Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1877-02-20
THE ELECTORAL CONTEST.

The electoral commission, on Friday. de
eided by the party vote Of to7-the same
rs in the Florida rase-not only not To hear
any testimony in r. gard TO Louisiana. reject
ing every -lnnr6n To that effect hut passed an
order giving the electoral vote Of that State
e. HAYES aud Wheeler. THE facts 10 ,clation
ta the electioa in Louisiana and TO the action
of the returning board. Us tie Bait more Sun
SAYS. ..being 20 widely kn'wu through the re-
ports of congressional commuters sud the in
vestisa,i,ns still pending at Washington, it
will be a great disappointment t" the public
generally 10 learn that the commission ex.
cluded them entirely. and refused to entertain
suy motion to 20 behind the certificate of the
famnns returning board. When the l>w Gre
ating the electoral commission was passed tho
plan thus devised for reaching IN amicshle
solution of the points in controversy was cor
daily welcomed by the great mas Of the PEG.
pie. who desired above ell things TO he as.
sured in advance of neaceabls wav ont Of
the presidential complication. But they
never Imagined that The d, ci,ion on the ones
tions. 1t Issue was 10 turn on legal qu'hbles,
subteties and svoidsnces The commission
was popularity supposed to he i" the nature of
. boar1 of arbitration. which would c"n-trne
its powers literally. and not recognize. with
out inquiry. "a binding acts done under mp
psrept forms of law, hut which were alleged
by The contestants to be merely q cover for
fraudulent transactions. Whether such allie.
cations were true or false. the people will
never believe otherwise than that it wa. with
10 the province of III. electoral commission
to INSTITUTE such inquiries would enable
them tn form an impartial jnc, mert in the
charges that were preferred. Had ,he COM
mission gone into the under review on
their respective merits. aud then d, eide d that
notwithstanding the frauds and ir,esu'ar't'es
With which t. ey were tainted the certificates
must stand. hecanse the constitution aud the
laws afford 10 remedy. that of itself would
have tended in large degree, 10 relieve ID"
public mind of the di-ag'oeab'e impression
thar musf now rest unon it.
.Nr. ju-tce Bradley. who voted in tie
Fl"ridA case to go into the eligibility of
Humphreys one of the Hayes electors. voted
With the maj ri,y in the Louisiana case
sp.ins, any inquiry into the eligibility of two
of the electors in that State wh" were al
legged TO have been federal Ulcers w to ard
beyond the day at the presidential election
The ground stated, however. Tor refusing in
I'll in hn | mig -
,hs fact ihsr there was no allegation of in
eligibility az the time OF the casting of the
electoral v"ts
..Nnt onI, the people. but their representa-
tives. those VIII" passed the electoral hill, be
li.ved thar il WIS within the province Of the
commission to inquire fully a. to the facts in
the Cases of the disrutd States, un'lcr the
bill, else. atx 'Ous we're the people for
the ASSURANCE OF n peHccahle solution, it may
be rea.pnshIy assumed that the measure nrv>
er would have secured the popular approval
that It did "
Notwithstanding outright my he
avcrred by the SIMPLE fact thar the DEM
ocra,lc party. through its leaders in Congress,
mas cDnmUteu ltrcH 10 euDul'Ss On III tEt
arbitrainent "i the present c"i mission yer
its partisan action will not tail to call down
upon 1.-THE rgh,e"u. indignation Of an our,
ragged people. and such storm is lnewinv-
NOT 10 the South blu, in the North and " est,
and embracing in its supporters honest Re-
public.ns q. we'll ~ Den ocrats - that will
serve 10 make the Presidential char f his
Trsuiuiencv. Returning Board Hayes, any.
thing but bed OF roses