The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-02-23
merely ministerial, and that Congress- had tho
right to determine all questions affecting the
electoral votes OF any State or States.

THE PART BLAINE PLAYED.
Mr.. Blaine had doubts about the Louisiana
posed for oi the MEMBER of The Electoral
Commission. becauso. he did not want TO be
PLACED IN q position where h. would be com.
the current, Of partisan feeling in his own
party, by deciding according to the law
IS ' politician "'J pure and i SIMPLE. lie
was quito willing that other Republican sem
at9Pr.s should take The risk Of wre,cking their
oaths TO "impartially examine and consider all
questions submitted, and trueiudgmentgiy
laws" or to peril their regulations with future
generations by a partisan 1ndgment -, he re-
tte %safs S sTSrp S rs tan"
by II strained construction OF tho law Hayes
eamo in, he would not suffer thereby. because
s r H. did Ills Without eXrressnr
preference for my other plan. OraivOcatng the
theory 80 stoptiy ,maiqtgincd nv Morton and the
majority of the Republican senators, that the
Pres idcnt OF the Senate must make the count
lIc was controlled 10y expcdicncy alone. st
sonnl feelings. no doubt. Influenced him largely
in this direction. He had been the popular "a
was defeated 10y little knot Of so-callcd REFORM
ers combining with the worst class of
machine politicians, headed by Don Cam
North Carolina delegation TO prevent Blaine's
nomination, on, the sixth bnllot. He and
nominee Of the party. who Immediately took
10 his confidence Blatne's bittercst enemies and
mndc Carl Schurz his chief monitor in framing
HIS letter of acceptance. Notwithstanding all
this Blaine went into the canvass with zeal. and
his great popularity. tremendous energy, and
magnetic power ny an orator enabled him 10
make th9 campaign accord with his An
dersonvlle speech. the issue was. from
S G a Rss pa2ry Bat T Sni down St Ga p
bcllion. cmnncirgted the slaves. nn1 ro-
Constructed the South retain possession Of the
Government saved. or shall # beturned oycrto
the men who sought TO destroy IT. and who will
demand payment OF all the losses they incurred
while endeaVoring to establish the right Of So
moment, when oven llaycs's intimate friends
,d that bat, the gang WIS Lost and
him at Cleveland. and AbcwSllci tho out it.
look. and appealed for substantial aid from the
Elst Unless we can get $1,000, snid Noy"s
the state is hopclessly gone. Can't the inn
amount r asked blaine. Noyos protested that
they could not. Then Iwlil see that YOU get
it. said Blaine, And i YVES his urgent r,presen-
tations that induced Zach Chandler to send the
sluuun. which he had refused even ut the per-
saved 80 was also Wisconsin mninlyby the *
yriiOns Of Blaine. And yet il was we'll understood
lN lis friends. ~ we'll 10 himself. hriOr" Dec. l.
that II Hayes gam" IN. his, administration
Other considerations than personnel grievances
which weighed with Mr.. Blnin'. He knew
riod. the attitude Of the business mon OF the
country toward tho Pr"-idn initial dispute. They
wanted the ANN ulty settled 50 that COM
nlcr al interests would not sun r by
prolonged agitation ar be inperil.d ~
the possibility ~ civil war Tie influence
sNcricd bv this element could not max. Blaine
do an inipOlitic thing, but 1t restrained his
inusrs made him c1nsarv.tive. Thcn' again
Morton and tonklng were his rivals and Ia"
wanted neither of them To- win any decided
aivnn'ag" oyer him. II" artrd "a a rcvressrr
extent nrntrali1'd tie positively dangerous
iarD~anshli of men like Morton aud Sherman
WHAT EDMuSps DID.
senator Flmuud- was the Mgchiavclli If thc
Republican leaders in iNe Senate. ~" VIZ
respond o. the demand OF the conservative
public 'ntin"nt Which caliis. create Bat hr
wanted a. lrn. HIVES ia los any couurnuli-.
that might 900 agreed upon. He H. a master of
legal lin -se lie understands perfectly Tho
AZ II framing laws with .esai pitfalls into
u he has voice in the construction Of llis
own measures; He Is mor' than a match
Elc 'torni Commission was not a device # his
own. oonkling. Thurman. and Bayard had .caeh
independent of the othcr. conceived some such
plan for the settlement of Ia. ll-iu icd question
Of law and facts. The two latter had IN their
Investigation struck upon and lecome enamor-
ed OF the device inNented by th- fcdcral- in
son Bayard's urocenitnrs were Fcderniists
and It was his ancestor who. after vaiuly en-
deavornc To exact terms from Mr.. Jefferson.
finally cane over 10 tie Democrats and elected
discovered thai the majority oi III" senate com
nuti'e, winch lac had had err at.d To- consider
t'-. WIS IN favor of a Comm e-ion. hr frf
REASONABLY crrtmn u the ultimate result. II.
tr'w the hil which became the Electoral law
ani Throughout all TIA" discussion upon II in
the committee he Guarded zeaiou.ly two points
that giving the Commrsion discretion IN the
constitution II the Commission itsoli. Tho
first was oi'srurcy worded the second was IN,
chief point Of dispute. But Edmunds knew
perfectly well that his side had many advantages
over the other in the formation of the Commits
In the first place. he know. perhaps better
than any man not on the bench the partisan
character OF the MAJORITY Of the Supreme Court
Judges. He was willing To- leave the choice of
the odd man to bv determined hy II throw OF the
dice simply because IL was possible 10 take Judge
Davis ont Of the list Of eligible Judges by hav-
ing the Republican opposition to John Logan in
the Illinois Legislature combine with ths Demo-
crnts aud Independents and make Davis
soon ~ the Electoral bill became n law. Ii was
all managed from Washington. and here was
where the Democratic politicians were caught
would have had an eye 10 every part 81 the
field and have prevented. ~ they easily could
have done. their enemies from stealing II march
On them by this flank movement
THE DEMOCRATS HoPELEssLY DIVIDED.
The Democrats. however. were hopeessly
divided from the beginning Of tho struggle. II
was found at the very commencement Of the
session OF Congress that some of the southern
men were not over ANXIOUS to secure the inau-
euration Of Tildcn. provided they could secure
tn autonomy # South Carolina and Louisiana
This poss bic solution OF tho Presidential prob
lem first suggested itselito Southern Democrats
during tie time that elapsed bctw ren the arrival
of the visiting statesmen in New Orleans and
the declaration Of the result fly the Returning
Board. Louisiana Democrats first conceived the
possibility Of atrade OF this kind, and cautiously