Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1878-10-18

did give than 10 the Republican Eieo-
tors. I had . perfectly fixed purpose
from which / never dsviatsd In word or
act-a purpose which Was known to or
assumed by all with whom I was In
habitual commandments that was,
II the Office Of President Of the United
States was to be disposed OF by certih.
Gates to be won from corrupt Returning
Boards by any form OF venal Induce
ments. whether Offices or money. l was
resolved 10 take no part in the shameful
competition. and / took zone.
"The main interest OF the victory
which resulted in my election was the
expectation that through the Chief
Magistracy q system Of reforms similar
to that which had been accomplished IN
our metropolis and in our State admin
istration would be achieved In the Fed
eral Government. For this object II
was necessary that | should be untram-
melsd by any commitment in the choice
Of men TO execute the official trusts oil
the Government, aud untrammeled by
any obligations to special interests. l
hsd been nominated and I was elected
without one limitation OF perfect indie.
pendence. To have surrendered or
compromised the advantages OF this po-
sition by degrading competition for lie
publican Board certificates, would have
been TO abandon all that mado victory
desirable-everything which could have
sustained me in the larger struggle that
victory would have imposed upon me.
I was resolved to 20 into tho Prssiden-
tial chair In full command OF all my
resources for usefulness or not at all.
While thus absiaining from ~ ienomin.
ious competition for such certificates, i
saw these certificates obtained for Re-
publican Electors. who had not been
chosen by the people, and denied 10
Democratic electors. who had been
chosen by the people. These false and
fraudulent certificates, now confessed
and proved to have been obtained by
corrupt inducements. were afterwards
made the pretexts for taking from the
people their rightful choice for the Pres
idency and Vice Presidency. These Ger.
tiicates were declared by q tribunal to
which Congress had abdicatsd the func-
ton Of deciding the count Of the dis.
puted Electoral votes TO be the absolute
and indisputabls conveyance Of the title
to the Chief Masistracy Of the nation.
The State Of Florida, which had united
all her executive. legislative and judicial
powers to testify to Congress, long be-
fore the count, who were her genuine
agents. which had by statute caused a
recanvass aud the issue Of nav certih'
Gates, and n formal sovereign authentic
cation OF the right Of the true electors to
deposit the votes entitled 10 be counted,
was held TO he incapable OF communica-
ting to Congress a fact which everybody
then knew and which cannot now be
disputed. Congress. though vested by
the Constitution with authority to count
the electoral votes, though unrestricted
as to the time when IL should receive evil
dence or as to the nature Of that evidence.
and. though subject to no appeal from
its decision. was declared to have no
power to guide its own count by any In.
formation IL could obtain, or by any au.
,hority which it might accept from a
wronged and betrayed State. whose vote
was about to be falsined. The mon-
strous conclusion was thus reached that
| tho act OF one man holding the deciding
vote in q Board OF State C~anvassers, for
without his concurrence the frauds OF
other Returning Boards would have
failed in giving the certificates, known
at the time, and now by himself Don.
fessed to be false and fraudulent. and
confessed to have been obtained by the
promise Of office. certificates whose char
acter was known months before Con
gress could begin the count. must pre-
vail all over the remedial powers Of the
State OF Florida and the Congress OF the
United States combined, and must dis
pose Of the Chief Magistracy OF this
Republic.
(Signed): 5. j. TiLDES.