The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-14
Nine Senators stood Out Never Any
Danger Of Civil War.

While the recent statement of Gen. II. "
BclNION contains matters Of great moment
respecting the frauds and bargains through
which Mr.. HAYES was declared President it
sets forth also fact of extraordinary his
torcal Importance. which has never before
been stated by any respectable authority,
II, indeed. It has ever been stated at all.
Everybody will remember that in the
autumn ana winter of 1876 Il the prctension
was loudly set up by various politicians
and organs of the Republican party that
the President of the Senate alone had the
power 10 count the electoral votes for Prcsi-
dent, and to determine which votes should
be counted and which should be rejected.
This doctrine was maintained continually 10y
Republican orators and by the principal
Republican newspapers, including, of course.
the ablcst and most powerful of them all,
the leading journal Of the Republican party.
the Nee York Tr,es. At the same time.
President GRANT and Gen. SHERMAN col
lcctcd at Washington military force; and
IL was widely proclaimed and never denied
by any journal or person authorized a.
speak for the Republican party. that this
claim Of exclusive power over the whole
subject II the Presidential count-namcly,
that the President Of the Senate was alone
authorized to determine and to declare that
count-should be and would be enforced 10y
the military arm against the Democratic
House of Representatives., If that House
should presume to dispute this new doctrine
OF constitutional law. aud should assert any
right ON its own part to an equal. co0rd-
nate authority in the determination and
declaration Of the election.
Upon this foundation, and upon this alone.
was built up the whole fabric of threatened
civil war with which Washington was
bccloudcd, and 10y which almost every one
Of the Democratic members Of the two
Houses of Congress was Overawcd and ter
rincd into asserting to the unconstitutional
Electoral Commission. And finally. through
the action Of that Commission. SAMUEL j
TILDrS whom the people and the electoral
colleges had chosen to bc President. was de-
prvcd Of his Office and RUruEKToED Il.
HAYES, whom the people and the electoral
colleges had rejected, was put into that
Office
Now the whole Of this clamor, Of this
panic, and Of this final contamination OF
Fraud, was based upon the tnqucstioncd
assertion and the conilding belief that the
Republican senators AZ a body were unani-
nous in maintaining this doctrine Of the
exclusive power OF the President Of the sen
ate over the count II is true the belief in
this alleged uuanmity was subsequently,
broken when Mr.. CoNKLISG's able speech
upon the Electoral Commission utterly eX-
plodcd the doctrine in question by show
ins that 1t had no ground to rest on either m
the Constitution, the laws. or the usagcs OF
the country; but by that time The panic had
done it, work The commercial circles. the
clcrgymen, and the old women generally
were in a state Of frantic terror. and the Dem
ocratic members Of the two Houses were
most Of them too far gone 10 Ice able to re-
cover their sclf-posscs-ion; and so the
Electoral Commission was agreed To and
the proccssc- Of Fraud We're completed and
crowned hy the Inauguration OF HAYES in
the great Office to which he had not been
chosen.
And now comes Gen. BOyNTOS to reveal
the truth that all this Republican olamor so
persstcntly maintained in behalf of the
President Of the Senate. was mere brag and
blustcr-in short, lie and an impo~turc
from beginning to end. There was no such
unity Of purpose among the Republican
Senator hut instead OF this there remained
among Thorn numerous ond very powerful
body Of men -till too radically faithful tot the
Constitution and to -',lr-govcrnmont 10 con-
sent that the work # fraud should be COM
pletcd Nv revolutionary yi,louco. Thus tho
panic among the Democrats was ha-od ON
amcrc dclurion, and if al that time They
had lad the strength Of mind to stand
firmly by the Constitution. nll would have
ended in peace and tranquility, and The