The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-02-21
THE COMBINATION OF THE
GREAT VVRONGs.
LsurPatiOn triumphant Over Ihe
will Of the People aud
GIle COnsGiIuaiOn


infamY of the times; aud the decision
itself to count the vote Of Louisiana for
a candidate who lacked eight thousand
Of majority of her lawful sufragans
was deadly blow aimed at the Consti-
tuition and the liberties Of the people.
BY that agency, the Republican party
has secured four years longer lease of
power, which means four more years of
misrule for the country at large, and of
military interference, oppression and
harrassment of the Southern States
And unfortunately for the country, the
usurpation carries with it a dark fore
boding that the voice of the people for
reform in the government will avail
nothing against the Vaccinations of cum
ming and INSCRIPTIONS demagogues and
political leaders.
The scheme by which this outrage OF
depriving the people Of their choice OF
President was consummated, owes its ex-
stence to the daring assumption Of the
Republican leaders. and to say the
least of it, the weakness and in
capacity of the Democratic lead
ers who fell immea>urabIy below the
demands of the great occasion in which
they were called to act. Among the adj
vocates OF this iniquity there is not one
who has not committed himself to the
belief that Gov. Tilden was fairly and
constitutionally elected. There is not
one that does not know that the consti
tuition he is required to support prescribes
that in the event of failure by the cleo.
toral college to make a choice of Presi
dent, he shall be elected by the House OF
Representatives. And, yet, in the face
of these facts and this solemn obligation
they united with the Radical party in
setting up a tribunal unknoGn TO the con
stitution and composed Of a majority Of
Republican partisans to perform the du-
ties which devolved upon them. Did
madness and folly (to use nc harsher
terms) ever do worse? 1t is a pitiful
plea that the Democrats who are respon-
sible for this wrong, have made, in extern
uation of their conduct We are told
that Gen. Grant intended to put Hayes
in the Presidency anyhow. How do they
know it, And if they did know that the
retiring President intended to com
nit this lawlessness, did that relieve
them of their own prescribed duties?
Did that absolve them from the
responsibility to perform the trust
confded to them by the people? But
they knew no such thing They might
have known before the vote was taken ia
the House of Representatives upon the
Arbitration plan, that Grant would have
no such opportunity to execute his threat
if he had ever made it. The great
leaders of the Republican party, pending
the bill in the Senate, took the position
that the presiding officer of the Senate
had no authority to count the votes and
to declare who had been elected President
Of his own motion.
The majority of the Commission have
been justly censured for constituting the
law SO as to prevent them from receiving
the evidences of fraud and illegality in
the disputed States which have been
counted for Hayes. But are they alone
to blame Why did not the Dem
ocrats in Congress provide against
such a construction III framing the bill !?
Why did they not insert the meaning in
language that would have admitted of
of no other construction, but that the
Commission, which they were setting up
to perform their functions for them,
should inquire, not who had the certifi-
Gates, but who was entitled to them?
The following are the proceedings of
the Returning Board, which resulted in
counting Louisiana for Hayes. The
votes were strictly partizan-eight (Re-
publicans) on one side-seven Demo
crats) on the other, on the final count,
and on the test questions:
Mr.. Hoar submitted the following:
"Ordered, That the evidence be not re-
ce1ved."
Mr.. Abbott offered the following as a
substitute Resolved, That evidence be
received to show that so much Of the Act
Of Louisiana establishing Returning
Board for that State is unconstitutional,
and the acts of the said Returning Board
are void.
This was rejected by tie following
vote: Yeas-Abbott, Bayard, Clifford,
Field, Hunton, Payne and Thurman
Nays Bradley, Edmunds, Frelinghuy-
sen, Garfield, Hoar, Miller, Morton and
Strong.
Mr. Abbott offered another substitute
as follows: "Resolved, That evidence
will be received to show that the Return
ing Board of Louisiana at the time of
and compiling the vote of the
State at the last election in that State,
.ras not lac-a Y cn,lstitntad under the L. US