The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-08-22
HAYES TITLE.
What the New York Sun Said
Last November.

Blu: these electoral colleges are pecu.
liar bodies, whose appointment IL com
mittcd wholly to the States, whose
cert: ~icates, when their official charac-
ter has been duly vouched by the
States, BECOME by force OF the Consti-
tuition the sole and exclusive legal cvi.
dGnco that the votes Of those States
have been cast for such and such per-
sons'as President and Vice President.
1t cannot be, therefore, that any au-
lhority can reside anywhere to try any
question or to find any fact that is 10
warrant the two houses in rejecting the
votes Of any electoral college of whose
authority to give III ose votes the State,
through it's constituted authorities, has
legally informed Congress. All such
questions and all such facts it belongs
" the proper authorities OF each State
to try and determine, before the per
sons supposed to he chosen electors
are assembled to give their votes.
Any attempt by the two houses, or
either Of them, to go behind the cortif'
Gates and to determine the right Of the
electors to give the votes which they
have certified, when the State hos deci-
ded the right by ito competent author
tiles. will lead TO conclusions in which
the people Of this country will not &C
quiesce. Thus, If it shall he found on
an inspection OF the certificates of the
electoral colleges, when they are open
ed 10 the presence of the two houses.
that Mr.. Hayes has received lS5 votes
or more, that result must be accepted
by the people as tho legal result, what
ever may have been the frauds COM
mitted in Louisiana or any other State
in returning or counting the popular
vote. 1t is perfectly proper for Cons
grcss to ascertain the facts OF such
frauds in an authoritative or conclu-
sive manner for the information OF the
people, but the certainty that there are
such frauds cannot affect the legally
certified election. Mr.. Hayes must he
inaugurated and acknowledged as
President even if the legal result is 50
tainted with fraud that honest men re
volt at the very thought of what they
must submit to, There is no a%lterna-
live but civil war, and that forms m
unnecessary and inadequate remedy,
and is moi to be thought Of. III Mr..
Hayes shall be declared President with
grave reason to believe that he has not
been honestly and fairly entitled to
have the electoral votes Of certain
he and his party must bear the
consequ noes. Those consequences,
ii his opponents are wise, will be, not
that the title Of Office is to be resisted,
but that the People are to be appealed
TO to use their constitutional and
peaceful method OF redressiDg all
wrongs and Furnishing all ontrages,
namely, BY the ballot box. No such
appeal can be made if the country is to
be plunged INTO anarchy by denying
title to the office. Our gov
eminent must be preserved and perpet.
uatcd; and that it may he, %grievous as
wrong will he that takes from Til
den States in which he has carried a
majority of the popular vote, we must
to that wrong, in the entire
certainty that the party responsible for
it will in due time he rewarded with
political annihilation. We shall! there
tore %deprecate and oppose any action
by the House Of Representatives look
to any dispute Of the regular cleo
oral certificates from any of the States
The responsibility for what is done in
he three controverted States is with
he Republicans, and there let it rest.
All that the House Of Representatives
,ar properly do in the premises is 10
ascertain and determine the precise ma.
ure, methods and extent of the frauds,
nd then leave the question to the
of the country. and to the
egal and constitutional remedies offer
d by the next elections.