The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-01-13
THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE!
Monster Popular Demonstrations AT Sprin-
field, indianapolis, Columbus, &c.
Vigorous protelt1 against the Chandler Morton
Conspiracy.

Springfield, Ill.,, at Columbus, OHIO, at Indian
apolis, Ind, at Wheeling, West Virginia, as
well as many smaller but not less earnest and
gathering at minor points, to-
give expression to the fast rising popular in
dignaton against the conspiracy to bulldoze
Hayes into the presidency against the will Of
the American people.
The convention ut Springfield was attract
cd not only by full delegations from every
county in the state, but many counties sent
double and quadruplc their quota Of dele
gates. Gen. Farnsworth was the president,
and on taking the chair made Il ringing
speech. Speeches were also made of the
abest and most telling character by Lyman
Trumbull, John NJ. Palmer, John ~. Nc
Clernard and others, and a series of strong
resolutions was adopted. While the resolu-
tons were drawn with care, and undoubtedly
express the deliberate sentiments of the con-
vention, they are but "A cold reflex of the 10.
tense earnesness and indignant determine
ton not to submit to the wrong against
which they protest, that pcrvaded the body.
The resolutions adopted were rs follows:
Res0lced, BY the citizens Of Illinois in con.
vention assembled on the Sth day of January,
1877, that a count OF the votes for president
and vice president by the senate, without
the concurrence and direction Of both houses
of congress, would be contrary to usage, re-
vOlutlonary in character, and dangerous TO
the rights Of the people.
I,es0lUed, That IN the absence of any statute,
rule or order regulating the counting of the
electoral vote, the two houses of congress
have the right, under the constitution, to
count the votes of the electors to decide all
questions arising thereon, and declare the re.
suit, and that no vote should be received and
counted for president or vice president with
out the concurrence of both houses of con.
gress, and, IN the performance OF this duty,
each house is vested with the authority TO ID.
quire into the qualifications of electors and
the manner of their appointment. This has
been the construction of the provisions of the
constitution respecting the subject, as shown
by an unbroken usage from the first election
of president to the present time, and by the
adoption by both houses of congress unani-
mously OF the rule, known as the twenty-sec.
ond joint rule, in February, 1865, under
which the electoral votes were counted by
congress in 1865, in 1869, and in 1873; which
rule was acqulesced in and maintained SO
long as both houses of congress were CONTROL.
ed by the same political party.
ResOtoed, That it is the duty OF the senate
and house of representatives to resort To all
parliamentary means to secure fair and
honest count of the electoral vote, and that
the people will hold senators and representa-.
tives responsible for the consequences which
follow failure of the two houses to agree
upon mode tor making such count.
ResOiced, That while we have no doubt that
Samuel J. Tilden and Thos. \. Hendricks
are fairly entitled to majority Of the electo,
raj votes for president and vice president, we
at the same time believe it to be our duty and
are willing to submit the question as to who
have been fairly and constltutionally elected
to the decision of the senate and house OF
representatives, to whom il constitutionally
belongs, and we demand of them, as we be-
leve do vast majority of the people of all
parties, that they come to some agreement for
an honest and fair count of the electoral vote,
pledglnE ourseiN es TO abide by the result,
whatever il may be.
Res0lped, That ii is a well settled principle
of law that when an official duty is to be per.
formed upon the happening Of a certain con.
tingency and no mode has been provided tor
deciding when the event has occurred, those
who are required to perform the duty are the
sole Judges as TO when the contingency arises
and in accordance with this principle we de.
clare that it properly devolves upon each
house of congress to decide for itself when
the contingency shall arse that requires It's
separate action under the constitution in the
election of president by the house OF repre-
sentatives and vice president ~ the senate.
ResOlred, That, in case the two houses, af-
ter exhausting all parliamentary MEANS are
unable to agree upon such count Ot The
votes cast for president and vice president as
will secure to any person a majority of the
whole number of electors appointed, 1t will
then become the duty of the house OF repre-
sentaives Immediately to choose Il president,
and of the senate vice president, rs provid.
Ell by the constitution, and tthe house of re-
representatives. shall choose president, or the
senate a vice president, according t. such
provisions of the constitution, then such con
action must be sustained, and all
forcibIe opposition thereto be proceeded
against as treason and revolution.
Res0lC5d, That the conceded assertion by
the leading republican newspapers on the
morning after the election that SuHlh Carroll
ma, Florida and Louisiana had gone for
HAYES, before any definite Information could
possibly have been received from those states,
followed by the orders 10 the army OF the
United States TO see that their boards OF can.
vassers are unmolested in the performance of
their duties, issued before the canvassngI
boards had assembled, and without any rea-
son to suppose that such boards would be
molested IN an honest discharge of duty; 10
ee,ber with the Acknowledgement that the result
of the presidential election as declared by the
pcople at the polls could be changed by false
il counting the votes of South Carolina, Flor
ida, ana Louisiana for Hayes, and that the
returning board of Louisiana composed OF
the same persons as now, had arbitrarily, un-'
fairly and illegally changed the result, OF u
former election cOulu only have been intend.
ed as an assurance 10 the canvasshg officers
In those states in advance that they would be
sustained in any Canyass they might make,
however iniquitous, and especially to the can
vass,nr officers of Louisiana that they would
be sustained in repeating the arbitrary ana
illegal action by which they had continued
themselves and their party in power two