Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1877-12-15
> FEL;CIANA SENTINEL.

ons. 1t would not only be rejected, bu
the guilt; counselor would be punished
not in the Same way (fol there is tech
meal difference), but on the same princi
PIE, that courts punish the ntterahce O
connterfeit money. TO pollnte the ad
mlnlstration of Justice by passing falls
anu fraudulent documents upon a conr
Is, indeed, very much worse than .'shov
ing the queer" upon a shopkeeper.
Of course, the wickeilness of III ff1i
depends on tho scienter. involuntary ig
norance would be an excuse. But til,
corrupt character of this certificate was
known to all the world, and being q
public fact, the commissioners as well
as everybody else were bound to know
it; besides that, the evidence was exbil,-
tied to their eyes; their rejection of il
assumed it to he true; and they express
ly ruled that no proof of fraud, however
clear, wonld diminish the value of the
false paper in their estimation. So far
as am Informed, they have never pre-
tended to be ignorant of the fact that
this vote was the offspring of q fraudu-
lent conspiracy, nor have they denied
the law, which makes it void for that
reason. There is, therefore, nothing for
j. but to leave their reputation for Judi
c'al integrity, as Bacon left his: ITO
foreign countries, to future ages, and to
mems charitable speeches."
Ihe eight commissioners and the coNn-
sel on their side tried to frame O weak
excuse for this dereliction of duty by
reasoning thus: Congress gave the COM
mission no power but what the two houses |
might have exercised themeves; the two |
houses had no authority to revise cleo !
ton returns from any State: eyuo. the
commission must receive a false, fraudu-
lent, and void certificate as il were a
real return, true and valid In this svl-
'og'sm' the premises major and minor, are
unsound, and the conclusion is a non se-
guitar. Congress has power, clear and
"nquestlonable, not to revise the action
OF the State authorities tor the purnose
OF correcting their mere errors, but to
ascertain whether paper pretending to y,
De return is q real return or a fraud.
III the two houses are to count the votes {
'hey must have the verifying power
which enables them to determine what
are votes and what are not A fraud or
u perjury is not vote, This verifying
POWER was delegated to the commission 9
Win directions to ascertain by it who y
We're duly appointed. The majority did Il
not decline to exercise the power: thew Il
!. assumed 1t, took it and executed it, but !;
tney misused and abused it SO as not to -
verify, but to falsify the vote. Ig
CHIEF JUDGE CHURCH 10,
lou invoke the name of judge Chnrch ~
inc present Chief Justice CT the Stare Of III
New York. If that distinguished, up OF
l!ght snd learned gentleman is Oh your iu
treat Fraud has a most powerful friend VI
But your claim that he favors your doc so
r1ne Is prlma facie evidence that he is on
ga1nst yon; for, in citing authorities, or
, on are nothir If not deceptive. You ~,
ms, but You do not tell us Whether DE-
Is from judicial opinion, a published II
'tter or the report of an oral conversa- ~
ION; knowing "the sin that doth so chi
asiIy oeset you," 1 venture to say this an
on have have made it out of whole cloth ..
torn it from it's context, or made an no
ppllcation of 1T which the author never Tn
TENDED. Let us look at it. ar.
Ycu make the Chief Judge say has
lat 1.-THE authorization of the e. thn
'tlon of the Presidential Electors. ,no
'cord'ng to the laws of each State. i'm,
final and conclusive, and that stn h
ere exists no Lower to go behind wh.
en-" This sentence, with its bad low
amman and opugueness of express ON,
IN, is not like Judge Church's Sea-
ear and accurate style. But he nur
" have said that the results Of an ontr
'ctlon, honest y authenticated by 10
proper authorities of the State. 60,
'ording 10 its laws and the acts mon
oLgress. ought 10 be accepted theu
hnal and decisive of all antece- 40 a
It disputes about it. That il no ve',,
'bt his opinion, and 1 f, mly be- tho
e him to be right on tins as on viii
er questions of law. But does ;en,
oilow that fraud or forgery ,ho :,
be regarded as a proper au> I sa,'
nt'cation Have the two houses I,nn,
congress-, when they come 70 ma@
ut the votes, no right to dis,in- ahov,
~ between a true paper and u der.t
er void for manifest corruption ? RI
Judge Church Church to say d,o;t,
your comfort aud assistance GIsr.:
Congress or any other tribunal erlv q
lawfully receive and treat as sov :,
a false paper known to have lie !,
concoc;ed in wiIful fuud. he q h;
end OF gratifying your wish, he Of it =,
make the tenderest vein liz 10 a, ,
heart ache with his CONTEMPT. 1900.
TO The ALLEGED cUTRAGEs. 10 ~,
any persons are OF opinion tina, oarro. ~
old not write the article 70 800.