The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-03-01
THE SOLEMN FARCE.


The Electoral Commission, from whom
the -partizan citizens Of the country
expected so much, have completed their
labors and decided-nothing save that
Rutherford B. Hayes shall be President
of the United States, whether elected by
the fraudulent returns of dishonest poll"
ticians, or by the actual votes of the ma
jority.
The mountain hath labored and brought
forth a mouse, ard the high-toned gentle
men of the Electoral Commission have,
with all the solemnity surrounding their
high position, enacted mere farce. They
have decided nothing that the people
expected them to decide, having merely
confirmed the partizan declaration that
the State returns must be accepted, not
withstanding the undeniable fact that
the returning boards of Louisiana and
Florida were tainted with fraud and cor
ruption.
They were expected to investigate the
facts and ascertain the truth as to wheth-
er the electors named in the Kellogg
and Stearns certificates had really received
as claimed, the majority of the lawful
voter of the citizens of Louisiana and
Florida, but true to their party proclivit-
les, they voted to exclude evidence and
shut out the light of truth. All that was
asked by one side vas fair investigation
and an impartial decision. This was
steadfastly denied by the other, and weak
indeed must be the cause that fears the
light. Nothing that we have read upon
the subject suits our views so well as the
remarks of the Public Ledger, which cer-
tainly cannot be charged with political
prejudice, and from which we extract the
following forCible language:
We certainly understood that the Com
mission was to inquire into the Ue1y truth
and right of the disputed vote in Florida
and Louisiana, and the decision of thea
Commission was to be given upon the
merits after that inquiry, and not upon
bald techniCalities. The law gives to the
Commission all the powers possess
ed in the premises by the two Houses
of Congress, and to take into view such
evidence as might be competent and per-
tinent. This portion of the law certainly
means something; it means precisely
what it says, and was universally under
stood to mean that the Commission were
to inquire whether the papers from Flo
rida and Louisiana, purporting to be
votes, are in fact votes or false pretenses,
but the majority the Commission have
treated that part of the law as ifit means
nothing, by refusing to make that in
quiry.
This tribunal was, from the outset,
trusted with the patriotic hopes and hon
cred with the fullest confidence ofthree
fourths ofthe people of the United States,
in the belief that the solemn circum-
stances attending the necessity and the
act that brought it into being, would
cause all its members with possibly three
exCeptions) to rise above all party con-
siderations in the discharge of their mo-
mentous duty. In the light of this ante
cedent hope and confidence, and in view
of the votes written on the record of the
Commission, it is pitiable to observe that
every important question thus far sub
mitted to the Commission, has divided
the Commissioners eight to seven, on
strict party lines, accordingly as the de-
cision would help the case of Governor
HAYES, or hurt the case of Governor Til
den. 1t was not believed by fairminded,
intelligent men that such division could
come about. The outside adherents of
each party mutually charge this as dis
credit on the opposing members OF the
Commission. The Jealous Democrat re-
preached the Republicans with these par
tisan votes of the eight Republican Com
missioners, and the Jealous Republicans
retort by pointing to the partisan votes
of the seven Democrats on the Commits
sion. This is about what might be ex-
pected from that kind ofdiscussion. But
that which will live in history and in the
minds of the vast majority of the public
is this: that the seven voted to look into
the evidence, voted to take testimony,
and voted to let in light, so as to get at
the truth; and that the eight voted all
the time to turn away from evidence, to
shut out the light and so to close the door
upon all effort to find the truth. The
seven voted in way to promote the great
object for which the Commission was
created; the eight voted in way to make
the Commission utterly useless for the
principal purpose for which it had any
reason for being in existence tall. The
Senator, the Judge, the Presidential aspi-
rant, the party that supposes the eyes Of
the American people can be closed to this
vital aspect of the matter is making a sig
nal and perilous mistake. The American
people know what is honorable, fair,
manly and Just; and Their ultimate deci-
sions always show that they not only
know, but that they act upon their know
ledge.-JetDish Record.