Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-05-18
Gross misconceptions.

Gross misconceptions.
As there seems to be good deal
Of misconception both as to the pre-
else scope Of the Electoral Com
mission bill and the attitude OF the
HERALD as to the tenure by which
Hayes, through fraud we admit
to have been contaminated under
the forms of law, holds his office,
we have something to say of both.
We have lying on our table a bulky
official volume entitled "Count OF
Electoral Votes, Proceedings OF
Congress and Electoral Commits
sion.n On referring to the act en-
titled "an act to provide for and
regulate the counting OF votes for
President and Vice President, and
the discussion of questions arising
thereon, for the term commencing
March 4th, A. D., 1871" we find
that section ak reads as follows:
"That nothing in this act shall
"be held to impair or affect any
fright now existing under the
Constitution and laws to ques-
"tion, by proceeding in the judi
fetal courts of the United States.
"the right or title Of the person
"who shall be declared elected,
tor cho shall CLAIM, to be President
Tor Vice President of the United
ESTATES, il any such right ex-
"ists.u
The italics in the above are our
own. They outline, in an unan-
swerable way, the absurdity of the
claim of Hayes's partizans that the
settlement OF the Electoral Com
mission was intended to be irrevo-
cable. Congress itself, both houses
consenting, did not assume to more
than settle the question Temporal
rily, to avoid great National
peril. 1t asserted for the men who
should be declared President and
Vice President by the Commission
no indefeasible title. On the con-
trary, it only aimed to invest them
with such color of title as would
enable them to claim to be Presi-
dent and Vice President of the
United States. 1t left the whole
matter open, with the ultimate de-
cision liable to be modified by fur.
Their developments of fraud. The
Electoral Commission did its work,
and did 1t villainously and in q
perjured spirit; but, from the very
moment it rendered a decision
which made it necessary, for
the time being, for Congress
to declare Hayes and Wheeler
President and Vice-P President, re.
spectively, of the United States
the Commission went out of exis-
tence, and left nothing but the
memory of a vile aud partizan use
of au authority that was at best ex-
ira constitutional. 1t could not do
more than the act of Congress per-
mitted it to do, and that was tc
render a decision which would en-.
able one of the contestants to be
temporarily proclaimed President
of the United States. The pretence
that the settlement was intended
by Congress to be irrevocabie is as
fraudulent as the title of Hayes
himself.
What matchless impudence it is
on the part of lot of Republican
howlers to assume that an inquiry
into the gross frauds by which
Hayes was made President is in
any sense revolutionary?
The Democratic majority of the
House of Representatives, from the
very moment that the confessions
Of McLln and Dennis-men who
themselves assisted to perRetrate
the Florida frauds-came 10 their
ears, had no alternative but to in
stitute an inquiry. To have adopt.
ed any other course would have
been political suicide. There is no
danger of Hayes's being taken out
of the Presidential chair except for
cause and with the consent of the
Republican party. But the respon-
sibility of keeping him there, if he
remains, must be made to rest
with the Republican party. The
Democracy cannot consent to suf-
fer both the injury aud theguilt OF
an accessory after the fact. If the
Republicans desire to keep Hayes
In his ill-gotten office, with full
proofs of the guilty conspiracy by
which he was made President
easily accessible to them, why,
then, we have nothing to say. The
Democratic party can afford to
wait. 1t can indemnify itself in
the future with vengeance. All
1t needs is to keep the machinery
Of fraud lying perdu, and well oiled,
aud lis opponents will curse the
day when they departed from the
rule of fair.play in elections.
We have not confined ourselves
in the foregoing to our own specu-