Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-05-25

and his good faith as a legislator to the as
sertion that he did not and does not intend
by the course he has adopted to reopen the
question of the Presidential fraud or TO
shake Hayes's title. Mr.. Potter expressly
and emphatically declares that his object is to
ascertain what frauds, if any, were perpe-
trated in Florida and Louisiana after the
electoral votes of those States had been cast
in 1876, which became operative and success
full to the exclusion of the Democratic PresI-
dental candidate from the office to which
he was elected by the people. To
ascertain this is an essential preliminary to
such legislation as shall tend to make it i'm
possible for any future Presidential candidate
to be so excluded from the Office to which the
people may elect him. The decision of the
electoral commission is regarded as 6nality.
Nobody proposes to disturb that decision, and
yet the Radical papers and the pap-suckers
repeat from day to day the lie that the Demo
Gratis have commenced this investigation with
the view of revOlutionizing the government
by removing Hayes and inaugurating Tilden.
If the great interests of the country can be
disturbed by the exposure of fraud and the
punishment of the culprits, then, hereafter,
all villainy Is to 60 unmolested for fear OF
disturbing pubic aud private business. An
attempt TO punish Ii impeachment high off,
Gals for their connection with crime Is not
impossible, for Impeachment is nothing new
in our government. Indeed, Impeachment
has been contemplated and provided for by
our constitution, and we have had several
notable examples in the cases of Senator
Blount, Judge Samuel Chase, os the Supreme
court. and President Andrew johnson.
Unless Secretary Sherman and Minister
Moves have committed Improbable offenses,
they have nothing to fear; and unless, In the
course of the inquiry, President Hayes shalt
be proven personally guilty of completely IN
the monstrous frauds by which Florida and
Louisiana were certified to the two houses OF
congress to have appointed Republican Pres
idential electors, no harm can come to him,
except posthumous infamy. Certain it is that
no effort will be made to remove him from
his office, which is the public pillory in which
he will advertise his shame until the fourth
of March, 1881. When Republican newspa-
pers and the Republican leaders set up
the howl they do against the legitimate and
proper inquiry proposed by the Potter resolu-
ton, they betray consciousness of guilt IN
the suspected and implicated persons, and
fear that the President may be incidentally
impeached with the rogues. AS mere matter
of policy they should not do this. There
has been so much said one way and
another about frauds in Florida and Lou
isiana that the people would like to know
just what there, is In the allegations. The
electoral commission decided that it was
not competent for the two houses in making
the count ITO go into evidence aliunde," etc.,
and the two houses, under the law passed,
accepted the decision. But there is no ques-
ton that the house has the power to make
the inquiry proposed, and the people think,
on the whole, that it is best it should be made.
There will be no Revolutionary war. A few
high Republican officers of government may
be impeached and deposed. That and moth
ing more.