The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-06-19

resolutions themselves, a distinction should
be made between what they undertake to
say and the terms they employ to say il.
They undertake 10 say that Mr.. Hayes and
Mr.. Wheeler should not be turned out on
any grounds which antagonize the proceed
iDgs under the electoral commission law of
1871. whereby they were put in Office. That
conclusion is the mind of the democratic
and republican parties. If it was a conclu-
sion which any appreciable number or class
was opposing, il would have been in order
for the democrats to have recorded them
selves for the conclusion and against the op-
position to 1t. Instead Of that the democrats
sought to vote something which every
BODY was in favor OF, merely TO parry a
lying charge that they were not in favor of
ia charge which dignity, self respect and
the consciousness of the responsibility of a
majority should have led them not to notice
and not to let others thrust il on their DO'ice,
most OF all to drive them TO declaration
concerning il.
But the resolutions do not succeed in say
ing what they undertake to say. The two
houses of congress never declared that Hayes
and wheeler were elected. That they q d
so declare is the cardinal statement in the
resolutions That statement is false The
presiding officer of the joint meeting, viz,
the president OF the senate, made such de-
claration, and even he said be made it Gin
accordance with the law under which the
proceedings were held, not in accordance
with the truth, not IN accordance with the
Joint or concurrent declaration OF like effect
by the two houses. The senate voted that
all the awards of the commission, made by
one majority, should be concurred in The
house voted that they should nor be con-
CURED in. Then the law made for the occasion
imposed declarative duty on Mr.. Ferry,
which he performed. The two houses" never
dec AIRED Hayes and Wheeler % be duly
elected" Every vote of the house TO nom
concur in the awards OF the commission was
a separate declaration, in effect that Hayes
and Wheeler were not "duly elected" and
that Tilden and Hendricks were duly elect
ed" Finally, the house not merely in eff
feet. but in terms, formally, solemnly and
truly declared that Tilden and Hendricks
were duly elected" and that statement
which falsifes the resolutions of yesterday
we publish above along the side of them.
Circumstances made needless and pusilla-
namous the thing the house sought to say
yesterday. Stupidity or craft made the house
fail to say even the thing it sought TO say"
The thing it did say was Justification OF its
own records.
We have given the matter the benefit OF as
full and candid an analysis as possible. The
success OF the resolutions will depend wholly
on how much truth there is in them, and on
what necessity, IL any, there was at the time
and in the circumstances, for resolving on the
question at all. To that test they will come
in the judgment of the people. no matter
what tactics the politicians who passed the
resolutions now think they have accom-
plished or neutralized. The same test will
be applied to the dissent of Mr.. Bliss and the
Others. III the position and proposition of
that dissent can be gainsaid the task will
doubtless be performed. III the manhood
and logic in it can be impeached, that will
be done, too. II not, that dissent will carry
the future, and the coarse epithets vented on
ii to day, in lieu of all argument or examin-
alton, will only help it carry the future, and
demit those who vent them to even less infiu-
ence than they have now. Especially does it
behoove those swift and thrifty southrons,
whose blades are not vet dry with the
blood of the Union, to remember that when
they stretched the adverse report to the
Kimmell bill, into a speculative argument
responsive to nothing-why, on general
principles fraud should be let alone, they
did not represent anything rightly called
manhood in the United States. They ran
when and where they were not sent. The
manhood OF the United States lets the fraud
alone, not because it ought to be let alone,
rs the committee would imply should be the
reason, but because the crime was so unpre-
cedented that no remedy to meet ii, before
ii shall have run its course, is known to the
law. Did that remedy exist. it would be
applied; for the disposition to apply it is as
paramount as courage and truth are in the
United States, and it would be applied il il
was available, even on the next to the last
day of the period of the fraud, as heartily as
il would be in the middle of its term. The
people are under no delusion about the
fraud, or under any delusion about those
who handy the sacred names of revolution
and constitution, TO make out a transient
case of immunity for it.