The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-01-18
Indiana Eighth of January Resolutions.


ana, assembled in State Delegate Con-
vention, do declare:
That while convention of the people
for deliberation touching the result of an
election long after it has been held and
the votes counted is unusual, yet the
emergency which calls us together is un-
usual. The fact can not be denied that
a formidable conspiracy exists to falsify
the vote of the people and impose upon
them President sand Vice-P President
whom they have not chosen. The main
objects for which we struggled in the po-
litical cOntestof 1876 were: The restora-
tion of good government in the Southern
States; pure civil service. and the en-
forcement of economy in all the depart
ments of the government. We were sue
! cesssul at the polls. Nearly quarter of
million majority of the votes Of the peo-
| pie was confessedly cast in favor of the
reforms for which we contended. and for
the candidates representing those re-
forms. This large majority of the popu-
lar vote remains in our favor, even if the
work of the Returning Boards of Florida
and Louisiana is permitted to stand. If
| the votes of the electors fairly appointed
by the people of either of these States
shall be counted Tilden and Hendricks
will have a majority in the electoral col
lege. Shall they be so counted?
tits known that in each of these States
the majority of the votes actually cast
were in favor of candidates for electors
pledged to vote for Tilden and Hen
bricks, and that upon the face of the re-
turns these electoral candidates were
chosen.
In the State of Florida the highest ju-
dietary tribunal has virtually decided,
in legal contest directed against the
Returning Board of that State on the
question Of counting the vote for Gov
ernor that said State has given a popu-
lar and legal majority in favor of the
Democratic electors, and yet said Return
ing Board declared the vote in favor of
the Republican electors, and it is so pro-
posed to count it.
In louisiana that majority was SO
large as to defy concealment or denial
but under the fraudulent manipulations
of Returning Board which long ago
rendered itself infamous, that msjority
has been reversed. Shall the reversal
stand? Shall the decision of the Return
ing Board bestronger than the Judgment
of the American people?
In the interest of justice and repub-
lican government we protest against the
acceptance of the notoriously false
judgment of that Returning Board as
conclusive evidence of the elective will
of the people of Louisiana.
1t is true in the highest affairs of gov
ernment as in the common transactions
of private life that fraud vitiates every
result into which it enters. If the peo-
pie are sovereign, no power can reverse
their choice, and no mere technicality
can restrain their sovereignty. We de-
nounce the assumption of power to re-
ject the votes of whole precincts or dis
tricts on the ground of alleged intimida-
ton of. voters as arbitrary, unrepublican,
and revolutionary.
1t is the duty of just and efficient
government to prevent the intimidation
of its voters, and to restrain and punish
all lawless persons who would molest
these voters or interfere with the freedom
of elections. But the offenders only
should be punished, and those whose
rights have been disturbed should not
suffer disfranchisement for the acts of
such offenders. We hold that no just
power resides in free government to
disfranchise whole community because
it may contain some lawless men, whose
lawlessness it is the duty of that govern
ment to restrain.
The Returning Board of Louisiana
! claims to be invested with this danger.
Gus and despotic power-a power which
any absolute despot might envy-and
that its exercise of that power is fnal
and conclusive. We denounce such al
assumption of power by any department
or institution of government as unjust
; and tyrannical.
, This Returning Board, which assumes
to hold the sovereign power of the Stat,
of Louisiana in. the hollow of its hand
this Board, which has repeatedly falsi6et
the vote of that State and now propose
to subjugate the Federal Government t,
l its despotic will, is unrepublicau in it
. structure and in its purposes. 1t is self
perpetuating, having power to fill vacan
cies in its own numbers. Its duration
has no prescribed limit. 1t is above tn
reach Of law, for it can count in its owl
Lawmakers. Composed as it is of mel
who have committed the highest crime
g against Republican Government, it cal
: perpetuate its despotism at pleasure.
: is wanting in no bad feature Of hersditar,
I despotism.
Under the Constitution of the Unite,
States which guarantees to each State
Republican form of government, such al
: Institution has no claim to recognition
: 1t could not rightfully exist even for tn
t exercise OF a legitimate public function
t 1t has arbitrarily rejected man
: thousands of the votes cast by tn
citizens of Louisiana which had bee
! duly certified by the proper returnin
officers. This act changed the govern
: ment of that State, and was intended t
: change the administration of the Federa
: government.
J. To hold that certificates by such
p board, of result thus produced, is col
!. elusive evidence of the will of the peopl
% of Louisiana, would he mockery and a
: outrage upon the rights of the people.
rs false government set upon such tecl
d nicality would command no respect an
d would deserve none.
n If returning board thus constitute
% and clothed with such dangerous powe
n could, under any circumstances, be a /
gitimate institution, still this Returnir
Board was not such, for it was not orgal
lie lied as the law of its existence requires
Ds That law requires that it should be con
as posed of five members, and that all p
,e litical parties should be represented
70 its membership. These were essenti
y. ~ features in its standing existence, an
&c while either was lacking it was incor
r. petent to perform the functions of T
er turning board. 1t was lacking in bot
~ these features, as it was composed of bl
IN four members, and they were all meI
es bers of the Republican party. Its pr
ceedings were fraudulent, and cons
Ae quently its decisions and pretended fin
en- ings were void. In disregard of justi
ey and right ard law returns were opene
nd papers attached, and sealed agail
al in other cases returns were not O
70 tained upon pretext; parish
" and parts of parishes were throw
le- from the count without legal right
1t, justification and a1uarS 90 oS to Unok,