Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-07-19
Up a Tree,

Up Tree,
There was noted road that began
as very spacious highway, but grad
ually dwindled to a squirrel track, and
ran up tree. The declared object of
the Potter investigation was to prove
that there was fraudulent conspiracy
in Louisiana and Florida, and that Mr..
Sherman and Mr.. Noyes were conspir-
ators. The inquiry has lasted for more
than month, and no candid man will
say that there has been anything estab-
lished which shows either a conspiracy
or the guilt of Messrs. Sherman or
Noyes. The chief witness, Anderson,
is confessed liar, and there has been
no attempt to corrOborate any of his
assertions. Mrs. jerks story of the
letter is quite as probable as any story
of Anderson's, and there is nothing
palmer than that the House, in order
ing the inquiry, instead of providing
against the consequences of attempted
fraud hereafter, did a very foolish
thing, and neglected duty of para
mount importance. Even Mr.. Conk-
ling's organ, which said at the end of
December that q" the masses" demanded
that "this alleged iniquity in Louisi-
ana" should be searched out, Though
the revelations shall appall the world"
| and, month later, that "there is
peril to Secretary Sherman in the
spring breezes that blow soft from
Louisiana, and whisper about the pro-
curement of false votes" now says
that this appalling investigation is a
great cry and little wool. 1t is pretty
evident that there are to be no APPALLING
revelations, and that the President and
the Cabinet will not be touched even
by the utmost efforts of Mr.. M'Mahon
| and Gen. Butler.
What other witnesses Mr.. Potter may
have in reserve is not known. Obvi-
ously if he had any others of import
ance, he would have summoned them
at once to follow Anderson, and to con-
firm his story if possible. 1t is becom-
ing more evident every day that the
substantial facts were revealed at the
time, and that the present inquiry can
add nothing to them. There is, how
ever, one thing which Democrats have
not sufficiently considered. They in
sist that the general Republican charge
against their party of a reckless and
revolutionary spirit has been utterly
disproved by the Democratic acquies-
cence in the settlement of the election
of 1876. Nothing is palmer, they de-
clare, than the fact that the result in
Louisiana was fraudulently set aside,
and that the Democratic party assented
to a legal and peaceful adjustment
rather than plunge the country into
disorder. Is it fair, they ask, to repre-
sent such party as essentially hostile
to good government? For ourselves,
we were among those who hailed the
adoption of the Electoral Bill as a sig
nal triumph of patriotism over party
upon both sides, and time but confirms
the wisdom of that view. 1t was one of
the most complete vindications of the
self-restraining power of an intelligent
popular government that our history
furnishes, and it ranks with the great
est political events. We shall always
acknowledge the patriotism in both
parties that supported the bill. But
there are several things to be said in
reply to the Democratic view that we
are considering.
If the facts of the fraud in Louisiana
were so indisputable as this view holds,
why did the Democratic party, if it did
not originate, yet so cordially accept
the project of the Electoral Commissions ?
For two reasons, neither of which, we
believe, any candid Democrat will deny.
First, the moral conviction that the
Democratic vitiation of the vote before
the election was quite MS fragrant as any
Republican vitiation of it after the cleo
ton; and second, the perception that
there was no constitutional or lega-
provision to settle the controversy be-
tween the Houses that was sure to arise.
The Democrats claim credit for acqui-
escence, but the alternative was to main
tain by arms an alleged result at the
the ballot-box, which everybody who
had read the evidence knew was not
the honest voice of the voters. 1t is
true that elections must be decided by
the votes actually cast, and not by a
computation of those that might have
been cast. But it is not less true that
when we are concerned with the moral
rights of an election, general and mon
strous intimidation must be taken into
account. Now the intimidation at the
Feliciana polls was proved as clearly
as anything in the entire case. 1t
is established very much more clearly
than any fraud in the Returning Board.
By the law of Louisiana, which the
Democrats have not repealed, the Re-
turning Board could throw out the vote
of any poll at which intimidation was
established. The Democratic argument
therefore, is that the party is entitled
to peculiar credit for not insisting that
the House, without shadow of author
ity in the Constitution or tie laws,
should insist upon refusing to respect
the legal action of the Louisiana Re.
turning Board.
Had this course been taken, and had
the Senate and House come to dead
lock, each proclaiming different Pres
ident, the country, in the confessed alb
sence of legal provision, would have
been thrown back upon the moral prob
abilities of the situation. In that case
there would have been no reasonable
moral doubt that the Republicans had
been cheated out of Mississippi, and
that, in fact, all the States in which
the colored voters were a majority had
been wrested from them by terror.
The assumption of the Democratic ar
BuihOhtt thololOlo, ulSdppodlos II JHc
Democrats had not been in as much
doubt as the Republicans both as to the
freedom of the election and as to the
authority of Congress, the settlement
would not have been reached. The
Democrats are entitled TO equal praise
with the Republicans for most patri-
otto act But they cannot claim any
credit for not resorting to violence to
settle a question for which there was
no lawful settlement, and in which the
probabilities We're equal. That both
sides joined in providing a lawful solu-
ton is, indeed, to the credit of both,
and both should gladly acknowledge it.
The essence of the Democratic feeling
of which we speak is that Mr.. Tilden
was honestly elected. But that is the
very point which can not be truthfully