Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-02-16

TuH MINORITY REPORT.

The minority report of the House lives
tigating Committee. signed By Representa-
tives HulDurt, Townsend. DdntGrd, Grape
and Joyce, concludes as follows;
For the first time in the history Of cur
country. it has been attempted to destroy
the law full and formal expression of a State
in the election of President. by a-suinin Z
the power in the House of Representatives,
to examine into any and all the polls anu
to purge the election; to make itself the re-
turning board, and determine by par
tsan vote, what Louisiana ought to have
done. We regard it a. the most fatal at
tack ever attempted upon constitutional
right rs r gross assumption OF power ,
az subjecting in Its natural deS elopment the
entire question OF the election OF u Presi-
dent to the decision Of the House OF Repro
sentatiyes. What hns been attempted
by this Democratic House il Louisiana
may bc 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 quick
ly raised. and is readily repeated. aud far
too easily believed Evidence is always
ready to support that, or any other charge,
il great political advantage Is 10 be gained
The only way TO preserve the Just balances
of power is to stand by and support the
formal, deliberate and lawful decisions of
the tribunal, constituted for the purposes
under the constitution. bv the highest State
authority, by laws which havo been ex-
pounded and sustained by the proper courts
ANY other course is TO substitute guess work
for legitimate decision. ths rule Of mJb
for the orderly processes of law. the control
by House OF Representatives, whose days
are numbered. for the determination
made by the people themselves, in
due and regular form, through of
fcers chosen by themselves. Passion
and prejudice will wear themselves
out. in time the wild defamation Of in-
temperate orators will soon be forgotten
the rash assertions of party presses will pass
from mems minds and then this case of
Louisiana will, perhaps, be carefully con-
sidered. and the verdict Ut thoughtful men
viii be that the Democratic party of that
unhappy State are justly TO be held re-
sponsible for the continuous and organized
attempts, by force. to annul the clear will
of the majority. The same calm judgment
will declare that the laws of 1870 and 1872
were necessary safeguards against such
organized illegal forces, and should be ap-
of law and that this much abused return
ing board acted i'll the spirit o! the law
creating them, and that their determination
is final in the matter.
Holding these views the maiOrty OF the
committee submit them. and do not propose
to follow in detail the unauthorized disco
ton Of the vote made from partial and
biased information by tho majority of the
committee but TO stand upOn established
law and the deliberate results OF the con-
stituti0nal action Of the sworn officers OF a
State, solemnly done. performed and pro-
mulgated, with all the sanctions of Jaw.
The undersigned submit herewith the re-
ports OF the minority members Of the sub
into which the main committee
was subdivided, and close this report by
offering the following resolution
R,solu,d, That the election held for Presidential
Electors in louisiana, November til, was eIatnin-
cd. determined, declared and pronul gated by the
pTsper authorities OF said Stste under al the forms
VI law and in conformity with tho Constitution Of
the United State.