The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-03-22

Gen. BrrLER,s CoNoLrsloNs.

| ltthcrc was one man connected with the Pot
that was engaged one way or the other in the
investigation OF the muuiudinious fraud
through which llayc, came be counted in as
President the man was Gen, Butler He WAS n
republican and had yotcdto Hayes. As can.
dldatc for governor of Massachusetts last fall he
had to fight both the democratic and the re-
| publican organizations. lie can have there.
fore, no love for either party, and Ii is hard to
tell which he hates most Under the circum-
stances the conclusions at which he arrives,
after weighing all the evidence taken before
the Potter committee are entitled to a. much
weight rs the decision of an impartial judge.
These conclusions are summarized at the end
of the report Of some 200 pages which he made
to congress ON the Sd INST, and are as follow ;
First-That in 1876 there was not a free elect
ION by the whole body OF the electors of the
State of Louisiana, and that the electoral vote
OF that State ought not, therefore, to have been
counted in favor of either candidate for the
Presidency
second That if any legal election va, held
IN louisiana then Ilc majority of the votes
actually cast in the STATE we're Tor the TilICn
electors and tor GOV. Nichols.
Thrd--That in case the vote OF the state i,
counted ut Ill, the vote of the bulldo2cd par
ishcs," IA they were called, we're within the fair
and lust exercise of the jurisdiction OF the Re
turning Board, to be rejected in the proper cXer-
cIec Of their judgment, with the exception OF
some few polling precincts not material to the
result
FOurth-Tha, in the parts ut the State, other
than said bulIdozcd parishes, where a full cam
paign was made by both political parties, the
majority OF votes were cast Tor Packard for Gov
nor and II portion Of the Iiidcn electors, leaving
two or more Hayes electors unclcctcd
Fitth-That such Il count and return would
have (ior which alone there seems any author
ily in the Board given fall expression to the
will Of the people in such parts of the State ~
were not affected 10y coercion and violence, in
favor Of Packard and against two or more Of
the Hayes electors, which would have given
the Presidency to lildcu, ~ would have been
thc case if the whole vote of the State had been
rejected by both Houses.
SiXth--Thc declaration by both Houses OF
Congrcs. that under the circumstances the
State of Louisiana should not he counted for
either candidate would have been the best pos
slbc result to the country, because it would
have taught a lesson to ovcrzcalous partisans, |
that elections cannot br carried either by force
and intimidation ut the polls, or by fraud in |
the return, so as to avail the successful candi- |
date; and il SO carried by either, the votes |
would be rejected by the final counting tribu |
nal On the contrary under the rulings of the
Electoral Commission, il they are accepted as
the governing law, every announcement is !
given to reckless, Strenuous partisan, to carry
their States cltAcr 10y force or ny fraud
That the counting in Of Mr. Hayes was Oh
tanned by II series OF gross and unjusttiablc ir-
rcguanllcs and frauds, which cannot be too
strongly condemned and rcprobatcd,