Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-02-21

Hoar then moved that the commits
sion 60 into secret session for the
purpose of consultation on the main
question, which was adopted, and the
crowd was directed to leave the
room.
Directly after the doors of the cleo
toral tribunal were closed, Senator
Morton offered the following resolu-
ton:
Resolred, That the persons named
as electors in certificate No. were
the lawful electors of the state of
Louisiana, and that their votes are
the votes provided by the
constitution of the United States,
and should be counted for president
and vice-president.
This resolution was adopted by a
vote of 8 to Z, as follows:
Yeds-Bradley, Edmunds, Freling-
huysen, Garfield, Hoar, Miller, Nor
ton and Strong-S. Ndys-Abbott,
Bayard, Clifford, Field, Hunton,
Payne aad Thurman.-7.
Justices Miller and Bradley and
Representative Hoar were then APP
pointed a committee to draft the re-
port of the decision with brief
statement for the reasons therefore,
to be signed by the members agree
ing thereon, and to be transmitted to
the joint session of the two houses,
as required by the electoral act.
A recess of about one hour was
then taken, to afford time for draft
ing the report, which, upon the re-
assembling of the commission, was
presented, and after being read was
signed by Miller, Strong, Bradley,
Edmunds, Morton, Frelinghuysen
Garfield Hoar.
THE REPORT
is to the following effect:
The electoral commission having
received certain certificates and pa.
pers purporting to be the certificates
Of the electoral votes of the state OF
Louisiana, and certain papers accom-.
panying the same, and the objections
thereto, report that it has duly con.
sidered the same, and has decided
and does hereby decide, that the votes
of VIM. Pitt Kellogg, 0. II. Brew.
ster, A. b. Levisee, Oscar Jefferson
Peter Joseph, j. II. Birch, l.. A, Shell.
don, and Morris Marks, named in the
certificate of VIM. Pitt Kellogg gov.
ernOr of said state, which votes arc
certified by said persons as appears
by the certificates submitted to the
commission, as aforesaid, and upon
the action of the returning board
marked No. I, by said commission
and herewith returned, are the votes
provided for by the constitution Of
the United States, and that the same
are lawfully to be counted as therein
certified namely. eight votes fol
Rutherford b. Hayes, OF the state OF
Ohio, for president, and eight vote.
for William A. Wheeler, of the state
of New York, for vice-president.--
The commission also decides and re-
ports that the eight persons first before
named were duly appointed electors
in and by said state of Louisiana.
The ground of this decision, as sta
ted briefly, is substantially as follows
That it is not competent to go into
evidence aliunde as to the papers
opened by the president of the sen
ate in the presence of the two houses
to prove that other persons than those
Regularly certified by the governor O.
the state of Louisiana in and accord
ing to the determination and declara
ton of their appointment; in othel
words, to go behind the certificate o.
the governor SO far as it Is founded
The report will also state that tn
commission could not receive an,
evidence to show that any elector wa
ineligible on the 7th day of Novem
Der, the day of the election, on thu
ground that it was not essential Il
show that an elector was eligible OF
that day so long as he was eligible
when he cast his vote in the electora
college, and the fact appears that tn
alleged ineligible electors, Brewste
and Levisee, were chosen to fill va
cancics caused by their own absenc'
from the college, and there was n,
allegation of ineligibility at the tim,
they cast their vote.
The commission remained i'm session
until 3 90 O'Clock, when an adjourn
meDt to 4 90 p. m. tomorrow was or
dered.
While the commission was in secre
session remarks were made by Nor
ton, Thurman, Garfield, Bayard, Ed
munds, Hunton, Hoar and Bradley
the last named closing the discussion
DEMOCRATIC ACTION ON THE LoUIsIAN.
4 CASE.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. l6.-There will
be caucus of democratic members o
the house tomorrow morning to dc
termine whether they will act upol
the commissioners report tomorrow
or defer proceedings until Monday
the latter being the more probable
There are no present indications
however, that any attempt will b
made to defer final action upon tn
report beyond Mondays session.
Representatives Field, Syringe,
Abram S. Hewitt, Mr.. MerricE O
counsel, and several other prominen
democrats, after the decision of tn
commission, held brief consultation
in one of the supreme court rooms
After they separated, one of them, OF
inquiry, said that the democrat
would present a strong protest to tn
counting of the electoral vote of Louis
lana. A private conference of lead
ing democratic members of the hOus
was held this evening at Col. VIM.
Pelton's rooms, and a call for a caucu
was there agreed upon.
THE DECISION COMMENTED ON.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. l6.--The actio
of the commission is the subject O
universal commentto-night. The re
publicans are rejoicing while tn
democrats are correspondingly de
pressed. Several republican mem
bers of the commission say that tn
decision not to go behind the return
Of a state settles the Oregon question
so far as the commission is concerned
as they have no doubt that Watts wa
eligible at the time he cast his vote il
the electoral college.
DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS.
II WASUINGToN Fab II rrbo lo,,,