New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-02-10
Especial Correspondence OF the Republican,
FROM WASHINGTON.

play at a Discount-SoIfd Facts will
TelH-The Laws Must GoVeFm-OemOs
cratic Counsel Task The1r Ingenuity
co get In Bogus RVIdence-Th State to
Judge How Its Electors Shall Be APP
DOInted-The Action Of State Omccrs
De Facts FinaI-CaR this Commiaaion
Overrurn Their Decision.
WASHINGTON, February 4, 1877.
The great lawyers now arguing the pow
ers of the commission recently created by
law ito count the electoral vote, present
spectacle to the America mind of the laws
power, and its great capacity to work good
and pacific results by arbitration.
Mr.. Justice Clifford, who is the president
of the commission, shows remarkable abil-
ity as presiding officer in his manifest dis
position to cut off and shut out all extrane-
Gus matter, such as fulsOme OratOry Of
Democratic counsel to get in partisan tes-
timOny, their attempts to argue points not
before the commission, and, above all else,
Judge Clifford's determined reminders to
counsel that the time allowed each one of
them is necessarily brief, and that they
had better strictly confne themselves
to the law, the facts and the identical
questions bearing upon the great case at
issue. These little reminders are doubtless
thrown out by the presiding justice" as q
gentle hint to counsel that fOwery peoria
tions and mere rhetorical assertions will
serve IS simple nOthingness in influencing
the judgment of the commission, and only
tend to weaken the case of the advocate
who INDUCES in, such vapid displays of
orstory. The able directors on the part of
the House (Messrs. Kasson, of Iowa, and
McCreary) to certificates numbers two and
three, being those granted by the Demo
cratic Governor Of Florida subsequently to
certificate number one, issued by Governor
Stearns, in accordance with Law, he being
Governor of Florida, stated very tersely
the legality of Governor Stearns' action, and
the reasons why the certificates issued by
Governor Drew were void.
In conjunction with these objectiors, the
eminent counsel for the Republican party,
Messrs. William NJ. Evarts, General Slough.
ton and Stanley Matthews, made up their
case, which can AOt be exceeded in power,
IS it is full of bristling points, and over
flows with logic. WhileN these gentlemen
desired to avoid an intermidable discus
sion arising from q review of testimony
which would carry the commission away
back into the details of State election on
the seventh of last November, they ex-
pressed q willingness to do so if the Gem
mission should so order, and they felt con-
ident that the Democratic cry of Repub-
ican ''frauds, /" "usurpatiOns" and such like
assertions, would show that the Democratic
party was the chief perpretrAtOr If such
infamy. The Republicans clam that this
commission is not q general canvassing
board, but that its jurisdiction is confined
to higher questions; and if it is to be deter
mined that it has judicial power Ia point
not generally admitted), then it should con-
fine itself to the great question, Were the
State authorities, in passing upon the result
Of the elections, the legally constituted au-
thOrities acting at that time and under
the rules and laws which prescribe their
duties in the premisesi This being deter
mined in the affirmative, their acts are
legal, and, therefore, binding. The Demo
cratic objectors and Democratic counsel a.
sume all ct once Immaculate purity; their
virtue is of the highest order; that great
Tammany lawyer, Mr.. David D0dley Field,
holds up an electoral certificate given By a
legal Governor, and cries out, while his
is manifest to every one, 'LoOk
at Ill One fears to touch i'll II lie black with
fraud and will not bear the light" And his
brother counsel, the defenders and apologists
Of the blackest criminals that ever defraud.
ed the State or nation, take their cue. and in
all that follows, the vocabulary Ia exhausted
by them in expressing their disgust of
honest Republicans, whom they style a.
'tugurpera,e and the most vicious Of man
kind. They are as free as air with such
completely running over
with loose EXPLANATIONS that their political
dgure-head must become the head Of the
nation upon their production of manufac-
Mr. Field have been working ingeniOusly
to get such manufactured 'sstufS into the
record which will be made up in the case Of
the disputed States. Jerry Black, in an 0ilv
attempts TO pull the wool over the
eyes of the great tribunal. Speaking of the
one.sided, hatehed mp stories coneoctkd
BY Field and Tilden Wirepullers, whereby
witnesses answered ilst e Field would
have them when before his committee, Mr.
Buchanan's Attorney General and the
authOr Of the right Of secession told the
commission that "they could admit il; they
were not compelled to be guided by il: it
could be thrown out IL the commission
should 90 deeide.v Artful jeremiah The
commission has the information that the
Republicans would like TO cross-examine
some Of these willing witnesses summoned
by Mr.. Field, before their evidence Il fit to
become q matter Of record. The commits
sion undoubtedly would like to see the tes-
simoDy Of witnesses ION the other sidey BY
the eide Of 10. The Democratic counsel
have been too haBty.
If in the case Of these disputed States
the testimony now being taken by congress
slonel committees still sitting here Ia 70 be
considered BY the commission, every right
minded man IL Ia favor Of having that fes
tim0ny complete on both sides before it IL
presented. The Democratic side Of this
great question assumes that 1ilden is
elected beoauoe he fot the popular vote
This is the only oonelnaiem one can draw
from their argument. They seam toiquore
tho right Of q State to appoint its electors
il such q manner Is each State sees a.
The Democrats in THAR aEaumens In the
yA1o ~ LivNA1a 1aMltot4 NHNt blo ot4Io Of
deoEs graBtlug and certifying the electoral
vote for heye1 were ofse8rg DC Jacio, the
authorities Is actual possession. yet they
claim that The action 81 enok oGioafs was
Illegal, beoaaso sons subsequent cot Of OH
GERS reversed It.
Their thooEy ID that two hoGies can Oc-
ogpF the aznae sp@es - the eaue 0ime; shat
there could be two sets Of oiEeers &c focfo,
ard that one could oVade She Others con
alueians II the case h 90 be treatod IN
that nlans1E, SIC repeIa9 vote might ~ we'll
Do taken ag to she proper settlement and