and
common honesty of the nation, was not
made without some attempt to justify it.
The eight gave reasons so many and so
plausible that Kellogg and Wells must
have chuckled with delight when they
heard, them: One argument very seri-
ously urged was that it would be trouble
some, and required great deal Of time,
to ascertain who was duly appointed by
the people. II was much easier to accept
the false vote and say no more about 1t.
To decide how many. and what persons
got certificates from the returning board
was a short and simple process; but to
push the inquiry behind that-to inquire
whether the certificate was honest, to look
for the evidence which would show who
were duly appointed-htc labor hoe opus
est. The seven reminded the eight, but
reminded them in vain, that the due ap-
pointment, which nobody in the world
except the people had the least right to
make, was the very thing which they
were to find out; and they could not be
excused from a duty to which they were
pledged and sworn by the mere incon-
venience of performing it. Besides, the
eight knew very well that there was no
difficulty in it; it was but looking at the
record Of the appointment as the people
made it up; they could read it as they
ran the truth was palmer than the lie;
the honesty of the case was as easily seen
as the fraud. But no persuasion could
influence them to cast even a glance at
the actual appointment. What did they
think this commission was made tor :?
Why was this great combination of learn
ing and statecraft set up {? According to
the eight its sole purpose was, not to
determine any matter in dispute between
the parties, but merely to declare that
the returning boards had certified for the
Hayes electors which everybody knew
already, and nobody ever denied. If its
object was what the law said-to decide
who were duly appointed-then the
eight succeeded in making it merely a
splendid abortion, because, among other
reasons, it was too much trouble to make
it anything else. 80 ,..a
But the commission, following the
lead of counsel for Mr.. Hayes, insisted
that the certificate of the proper State
officer ought to be regarded as conclu-
sive evidence of the appointment made
by the people. 1t is undoubtedly true
that the State has a right to speak on this
subject through her own organs, and
when she does so o-speak, her voice should
be regarded as true. But what officer is
her proper organ? The Governor rgbeing
her political chief, and his certificate
being required by act. Of Congress, i i
would not have been unreasonable to
hold that it was conclusive unless tainted
with fraud. The Hayes electors had the
executive certificate in Louisiana and
Florida, and this, lin regard to those
States, gave the, eight 2 great legal ad'
vantage. But they threw it away, aban'
doned the attestation of the Governor as
worthless, claimed no faith or credit fol
it. and pronounced it open to contradic'
ton, no matter how honestly itmay have
been given. What was the meaning q
this phenomenal ruling which apparently
| opened the door of investigation ever
wider than the Democrats asked? 1t
| was understood by everybody. The com
mission was hedging for Oregon: Iht
eight were reaching across to the Pacific
| for the one vote there, which was Just a.
| important as the twelve on the Gulf o.
| Mexico. But having gone behind the
Governors certificate for the sake of cor
recting errors, could thereibe any possible
justification for stopping before the trutf
was reached? Ifathe head of thei com
monwealth, whose attestation is required
Eby Federal law, went for nothing when
ever it, was contradicted, howreeufd tn
conclusiyeness be asserted of a pape
made by subordinate officers unknown
outside of the State, and, .powerless ever
by the local-law to make aicertifcate o
more than prima facie validity? Yetth'
electoral commission (eight to sevenl de
cided that the Governors certificate
might be set aside for mere mistake o
law or fact while that of the returninn.
board would stand, though known to b.
founded on falsehood and saturated al
through with corruption. q = 80 a''2=
| .g5yfr:. EVIDENCE ALIUNDE. - is,E,
The unvarying preference of the eigh
commissioners for the false over the tru'
becomes very striking at this point
When they got behind the Governor
papers, they found lying a5iuaae tw!
other sets of documents, one of which
was a record oftthe actual appointment
made by the people; the other was
| mere fabrication Of the returning boar
without any semblance Of TRUTH the.
/ embraced the latter with all the ardor 0
sincere affection, andrejected the forme
with aHlpossible marks Of their dislike
-2cr THE INFAMOUS EIGHT. ~
The eight commissioners did not stol
there. They went much further The.
practically justified and sustained all th i
! infinite rascality of the returning boards
They not only refused to take voluntar,,
notice of the atrocious frauds perpetrate'
| BY them, but they excluded the proofs 9
their corruption which the Democrat! = Il!
counsel held in. their hands and effere'
| to exhibit. These commissio ners; choke'
off the evidence, and smothered it as re
morsely as Wells and his associates sup
pressed Democratic returns. And thi
they put on the express ground that, t
4 them i it was all one whether the action
these boards was fraudulent or not. The
would suffer no proof of corruption
invalidate the right claimed: by a Haye
man to put in the vote Of State for hi
candidate. This monstrous and unendu
rable outrage was resisted to the utmost