Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-02-21
ThE fireman.
MONTPELIER VT.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 81, 1877.


lhloSlOlly ttllh lllO "SiS NV Wv
ed until Thursday. Mr.. Evarts was Il
closing speaker of the republican counse
while Messrs. Matt Carpenter, Jude
Trumbull and Judge Campbell, (who
1861 resigned his position on the Unite
States Supreme Court bench 10 go int
the secession business), presented tn
democratic case.
Meanwhile the House amused ise
wednesday by passing the Florida resolu
lions presented by the democratic porto
Of the investigating committee which dc
clare that the vote of that state rightiull
belonged to Tilden. The feature of TIT
discussion was speech by Purman, re
publican representative from Florida, il
which he upheld the theory Of the MAORI
ty. Mr.. Purman has been understood 70
some weeks to have been in the hands o
the democracy, whether because of homes
conviction Or pecuniary reasons is mat
ter Of dispute. The Purman case is main
ly interesting us another illustration of the
fact that a carpet-bagger will be sustained
for years by republicans and denounced
by democrats until he reforms" when,
presto! his democratic abusers discover
that he has elements of patriotism and his
republican friends are suddenly under
conviction that he was rascal and cs-
pecially a viper.
Friday the commission was in secret
session for consultation and decision. In
the afternoon it was voted, s to Z, not to
admit the evidence and in the evening by
the same vote it was determined that the
Hayes votes were TO be counted and II re-
port was drawn up to that effect. The
reasons assigned for the decision were
" that it appears upon such evidence us by
the constitution and the law named in said
act of Congress is competent and peril
nent to the consideration Of the subject,
that the aforementioned electors appear
to have been lawfully appointed such
electors Of president and vce-president OF
the United States, for the term beginning,
March 4, 1877, of the state of Louisiana,
and that they voted as such ut the time,
and in the manner provided for by the
constitution of the United States and the
law.
Aud the commission has, by majority
of votes decided that it is not competent,
under the constitution and the law as it
existed at the date of the passage of the
said act, to 90 into evidence alunde the
papers opened by the president of the
Senate in the presence of the two houses
to prove that other persons than those
regularly certified to by the governor OF
the state on and according to the deter
mination of their appointment by the re-
turning officers for elections in said state |
prior 10 the time required for the perfor.
nance of their duties had been appointed |
electors or by counter proof to show that
they had not, OF that the determination of
said returning officers was not in accord
ance with the truth and fact; the commits
sion, by majority Of votes, being of
opinion that it is not within the urisdic-
ton of the two houses of Congress assem-
bled to count the votes for president and
vice-presdent to enter upon n trial OF such
question.
The commission, by majority of votes,
is also of opinion that it is not competent
to prove that any of said persons so APP
pointed electors rs aforesaid held an office
of trust Or profit under the United States,
at the time they were appointed, or that
they were ineligible under the laws of the
state or any other matter offered to be
proved aliunde said certificates and papers
The commission is also of the opinion,
by II majority of votes, that the returning
officers of elections who canvasscd the
votes at the election for electors in Louis
lana were n lawfully constituted body by
virtue of a constitutional law, and that a
vacancy in said body did not viliatc its pro,
The decision of course caused tremen-
tlous commotion in Washington, the DEM
ocrats giving up their cause us lost so far
rs the commission was concerned, and be-
Ing in Il state of grief and fury if the cor
respondents who belong to that party are
reliable. The eight were denounced with
out measure, and u strong feeling was
found to exist in favor of breaking up in
some way the continuance of the commits |
sion's work. I
Saturday the House set Monday to hear S
The Louisiana report and on meeting Mon t
lay, objections to it were made by the t
democrats. The Senate retired and that .
afternoon voted, al to %, to sustain the S
lecision Senator Bogy made bitter J.
'Heech in which he denounced JUDGE Q
Bradley of the commission by name. The
democrats held caucus Saturday evening t
n which an attempt was made TO commit C
he party to lilibustoriny course to in d
errupt the progress of the count. This |
proposition was rejected by vote of 60 to b
70 and at another caucus Monday evening o
hey stood by the action of Saturday eve e
ling. e
The southern democrats are conspicuous Ii
N the side of standing by the result of IL
he commission in good faith while a n
arge body Of northern malcontents are o
ound to do anything rather than hive
Iayes declared elected. Should the dec- D
ion in the Oregon case be against the
democrats there will be bitter struggle
'etween the two factions and it is possible y
hat the counsels Of the extremists may F"
et prevail and Il vigorous attempt be u
made to prevent any declaration of Hayes .
lection. Such u course would be ruinous ''
. the party which should engage in it. IL Il,
The House on Monday took u recess til u
yesterday morning, when it voted 172 to u
9 against the commissions decision. The II
oint convention reassembled and Louis u
ana, Maine and Massachusetts were count W
ID for Hayes. Objections were made to NJ
lichgan on the ground of the ineligibilty OIL
f one Crossman, republican elector, W
he two houses separated and in the House Oh
motion to take u recess till to-day was
efeated, 81 to 1872. This vote is thought p'
} show pretty well the present lilibustCr Ill
lg strength in the House, and unless it p
eceives sudden increase by wrath and
oxaton after the Oregon decision, it will tb
@ powerlcSs. "
The Senate promptly decided by Il strict CO
nj 70 tl,nt h., Ii