The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-02-22
fHE MINORITY LOUISIANA REPORT.
In spite or Armed Forces, Louisiana
was Fairly Carried for Hayes.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10-Rspresen-
tatives Hurlbut, TOwsend, Danford,
CrspO, and Joyce have made their
minority report in the Louisiana in
vestigstion, concluding as follows
'For the first time in the history OF
this country it has been attempted to
destroy the lawful and formal express
| sion of the State, in the election Of
President, by assuming the power in
the House of Representatives to ex-
anime into any and all polls, and to
purge the election, to make Itself the
Returning Board and determine by q
partisan vote what Louisiana ought
to have done. We regard it as the
most fatal attack ever ATTEMPTED up
on constitutional rlghts 90 grvss
usurpatiou of power as subjecting in
its natural development the entire
question of the election of President
to the will or decision of the House Of
Representatives. What has been at
tempted by the Democratic Hsuse
in Louisiana may be done on
the same principle by some other
dominant party in any other
State whose vote may be in the way
Of their party candidate. The cry OF
fraud is quickly raised and is readily
repeated, and far too easily believed.
Evidence is always ready to support
that or any other charge, IL great
political advantage is to be gained.
The only way to preserve the just
balances of power is to stand by and
support the formal, deliberated and
lawful decisions of the tribunal con-
stltuted for the purpose, ordained un-
der the Constitution by the highest
State authority, by laws which have
been expOunded and sustained by the
proper Supreme Courts. Any other
course is TO constitute guess-work for
legitimate decision, the rule OF mobs
for the orderly processes OF law, the
control by the House of Representa-
tives, whose days are numbered, for
the determination made by the people
themselves in due and regular form,
| chosen by themselves. Passion and
preiudices will wear themselves out
/ in time; wild defamation Of intem-
perste orators will soon be forgotten ;
rash assertion Of party presses will
pass from mems minds, and then
this case Of Louisians will, perhaps
/ be fairly considered, and the verdict
4 VI viii DC khal TUG
Democratic party Of that unhappy
State are justly to be held responsible
for continuous and organized attempts
70 annul by force the clear will OF the
majority. The same calm judgment
viii declare that the laws Of 1870 and
1872 were necessary safeguards against
such organized illegal forces, and
should be approved by all who believe
in the supremacy of law that this
mueh-sbused Returning Board acted
in the spirit Of the law creating them,
and that their discrimination is final
in the matter. Holding these views,
the minority Of the committee cub.
NIT them, and do not propose to fol-
1 low It's details IN an unauthorized dis
section (; Of the whole, made from
partisan and biased information by
the msjority OF the com mittee, but to
stand upon the established law and
the deliberate results of the Constitu-
] tional action of sworn officers Of the
State, solemnly done, performed and
promulgated with all the sanctions Of
law.n
The minority report on the Louis
lana case closes IS follows
"The undersigned submit herewith
reports of the minority members OF
the subcommittee, and close this re-
port by offering the following resolu-
ton:
"ResolUed, That the election held
for Presidential Electors in Louisiana,
the 7th of November, 1875, was ex'
smined into, determined, declared
and promulgated by the proper auth.
critics of said Ststes, under all forms
of law, and in conformity with tbs
| Constellation of the limited States %