The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1877-07-19

of tho cemmonw wealth, whose attestar2
ton is required by Federal law, went
for nothing whenever it was CONTRA
dicted, how could the conolusiveness
be assorted of a paper made by subor-
dinate officers unknown outside OF the
State, and powerless even by the local
law to mako q certificate of moro
than prima faoie validity2 Yet the
electoral commission (eight to seven)
decided that the Governors certificate
might be set aside for a mere mistake
of law or fact, while that of the res
turning board would stand, though
known to be founded on falsehood
and saturated all through with corr
ruption.
EVIDENCE ALIUNDE. .H
Tho unvarying preference Of the
eight commissioners for the false ovor
the truo becomes very striking at this
point. Whom they got behind the
Governors papers, thoy found lying
aliunde two other sets Of documents,
ono of which was record of the &C
tual appointment mado by the people;
tho othor was q more fabrication of
tho returning board without any SOM
blanco Of truth; they embraced the
latter with oil the ardor of sincere af-
fection, and rejected the former witE
oil possible marks Of their dislike.
THE INFAMOUS EIGHT.
The eight commissioners did not
stop thoro. They went much furthor.
tainod all tho infinite rascality OF the
returning boards. They not only re-
fused to take voluntary notice of the
atrocious frauds perpetrated by thom,
but thoy excluded tho proofs Of thoir
corruption which the Democratic
counsel held in their hands and Offer
cd to exhibit. Iheso commissioners
chokcd off tho ovidonco, and smcth-
ored il as remorselossly as Wolls and
his associates suppressed Democratic
returns. And this thoy put on tho
oXprcss ground that to thom it was
all ono whether tho action of thcso
boards was fraudulent or not. They
would suffer no proof of corruption to
invalidate tho right claimed by q
uayos man to put in tho vote of q
State for his candidate.
This monstrous and undurablo out
rago was resisted to the utmost. All
of the scvon implored and protested
against it. Judge Clifford, tho Pro-
sidont Of tho commission, laid it down
rs maxim of tho common law that
fraud vitiates whatover it touches
and provod,it undoniably. Uo might
havo proved moro. 1t is not merely
a maxim of tho common law; it. be-
longs to all countries and all ages; nc
codo can claim it exclusively; it per-
vades all systoms Of Jurisprudence; il
has its homo in ovory honosL heart; il
is tho universal sentiment of all jus
men; it applies to all human dealings
Judge Fold looked in the face of tn,
majority, and told thom plainly tina
their disregard of this great princi
plo was "as shocking in morals as i
was unsound in law" and added "I
is elementary knowledge that frauc
vitiatcs all proceedings. even the mos
solomD; that no form of words, nc
amount of ceremony, no selomrity O.
proceeding, can shield it from expos
uro or protect its structure from as
sault and destruction" But the oight
woro as deaf as addors to the voico o
reason and justioo. Thoy would no
permit the fraud to be assaulted, much
lees to be destroyed. They stood ovoi
it to shield it, protect it, and savo it
interposing tho broad mgis. OF thoil
authority to cover it against every
attack.
Tho eight porsistently donied thei,
| power or that of Congress to do wha
thoy were commanded by the law tt
do-that is, decide who were duly ap
pointed. They would only dooid,
that certain poT'sons were named al
electors by returning board. They
would not understand that the ap,
pointment by tho people might be one
thing, and the action of tho returning
board another, or that tho latter, over
as evidence of the former, was worth,
loss If it was fraudulent.
FRAUD UNDER THE FORMS OF LAW.
! In all tho discussions of tho subject
tho mon disposed to favor the conspi-
racy profossod most profound vene~
ration for the "forms of law" This
was the keynote struck at Now Or
loans by the visiting committee, and
it is hoard in every subsequent argu.
mont Of counsel and commissioner on
that side. 1t seemed to be understood
among them that o formal cheat was
perfectly safe from exposure. If the
sepulchre was whited on tho outside,