The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-03-13

peared TO C0rr0Dorate tnat statement un-
der oath. No charge from any source
whatever had at any time attached to
the name of Mr.. Hendricks.
BUTLER's REPORT.
Washington, March 4.-General Butler
says in his report upon the Potter inves-
tigation 81 have chosen to examine
only the political and party action Of
both parties, their leaders and their ma
nipulators of election in the State of Lou
isiana where it would seem every form
of wrong, misconduct and outrage possl-
BILE to be done in an election is alleged to
have been committed on one side or the
other"
The General concludes that in 1876
there was no full and free election by the
whole body of electors of the State of
Louisiana, ought not therefore to have
been counted in favor of either candi.
date for the Presidency. That if any le-
galIeleCtion was held in Louisiana, then
the majority of the votes actually cast in
the State were for the Tilden electors
and for Governor Nichols; that in case
the vote of the State is counted at all, the
votes of "bulldozed parishes" as they
were called were within the fair and
just exercise of jurisdiction of the Re-
turning Board to be rejected in the prop
or exercise of their judgment with the
exception of some few polling precincts
not material to the result. That in parts
of the State other than said "bulldozed
parishes" where a full campaign was
made by both political parties, the ma
iority of the votes were cast for Packard
for Governor and portion Of the Tilden
electors, leaving two or more Hayes
electors elected that such count and
return would have givel full expression
to the will of the people in such parts OF
the State as we're not affected by Coer-
Cion and violence in favor of Packard
and against two or more of the Hayes
electors, which would have given the
Presidency to Tilden, as would haye
been the case, if the whole vote Of the
State had been rejected by both Houses.
The declaration by both Houses Of Con-
gress that under the circumstances the
State of Louisiana should not be counted
for either candidate would have been the
best possible result to the country be-
cause it would have taught a lesson to
the overzealous partisan that elections
cannot be carried either by force and in
timidation at the polls or by fraud in re-
turns 30 as to avail the successful Candi.
date, and if 80 carried by either, the
votes would be rejected by the final
counting tribunal. On the contrary, un-
der the rulings of the Electoral Com.
mission if they are accepted as the gov
erning law every encouragement is Civ
en- to reckless strenuous partisans to car
ry their States either by force or by
fraud. That the Electoral Commission,
as constituted, has afforded no practical
solution of constitutional difficulties at.
tending the count of electoral votes in
disputed States, and that an exigency
again arising like that of 1875 will surely
lead to revolution. That the appoint.
ment of the Electoral Commission was
wholly beyond and outside of the Con-
stitution, aud its determination ought to
have no legal force or effect. That the
appointing of Judge of the Supreme
Court upon such political formation had
done great harm TO the cause of justice
by impairing the reverence that the peo-
pie have always justly had for the integ.
rity of the decision of that Court OF
causes between party aud party, and in.
undermining popular estimate of the
stern imparliality of the Court, that all
questions it will do equal and exact JUS
tice under the law to every citizen, and
in view of its ill.success the experiment
ought never to be tried again,
The result has shown that it is against
public policy and tends to bring the ele
ments of corruption into political me-
thods of action, to send semi official part
isans of large political influence on one
side or the other, or both, into States for
the purpose sofControlling or advising ei-
ther in regard to how its electors shall
vote, or to advise as to the manner in
which the votes Of States shall be re.