Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-11-08


but there turning ofthe electoral votes
are to be returned to the President of
the Senate, and shall be opened in
the presence of the two Houses of
Congress, and be then counted. Con-
gress clearly has the right to inqaire
and determine whether or not the
electors of the several States had been
appointed in tn manner prescribed by
their respective States"
Inever write secrets nor keep copies
of the letters 1 write. And / do not
believe hat the official acts Of public
servants and the reasons for their
acts shonld be regarded as private
and secret. Very respectfully yours,
G. w. JONES.
"WAsHINGToE, Feb. 26, 1877.
ssThe Hon. GEORGE w. JONES.
"MY DEAR SIR:-I was q Demo-
crat when you and I were together
in Congress. l am a Democrat now.
1 hold to all the opinions the State
Rights Democrats have always held,
and which the acknowledged leaders
of the party have avowed up to the
present winter-never more clearly
than in 1873 to 1875.
II do not believe that Congress has
any Constitutional right to inquire
into State elections for State cleo
tors.
Congress has of late years inter-
fered quite too much with the Statcss
The Electoral Commission has no
more power than Congress has, and
/ think it would be a most dangerous
usurpation, were it to do what the
States alone have a right to do, even
to care what 1 fear was a great wrong
of the Louisiana Returning Board.
IL cannot doubt that such will be
your opinion when you reflect to what
the assertion of such o power would
lead. 1t would place the right of the
States, respecting the choice of cleo
tors, at the mercy of Federal Gov
ernment, and be the greatest stride
ever made toward Capitalization.
'I}etter suffer a present evil than
open such a door, better than aban-
: don all the time-honored principles oi
the Democratic party.
L am yours, very respectfully,
"W. STRONG"
The letter of Judge Strong is in one
sense very creditablc to him. ii
shows that he acted from conviction,
We cannot give our assent to the cor.
rectness of his conclusion, but we
( can understand that his view is one
| which might be honestly taken by
, technical lawyer, not much addicted
to equity and to going to the bottom
of things.
The great and momentous fac
which appears from the correspond
( ence, and which presses itself, by it
gigantic magnitude upon the serious
consideration of the whole country
is that Rutherford B. Hayes occupies
the office of President of the Initet
States by force of the vote of a ma,
who does not believe lie was legal,
elected. From this conclusion Their
is no escape. 1t stands forth now
and VIII stand forever, as an Rdstori
, cal fact, established by conclusiv
and unquestionable evidence.
To urge that every other vote i
the Electoral Commission had til
! same potency as that o fJudge Stron
does not at all detract from tx
=, strength of our argument. Conced
, ing that, because it is undeniable, tn
stubborn fact still remains that with
ont Judge Strong the memberH of tn
commission were equally divided, an
that if Hayes and not received til
vote of this member of the commi.
;, sion, who did not believe he was lega
ly elected, he would never have bee
declared President.
1t seems to us that this fresh an
startling evidence imposes a ne.
;. and solemn duty upon Congress. II
" House of Representatives should rais
Is a committee 10 inquire into the legal
ty of the election of Rutherford |
it Hayes. This committee should hay
the customary power to send for pc
sons and papers. With the statemeI
p' Of Judge Strong added to the 9th,
o accessible evidence it would he Sc
L. tied beyond cavil in an official procee,
TO ing that Hayes is not and never h
been the President by right. All til
goes upon the official records of Il
T. United States House of Represent
I'd tives, and after that, even althoua
,y Hayes crawls through his whole for
years in q place to which he has /
true title, the brand of the fraud wi
Us be ~ineffaceably fixed upon him, viii
al the elevation Of his office will SER
IN only to make more conspicuous I'll
or infamy uf a mar who holds it not
81 right.
ne